Social media has become an outlet for many people to post pictures of themselves. Users add filters, adjust the lighting, and crop these pictures to make them perfect to be posted online for others to view. For Bethany Townsend, this process isn’t as easy. However, with her most recent Facebook post, she has proved to the world that there is no shame in posting a flawed photo.
Image via Facebook from Crohn's and Colitis UK
Townsend, British makeup artist and former model, is one of more than a million people across the world that suffers from Crohn’s Disease. The disease is a chronic inflammatory disease, forcing Townsend to wear colostomy bags 24/7.
While the bags are easily hidden under clothing, Townsend made the brave decision to post a photo to the Crohn’s and Colitis UK's Facebook of herself in a bikini.
The former model told BBC Midlands Today,"I felt like I finally had the confidence after three-and-a-half years of having them that I wanted to give other girls the confidence, the guys the confidence, to be like, we have nothing to be ashamed of.”
The picture now has over 9 million views on Facebook and is being circulated around the Internet. Townsend hopes she will be able to get back into modeling now that the photo has gone viral.