Melissa Blake never asked for permission to exist online.
In August 2019, this writer from DeKalb, Illinois, who lives with a genetic bone and muscle disorder, published an opinion piece on CNN that sparked a strong reaction on social media. A YouTuber shared her photo, and hundreds of comments attacked her appearance. They told her she was too ugly to post selfies.
On September 7 of that year, Melissa responded in the only way she knew how: by posting three defiant selfies. Then she decided to go further. Under the hashtag #MyBestSelfie, she uploaded a photo of her face every day for 366 consecutive days, with no excuses or filters to please anyone.
The project made her go viral for the right reasons. She gained hundreds of thousands of followers, signed a deal to publish the book “Beautiful People” and ended up walking in New York Fashion Week. The same trolls who wanted to silence her ended up watching her shine every day for an entire year.