Sara Geurts: 26-year-old with 'wrinkles' challenges beauty stereotypes by becoming a model
Sara Geurts is only 26-years-old, but suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome — a rare genetic disorder that affects the body’s production of collagen and can cause one’s skin to be stretchy, saggy and fragile. Through modelling, Geurts hopes to be the face of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and raise awareness about the disorder. Click through the gallery to see more stunning photos of this amazing woman and let us know what you think.
“Raw & Real.”
“You’re going to meet people who are intimidated by you. You’re different. People don’t know how to react or how to accept someone who doesn’t follow the crowd. They are not used to somone who doesn’t try to fit in — so instead of bolstering your uniqueness, they’ll try and make you feel like you’re weird or damaged. I’m here to offer some well earned advice: Screw them.”
Stunning in lingerie
Celebrating the birthday of her loving girlfriend, Bri Berglund.
Photo from the glitter shoot with @andreabaue.
“I didn’t come this far to only come this far.”
“She was everything real in a world of make believe.”
“New faces, I see you.. Welcome to my life.”
“Shadows.”
Summer photo challenge.
“With my pictures you can clearly see the discrepancies EDS has caused within my skin and why I choose to model with my specific type, as a way to raise awareness for all forms of Ehlers-Danlos.”
All photos via Instagram/Sara Geurts
Sara Geurts is only 26-years-old, but suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome — a rare genetic disorder that affects the body’s production of collagen and can cause skin to be stretchy, saggy and fragile.
“My skin was my biggest insecurity, but now I think it’s just the most beautiful thing ever,” Geurts said in a recent interview with Barcroft TV. “Each imperfection you have is individual to you, and it tells a story about you, and who you are, and the struggle and the journey that you have been on.”
Geurts, who lives in Minneapolis, Minn., has suffered from the disorder since she was 10-years-old. In high school she used to cover up her skin because she didn’t want people asking questions about it. As she got older, the symptoms became more prevalent. It wasn’t until her early 20s when she says she started looking at her body in a different light.
“Just the uniqueness and the rarity and the way the lines form, and just the art that is made from the patterns that are there, it’s amazing. It makes me so sad that I looked at it as this ugly thing at one point in time,” she added.
Instead of covering them up, Geurts now proudly shows off her lines as a model. The “Love Your Lines” campaign, which praises women for their imperfections, from scars to lines to stretch marks, was her first major job. Geurts says her story from that campaign received more than 25,000 likes — a pivotal moment for the model and something that encouraged her to continue in the industry.
Through modelling, Geurts hopes to be the face of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and raise awareness about the disorder.
“My main aspiration for modelling would be to break society’s standards, and the mentality that they have for perfection and to really show that it is your imperfections and your uniqueness that is the true beauty,” Geurts noted. “And that’s what needs to be celebrated.”
Click through the gallery to see more stunning photos of this amazing woman.
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