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33-Year-Old Born With Extremely Rare Facial Defect Is Breaking Beauty Standards With Her Modeling Career
"Remind the world that everyone is beautiful." These are the words of Ilka Brühl - a 33-year-old woman from Germany, who took it upon herself to spread positivity and empowerment by telling her own story.
Since the day she was born, Ilka has lived a troublesome life. "I was born with a facial cleft and my nose airways were not properly formed," she told Project Grenzenlos. "In addition, I lacked on the right side of the tear duct, so that the permanent natural moistening of the eye has led to me right tears have always run out of the eye."
Now, after countless operations, Ilka is a strong, confident woman, sharing her story and experiences, with hope to encourage people to love themselves. Two years ago, she has begun posing for some of her photographer friends. "There was so much positive feedback, that I got more and more courage to show myself as I am. Pure and unaffected," she told.
Ilka shares her images, motivating people to come out of their shells and to show their true beauty. "There is only one way to be ugly: by having an ugly character. No one has to hide because of their appearance!"
More info: ilka-bruehl.de | Facebook (h/t Project Grenzenlos)
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Suzanne Marriott 7 years ago
She's a faerie princess! I love her soulful eyes, she's an ethereal beauty.
BoopityBooptiyBooper 7 years ago
This picture is so beautiful it makes me want to actually cry
Dawn Woodworth 6 years ago
She is so beautiful!! She looks like a faerie to me with her unusual eyes. So beautiful!
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Vinniegret 7 years ago
In this case, I think it is Lady with a stuffed ermine
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Tammy Chapman 7 years ago
I don't see a "defect". I do see a very beautiful, lovely young lady. And the plants that are in the picture are the perfect colors to show your beauty to perfection. Very ethereal and lovely.
layne 7 years ago
i agree that her face does have features of a fragile, uniqueness yet she also seems serene as well.
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Lori Mercado 7 years ago
THIS is true beauty. Real, raw and imperfectly perfect. Thank you for this photoshoot. You have inspired me to not want to hide my facial birthmark. Let's redefine the definition of beauty!
Sarah Pryde 7 years ago
such a beautiful face, ethereal. id like to see her some more fantasy themed shoots!
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Ted Lintner 7 years ago
reminds me of a woodland fairy, beautiful, and those freckles such a turn on
Faisal Mir 5 years ago
Maybe I am the only one here to think about this. Is there only one way to show any female's beauty to make her naked? why did anyone felt to show her naked to gain sympathy toward her? It is a shameful act to show anyone naked and say that wow look, she is so beautiful and different?
Donald Holder 7 years ago
What an gorgeous woman, True beauty. She is a very unique lady. Should be proud of your self.
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Manoiu Valentina-Mariana 7 years ago
She reminds me the beautiful Neytiri and Na'vi people <3! She's beautiful <3!
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Elizabeth Gardner 7 years ago
her features are fascinating she is unique. She has a timelessness about her.
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Carol Roeder 7 years ago
She needs a crown of flowers not weeds to grace her head. She's to beautiful for weeds!
Fluffy I am. obey me. or else. 7 years ago
Her pure, beautiful light shines through from the inside and shows up very clearly on the outside. She's amazing.
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Sandra Popek 7 years ago
I don't see anything wrong with her. I think some of the excess makeup like this blue color eyeshadow accentuates her eyes to much. So when you see this picture above you're drawn directly to her eyes and right away you think something is quite off. The peach and earthtones make her a natural beauty.
Ehren Thomsen 7 years ago
I think it's not makeup at all, but the lighting, all blue. But anyway, you're right, her colors for makeup would be earthtones, peaches, soft and warm ones, along with her lovely skin and hair. And those freckles are truly amazing.
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ohjojo (you/your's) 1 year ago
Perhaps she is in-between species. Has she tried flying yet? Or nest building? Finally an earthling that looks like the earth
#10
Lori Turpin 7 years ago
beauty is in the beholder they say....and you are beautiful young woman
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Gith Strid-Nwulaekwe 5 years ago
Clearly my favourite! Intense presence and balanced beauty! The realism, colours, depth and clarity of the photo - puts her right in front of me! Oh my God, it is transcedental!
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rhyan lumilay 7 years ago
Well for me your not ugly, your gorgeous and awesome even if you dressed simple and pose calmly.
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BusLady 7 years ago
I just noticed that the tree looks like a woman reaching her arms up to the heavens
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Molly Block 7 years ago
This would make an amazing album cover..... or a movie poster!! Or a book cover too!!!
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Geri Marie Berger 4 years ago
Bares a raw sadness, owning such beauty..you can't look away..stunning.
Sonya Williams 6 years ago
Amazing! Good for her and so proud to see someone who's different stand up and say "hey I'm beautiful" and she is beautiful
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Beth Corrigan 6 years ago
reminds me of a barn owl, such adorable beauty and grace accompanied with such power
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Flisey 7 years ago
I don't like this one. She is so much prettier with her freckles. This one is too much like those photoshopped magazine pictures, fake.
Joanna Maynard 7 years ago
I do like this one, but I thought this post was to show her beauty, not to include photoshopped images.
Load More Replies... Maggie Dougherty 7 years ago
Wow, I would love to know what makeup they used, to conceal her freckles! She does look gorgeous, not because of her concealed freckles but because of them! Seeing both now, I love her freckles!!
savanna stewart 7 years ago
I love this picture, just wish it showed some hair. I love how her hair.
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Joanne Hudson 7 years ago
This is the first of her many "selfies" Some of your faves she took herself.
#23
Christian Grennell 7 years ago
Or a creepy a*s ghost staring at you from a distance the only thing wrong is that there is not a twin right next to her
Load More Replies... Fluffy I am. obey me. or else. 7 years ago
She looks...incredible. Like a woodland fairy straight from a story. It takes my breath away.
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Maggie Dougherty 7 years ago
They have concealed some of her freckles, and her under eye bruising
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Chris Peckham 7 years ago
She's so hypnotic, I get lost in her face, all these photographs are just spell binding.
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Norm Hubbs 1 year ago
while all the photos are great there is something about this one that sticks out especially the hand .
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Maggie Dougherty 7 years ago
How lovely she is! I hope she has a long ,and profitable, and productive career!!
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Meow 7 years ago
Should be this, right? https://www.instagram.com/ilkabruehl
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Casey Weber 3 years ago
What defect, all I see is a gorgeous woman. She is unique but I truly find her attractive.
#44
Odo Lievens 5 years ago
Amazingly beautiful ! I just kept staring at this picture for ages... How unworldy... How wonderful !
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Merilyn Horton 7 years ago
I think her appearance allows a photographer to show greater depth of emotions.
John Louis 7 years ago
The pictures are lovely. I admire the girl's courage to portray herself in them. It is sad that we judge other's by appearances. But I don't see where her condition adds anything to the pictures. Please explain?
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Crista Downey 7 years ago
I love this one, the black and white shows all of her. Just gorgeous.
Odo Lievens 5 years ago
wonderful vulnerable youthful picture, showing perfectly the unique facial features this model has
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Valerie Ward 6 years ago
Why are her eyes blackened underneath? Is this strange bruised "look" part of her defect, perhaps? I know she is using her defect to make her stand out..but the fact is that she is very beautiful, anyway..If she were overweight and short the companies would not pay any attention. This is STILL about the body.
#73
Odo Lievens 5 years ago
Picture showing your gorgeous bone structure. You have a gorgeous face - while bein totally original, it's still perfectly proportioned.
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Scarlet Black 7 years ago
I don't think I've seen anyone so beautiful. She's just wow. Breathtaking really.
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nacho the dragon 7 years ago
most likely gym, most ballet studios don't have wood floors.
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Shelley Kidby 7 years ago
Her face has a rainbow of colors throughout these photos Mesmerizing!
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Mia C. Noir 2 years ago
She is beautiful, has a beautiful hair and straight nice teeth. I have alopecia and ugly teeth (even though costed already 20k- someone destroyed it) - nobody would ever post my picture anywhere without a wig.
Dawn Woodworth 6 years ago
All of these photos of her are breath takingly moving. I found myself crying about a quarter of the way through all of them. She is just stunning! The artistry of the photos wasn't to be ignored either. Both subject and photographer were a match made in heaven. Thank you for these beautiful and moving photos.
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What do you think ?
Kyle Hart 7 years ago
There is something ethereal about her. Also my brain screams Elf, but that's just my nerd showing threw.
Moglin Sin 7 years ago
I was thinking the same thing. She also has fairy like features! ^.^
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Marius Jan 7 years ago
You think she's breaking beauty standarts? I think they're exploiting hers unconventional appearance to sell fashion. People with various conditions used to end up in a circus for people to watch and speak about. Now they're ending up on catwalks for people to watch and speak about.
sunnyrei82 7 years ago
It's not like they're forcing her to do it. It's a career she chose. And she's getting paid to do what she likes! So... no.. I don't feel sorry for her. I'm glad she took advantage of her "difference". She knows she's not considered "normal" by society and beauty standards, she knows fashion is a cruel, shallow industry. But she decided to go for it. And she's doing what she wants and likes. So... kudos for her! I don't think anybody is "exploiting" her. Win-win for everybody.
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Vivek Mhatre 7 years ago
And once again we see, why forgetting a punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. In this case, its the question mark.
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SirWriteALot 7 years ago
Uhm ... no, sorry. Not everyone is beautiful, not everyone is a winner and not everyone gets the prize.
Meowton Mewsk 7 years ago
True, not everyone. But she is. Her face legit looks great.
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Aaaa Bbbb 7 years ago
I don't see the "defect" here. Her face looks perfectly functional, it's just unusual.
Je Suis Ce Que Je Suis 7 years ago
It's interesting how the tiniest variation in certain aspects of what's deemed the standard human appearance can provoke negative responses from some people whereas large variations in other aspects don't even register.
Sasha Zack 7 years ago
I think she is legitimately beautiful. Not just from a body-positive, "every face is a good face" point of view. She has some really striking, model-worthy features. My word, I wish I had cheekbones like that...I've never seen anyone like her.
Phil Boswell 7 years ago
My first thought was that she looks a bit like the gorgeous blue aliens from "Avatar" o.O only shorter and less blue, obviously ;-)
Scott Lloyd 7 years ago
The emotion in every picture is amazing you can almost feel them. Her eyes just draw you in. every picture has an odd beauty to them they are just so much emotion and yet everyone looks like a slice of some ethereal life.
Kyle Hart 7 years ago
There is something ethereal about her. Also my brain screams Elf, but that's just my nerd showing threw.
Moglin Sin 7 years ago
I was thinking the same thing. She also has fairy like features! ^.^
Load More Replies... Marius Jan 7 years ago
You think she's breaking beauty standarts? I think they're exploiting hers unconventional appearance to sell fashion. People with various conditions used to end up in a circus for people to watch and speak about. Now they're ending up on catwalks for people to watch and speak about.
sunnyrei82 7 years ago
It's not like they're forcing her to do it. It's a career she chose. And she's getting paid to do what she likes! So... no.. I don't feel sorry for her. I'm glad she took advantage of her "difference". She knows she's not considered "normal" by society and beauty standards, she knows fashion is a cruel, shallow industry. But she decided to go for it. And she's doing what she wants and likes. So... kudos for her! I don't think anybody is "exploiting" her. Win-win for everybody.
Load More Replies... Vivek Mhatre 7 years ago
And once again we see, why forgetting a punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. In this case, its the question mark.
Load More Replies... SirWriteALot 7 years ago
Uhm ... no, sorry. Not everyone is beautiful, not everyone is a winner and not everyone gets the prize.
Meowton Mewsk 7 years ago
True, not everyone. But she is. Her face legit looks great.
Load More Replies... Aaaa Bbbb 7 years ago
I don't see the "defect" here. Her face looks perfectly functional, it's just unusual.
Je Suis Ce Que Je Suis 7 years ago
It's interesting how the tiniest variation in certain aspects of what's deemed the standard human appearance can provoke negative responses from some people whereas large variations in other aspects don't even register.
Sasha Zack 7 years ago
I think she is legitimately beautiful. Not just from a body-positive, "every face is a good face" point of view. She has some really striking, model-worthy features. My word, I wish I had cheekbones like that...I've never seen anyone like her.
Phil Boswell 7 years ago
My first thought was that she looks a bit like the gorgeous blue aliens from "Avatar" o.O only shorter and less blue, obviously ;-)
Scott Lloyd 7 years ago
The emotion in every picture is amazing you can almost feel them. Her eyes just draw you in. every picture has an odd beauty to them they are just so much emotion and yet everyone looks like a slice of some ethereal life.
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