Seven-year-old girl with rare birthmark stars in body-positive photo series
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A seven-year-old girl born with a rare type of birthmark has been chosen to feature in an international exhibition.
Rosabella Harrison, from Beccles in Norfolk, was born with Congenital Melanocytic Naevi (CMN) – a rare type of birthmark affecting one per cent of infants worldwide – on her face.
Rosabella, was recently chosen to be the face of the charity Caring Matters Now – an organisation dedicated to providing support to those affected by CMN – and is now set to appear in an international exhibition with a message to "love the skin you are in".
According to her mother, Chantelle, Rosabella's birthmark is particularly unique in both its placement and composition.
“It's incredibly rare,” Ms Harrison said.
“People normally have the birthmarks somewhere on their body but not normally on the face.
”We're just little people - things like this don't normally happen to us. But Rosabella loves it - any excuse to be in the lime light. It's lovely.“
The 29-year-old went on to explain that the condition is not just cosmetic and also poses the risk of future neurological problems and melanoma.
As such, Ms Harrison explained that Rosabella returns to hospital once a year for tests but refuses to let her condition stop her from achieving her goals.
”Rosabella has been riding all her life because we live on a farm and she is part of the dressage team at school. She has only just turned seven and that is a massive achievement for her,” Ms Harrison said.
“She just wants to try anything that is going on - she is so fearless and is just good at everything she turns her hand to.
”She is going to do an amazing things.“
The exhibition, titled “How do you C Me Now” will be shot by world-renowned fashion photographer Brock Elbank, who is best known for his captivating series of portraits of people with freckles.
Both the charity and Elbank hope the new exhibition, which will include a series of portraits of “some of the most inspiring children and adults” affected by the condition, will help to raise positive global awareness of CMN.
“The aim of the exhibition series is to give a clear message to the world – love the skin you are in,” a Caring Matters Now spokesperson said.
”We want this beautiful series of images to reduce the public’s negative perceptions of visible differences.“
The ‘HOW DO YOU C ME NOW?’ series will be exhibited at the gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf in London from 14 -24 March 2019.
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