Meet our January Scarlight Laura M! She joins us from South Wales in the UK!

I am so excited to feature Laura! She is truly an inspiration to a lot of women with scars and insecurities. I first learned about Laura from reading an article in an online publication about her scars and the journey she’s been through. Afterward, I shared her story in my Facebook Group, Scars to Confidence and then reached out to her to ask if she’d like to be a part of the group. She readily accepted!

As part of Scar Power, I choose to feature strong and brave women who embrace their hardships and turn them into power through my Scarlight platform. I put out requests through social media asking if anyone would like to share their scar story to empower and inspire other women, and Laura stood up!

There is a quote that I read by Iyanla Vanzant that reads, “When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else.”

This is absolutely true, and it is the reason why this platorm is so special!

Here is Laura’s story below!

Becoming Laura

“I am 50% scarred from the tip of my toes to my waist. I was put into a bath of scolding hot water by my birth mother’s boyfriend at the age of 1. Since then, I had to grow up with scars and embrace them every day. It taught me how to be different, how to be confident, and how to bring awareness into the world about burns. My scars taught me that confidence is the key.

I am also a beauty pageant queen! I won my first title at the age of 28. My aim and platform are to encourage the beauty world to change and to let society know that beauty is more than skin deep!”

Questions for Laura

I asked Laura the following questions. Please see her responses below!

• Why do you want to be featured in a Scarlight?

“I am burn survivor with a story, and I feel like my story could inspire other burn survivors to gain the confidence they need.”

• How has your story shaped your life’s perspective?

“It has shaped my life by helping to me to embrace my past and to look forward to the future.”

• What steps did you take and/or tools you used to overcome how you felt about your scars? If you have not yet, why?

“I took my journey one step at a time. It has taken hard work to overcome who I am. I made sure that I had the willpower to face any fears first and then get out of my comfort zone to show my scars. I had a positive mindset and clear head and was taught to fight back the negative and to pick myself up when times got rough.”

• What is the most important thing that you have learned about yourself through your journey?

“I learned how strong I have been and how far I’ve come to covert myself to where I am now after the trauma and all of the operations. Life is not about dwelling on the past, it’s about looking forward to your future self.”

• What is one lesson that you can share with others that will inspire them?

“Never let your story dull your sparkle. Be the best person you can be. Shine like the true queen or king you are!

Thank You!

Thank you, Laura for sharing your story with us! You are a phenomenal, real-life, beauty queen and we appreciate your courage and your strength! Continue to shine your light in this world and know that we support you! #scarpower