Molly Higgins, 23, had to have her right hand amputated as a newborn, and has a severely damaged left hand.
As a result, she says that she was bullied growing up, which fuelled her toxic and suicidal thoughts.
Today, however, the California native has overcome those urges and now lives as a model – and she’s helping others embrace their bodies by documenting her own body positivity journey on Instagram.
Although it took time, the model has grown in confidence and has shared the mantra that has helped her get over her insecurities.
She often shares inspirational messages with her 6,000 followers, hoping that they’ll be as beneficial to others going through similar self-doubts.
‘As I get older, I’m really trying to understand and feel and do what’s best for me. I want to trust myself and my instinct more. I want to say yes to more, but also know when to pull back and do what’s best for me,’ she writes in one post.
‘I want to be kinder to myself and to others. I want to become more in tune with myself and my body. At the end of it all, no one knows you like you know you. So start to try become best friends with yourself, trust yourself and your path’.
Revealing that she would always wear long sleeve tops, she proudly tells her fans that she is now modelling for swimwear company Mirame Swim.
‘Life is a lot more fun when you give less of a f*ck I promise’ she pens.
She also says her depression made her want to reach out to other people because she felt so alone in her experience and didn’t want others to feel like there was no way to get out.
‘Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it and showcasing myself and my struggles is an important part of getting closer to the confidence I wish I had,’ she writes in another post.
‘It got to a point where I was just so tired of other people’s perceptions of me weighing me down constantly. There was not a single moment of any day where I wasn’t totally aware of my difference.
‘Thoughts of others’ judgements held me in a grip of fear and shame that I couldn’t get out from under. I just wanted to hide constantly, and more than anything I wanted to be anyone else that wasn’t me.
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‘I was in a deep depression that I didn’t and couldn’t confront for the majority of my life. I was bullied, dreamt of suicide, and was really angry about the circumstances I was placed in. But I just got to the point where I was tired of hating myself. It’s exhausting.
‘I resolved that it was my life and I only have one, so why didn’t I let go and ease up on myself a bit. That’s what motivated me to start being more open about my own struggles and journey, because I felt so alone for so long and didn’t want others to feel the hopelessness and isolation I felt.
Molly, from L.A, has understandably become a role model for many as she constantly advocates agency and self-love and understands the constant effort that is needed to nurture it.
One of the many sweet and encouraging posts left by her fans is from a mother who says: ‘You are beautiful inside and out- well done for finding your confidence. My son was born differently-abled. He is only four months old but already has so many people to look up to when he is bigger. Thank you for that’.
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Others note that more women like Molly are needed, saying: ‘Just sitting here thinking how fucking beautiful you are in every way. I wish we had more and more women like you’.
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