Sara Geurts, 31, has a rare skin condition, but that doesn’t stop her from loving herself and spreading body-positive messages to those in need. She’s committed to smiling brighter than she did in her situation and wants to explain what it was like growing up differently. “You’re beautiful and you can achieve anything you want,” Geurts tells herself.

She suffers from a rare skin condition.

Sara Geurts, then 10, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition. It slows down the formation of collagen, resulting in fragile skin with wrinkles at a young age. The condition also leads to significant joint discomfort and brittle bones. Discussing her early life, Geurts reveals that when she was 10, her prognosis almost put an end to her ambitions to become a model.

An ad campaign changed her life completely.

Geurts submitted her story to the Love Your Lines campaign in 2015. The project honors the “imperfections” of skin. People submitted stories about their conditions, as well as photos. The #LoveYourLines campaign supported and promoted Geurts’ story.

She admits that her skin was her biggest insecurity and that she tried to hide it throughout high school. She said she didn’t want to talk about it because she was “living a lie.” Her story is relevant to millions of others who suffer from their thoughts and body image, not just her own.

She slowly began to accept her beauty.

Looking back, Geurts said she feels like a completely different person. It’s hard for her to understand why she disliked her body or her condition for so long. “Every chance I got, I noticed my strength, my growth, and my changed perspective,” she told me.

Geurts has stated that it took her a long time to gain the confidence she has now, despite already having a large social media following and appearing in a short film. In an essay for The Mighty, Geurts highlighted how a failed relationship in her early 20s forced her to confront how her body image insecurities affected both herself and the people around her.

She set out to break down stereotypes in fashion.

Geurts decided to pursue photography and modeling instead of hiding in order to expand the concept of beauty as defined by the fashion and beauty industry. “My goal is to break down the obvious societal barriers to perfection. ‘The barriers that subconsciously tell us to be perfect in all aspects of our lives, work, social and personal interactions,’” she explained.