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‘I’m Proud To Be Different’: Teenager Born With Birthmarks All Over Her Body Hits Back At Bullies

A 19-year-old girl born with mole-like birthmarks all over her body has learnt to love the skin she lives in – and tells bullies: “I’m proud to be different”.

Ciera Swaringen has a rare skin condition called giant congenital melanocytic nevus, which means she has dark spots over 70 per of her skin.

The teenager from Richfield, near Charlotte, North Carolina, has been subjected to years of name-calling and cruel taunts.

But instead of letting the condition get her down, Swaringen is an inspiration, proudly showing off her body, even posing on Facebook in bikinis.

“One day I remember being on the school bus and hearing a young boy laugh at me and call me a ‘spotty dog,’” Ciera told the Mirror.

“Teenage boys are usually the first ones to comment when they see me. They say things like, ‘You look like you’re dirty, take a wash.’

Ciera’s mum calls the marks ‘angel kisses’ (Ciera Dawn Swaringen/Facebook)

“Over time I’ve learnt to brush off negative comments and remember that most people stare and say cruel things because they’re not used to seeing someone with my condition.”

“I’m so proud to be different and, at the end of the day, we all have something about us that’s unusual, whether it’s on the inside or the outside,” said Ciera.

“Everyone is born to look different, and we’re should all feel beautiful in our own skin.”

Facing the bullies (Ciera Dawn Swaringen/Facebook)

Around one in every 500,000 births have large nevus birthmarks. They can often be surgically removed, but in Ciera’s case there are too many.

But as these pictures shows – they’re what make her unique. She even added that her mother, rather sweetly, refers to the marks as “angel kisses”.

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