Our imperfections are what make us special and unique. Admittedly, however, it's sometimes easy to lose sight of that notion.
That's why this photo shoot, commissioned by Paige Billiot for her blog "The Flawless Affect," is so special.
Billiot, who has what's referred to as a "port wine stain" birthmark covering the left side of her face, commissioned photographer Christy Dunn to capture her in a series of shots highlighting the birthmark. And the response has been extraordinary.
People have flocked to Billiot's Instagram account to show their support and offer stories about their own paths to self acceptance.
The 23-year-old writes on her Tumblr that she created The Flawless Affect to "give people a creative avenue to shed light on their "flaws," which she was forced to do early on. She told The Huffington Post that while she experienced "a lot of bullying" growing up, she learned to love herself early on, thanks to moving around to new schools a lot as a child.
"At a young age I was already fed up answering the same questions. So, the first day at a new school I asked the teacher if I could introduce myself. As hard as it was, I got up in front of the whole class, told them who I was and how I was different. I was finally able to breathe, and that's when I noticed a big change. The bullying stopped almost completely. I realized that a lot of those harsh actions came from a place of fear of the unknown," she said.
Billot's activism for self acceptance shines through in a number of shoots she's done since starting the project, which is meant to empower other people with birthmarks to show them off, too.
And while she still deals with having to explain herself, she told The Huffington Post that her own reaction has completely turned around. "The stares and pointing don't stop, but my self acceptance has changed, and it makes all the difference," she said.
All the difference indeed.