At first glance, photographs of Lucía Hernández might look like those of any fitness influencer: workouts, weights, and a physique built over years. But there is one detail that appears repeatedly in many of her posts: she usually appears with her back to the camera or avoids showing her face completely.
And she doesn’t do it to create mystery or provoke anyone.
Hernández explained that for a long time, she found it difficult to see herself in photographs. She can look in the mirror and feel good, but then look at a photograph and perceive herself as completely different. The angles, lighting, and camera can make her face seem unrecognizable to her.
“Many times I don’t even know what I really look like”, she has explained.
The reason has a much deeper story. Lucía was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic condition that primarily affects the development of the bones and tissues of the face and can be associated with hearing, breathing, and vision problems.
According to her own account, when she was born, doctors even told her parents not to expect her to be able to speak or hear. However, her family decided to fight for her, and over the years, Hernández managed to overcome numerous difficulties and undergo 12 surgeries.
Her childhood and adolescence were not easy either. She says that she faced rejection and that for years she came to hate her own appearance because she felt she did not fit in with others.
But she found something that would ultimately change her life: weights.
After going through a very difficult period, she began training in the basement of her home. A year later, she joined a gym and, although she acknowledges having had relapses, she never gave up training.
“Bodybuilding saved my life”, she has said.
For her, lifting weights did not simply mean changing her body. Training became a tool for regaining confidence, focusing on the present, and proving that she could keep moving forward even during the most difficult moments.
Hernández has also wanted to make it clear that showing her body does not necessarily mean that she wants to sexually provoke her followers. Many times, she poses with her back to the camera simply because she feels more comfortable that way and because she is still learning to accept her own image.
Now she wants to gradually dare to show more of her face and stop hiding behind photographs.
Her story is not simply about a physical transformation. After years of surgeries, rejection, and difficulty accepting her appearance, Lucía is trying to convey a much simpler message:
“My appearance does not define me”.