Tayla Clement has lived a life where she has been bullied for her physical appearance and by the time her high school ended, she tried to take her life six times. But as the saying goes, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Similar is the story of this 24-year old who has fought against the bullies, society, and her medical condition to prove that 'unique is beautiful' and is now celebrating a modeling contract with an international company.
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Tayla Clement, 24, from New Zealand, was born with a rare medical condition that stops her from smiling. The 24-year old is now celebrating her new modeling contract.
Due to her medical condition called Moebius syndrome, Tayla has never been able to move her eyes from left to right, raise her eyebrows or move her upper lip.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
The rare congenital condition has caused underdevelopment of the facial nerves that control some of the eye movements and facial expressions.
This condition also affects the nerves that are responsible for speech, chewing, and swallowing. Additionally, the 24-year old also has a club foot and limited ankle movement.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
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Tayla not only suffers from her medical condition but suffers equally from mental exhaustion as she has faced bullying since childhood over her unique appearance.
However, she is finally proud of who she is - and is now set to embark on an exciting new career prospect.
Tayla, who boasts 23,600 followers on Instagram, has signed on with an international modeling agency to try to emphasize the importance of being unique.
“I want to show my younger self that we are enough - we are worthy just the way we are,” she told 7Life.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
She added: “When I was growing up, I never saw anyone in the media that was like me - different."
“I constantly felt alone and like an outcast, unaccepted not seen or heard.”
Though, Tayla admits that t has been a long journey for her to reach this point.
She said: “Growing up being different, not being able to show facial expressions, was really hard.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
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“I can’t remember a time when I was not bullied at school.”
She says other kids would mock her appearance, avoid her in the school yard and call her names like “ugly” and “disgusting”.
When Tayla was 11, she underwent an intensive 8-hour long operation that was was supposed to restore her facial nerves, for her to be able to smile.
Tissue from her right thigh was taken and placed from both corners of her mouth up to her temple.
However, she said she woke up "bruised and swollen" and "looked horrible", admitting it 'broke her'.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
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Instead of "solving" her issues, Tayla said she spent the next 12 months recovering from the operation.
The most traumatizing thing for her was that the surgeons were unable to successfully ignite a new nerve connection in her face.
This is when the bullying started to become physical, with children kicking the back of her knees, causing her legs to collapse.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
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She was also pushed downhills and some kids would take plastic bags to school, asking her to “put them over her head”.
Tayla became skipping school to get away from the bullies and admitted her mental health "hit rock bottom".
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
During her high school years, she tried six times to take her life.
At the age of 17, she started suffering from dissociative seizures. These seizures brought involuntary episodes that caused her severe traumatic stress.
Her years of medical struggle finally started to catch up and as a result, her body started to shut down.
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Specialists said her condition was so severe, she most likely would never make a full recovery.
However, she said something inside her “awoke” and told her to not give up.
The next few years were marked by Tyla's determination to embrace herself and so she joined a gym and took up walking and meditation.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram
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Additionally, she also started her Instagram page ‘The girl who can’t smile’.
The brave girl says she doesn’t need pity - just help to support those with differences. She is now using her frown to put smiles on other people's faces.
Tayla is no longer camera awkward and instead uses her Instagram to raise awareness of the importance of being unique.
Talking about joining the modelling agency, she says it's a move “little Tayla would have laughed about”.
“I think little Tayla would be so proud," she admits.
Image: taylaclement/Instagram