“It’s Genetic”

At the age of seven I was diagnosed with the rare genetic chronic condition known as Keratosis Follicularis (Darier’s Disease). When I was younger and just learning about my own condition the easiest phrase I would tell people when I was asked what was wrong with my skin was “It’s genetic”. It made it so people would stop asking me questions that I myself did not know the answers to.

Growing up having a chronic visible disability came with the traditional middle school insecurities about how I looked at a rather heightened level. I had schoolmates make comments about my skin in a way that led to me often feeling the need to be hiding any visibility to the impacted areas of my body.

During my senior year of High School I began this body of work titled “It’s Genetic”. I continued with this work during my first semester of my undergraduate degree. The work was the first time I was allowing myself to take a sense of control and speak about my disease rather than hiding from it. It explores my relationship with it as well as the comments that were engrained in me from when I was diagnosed until the age of seventeen. At seventeen, I became comfortable to gain more knowledge about my condition and be able to explain to those asking.

2020-2021