The first time she agreed to pose, she wasn’t trying to become a model; she just wanted to stop hiding.
Ilka Brühl was born in Germany with a facial cleft, malformed nasal passages, and no right tear duct. Her first operation came when she was just three months old, and over the years she underwent more than 10 surgeries, mainly to improve her breathing.
But growing up was another story. During her childhood and adolescence, she endured teasing about her face and became convinced that she should go unnoticed. She avoided drawing attention to herself, and the way others looked at her deeply affected her self-esteem.
The change began around 2014, when photographer friends suggested she pose for them. Ilka agreed despite her doubts, but something happened that she hadn’t expected: seeing herself portrayed in a different way also began to change how she saw herself.
One photo shoot led to another, and she eventually entered the modeling world. She no longer wanted her features edited or to hide what for years she had been made to feel was “wrong”. On the contrary, she decided to show them.
Over time, she also began using her visibility to talk about facial differences, self-esteem, and the need to see many more kinds of faces in fashion.
Ilka didn’t enter modeling because she fit the ideal she had been told for years she should pursue. She entered precisely when she decided to stop pursuing it.