Not a lot of people understand what it means to be cross-eyed, but the truth is it's a condition called strabismus, in which one eyeball can look directly at an object from any angle; the other is misaligned inward (known as esotropia). And a self-taught makeup artist wants to reclaim its beauty — and debunk myths — one Instagram post and YouTube video at a time.
According to Metro, Philly-based Talya Reynolds got into the cosmetics field five years ago. Now, she’s a freelance makeup artist using what makes her unique — a left eyeball that’s aligned to the inward corner rather than centred — to empower herself and those around her.
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The most recent example of her sheer talent and kick-ass attitude? A post in which she selected herself as her week’s #WCW, alongside a slideshow of her own gorgeous makeup looks. She wrote, “On this Wednesday I want to post myself, because I’m my own crush. Some of my followers may know me some heard of me, if ya don't know now you know YES! im cross eyed and I love it.”
We all know the road to self-acceptance isn’t as easy as "I love it," which is why Reynolds — who goes by Miss Betty Wap on social media – decided to share how she forged a path of self-love and an ethos of loving others, despite getting bullied.
"I have my days where it gets me down and I see a bunch of beautiful women who have perfect eyes, and sometimes I question, God, why me? I ask him maybe one day I’ll wake up and be normal,” she said. "But he told me daughter, I made you this way because I believe you are stronger and you have much more to offer, more than a pretty face. That whoever loves you will love you for you, and from that day on I stopped questioning him."
Reynolds is quick to point out that we all share more similarities than differences: "I have a heart and I bleed and cry just like you, don't treat me any less."
Though Reynolds admitted that she feels like she sees, "half the world,” we beg to differ. For a woman who advised, “love yourself and show love to others [because] you never know what someone is going through" — we think her worldview is 20/20.