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At the age of two, American singer LeAnn Rimes was diagnosed with ‘psoriasis’. The chronic skin condition causes itchy redness and flakiness, something many patients are ashamed of. For years, LeAnn Rimes did her best to hide her illness, but now she is completely exposed.<!– –>
Country singer LeAnn Rimes has battled shame about her skin condition for over thirty years. Until she was tired. In a essay For Glamor magazine, the 38-year-old American has put an end to the taboo about psoriasis, a skin condition that causes itchy, flaky spots and sometimes pain.
“When I was six years old, 80% of my body was covered in painful red spots,” writes the ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’ singer on the worldwide day for psoriasis. “Everything except my hands, feet and face. Back then there were no commercials about psoriasis on TV or there was no open talk about skin disorders. Nobody talked about this. ”<!– –>
“I did everything to hide it”
LeAnn Rimes closed her first record deal at the age of eleven, at a time when everyone had to be perfect. “In the world we lived in, our ‘imperfections’ had to be hidden.” The singer did everything she could to get rid of her psoriasis, which is actually an autoimmune disease. “And in public I did everything I could to hide it,” it sounds.
“On stage I often wore two tights or jeans – even if it was 35 ° Centigrade outside. Under my shirt my entire stomach was covered with thick flakes that hurt and bleed. For most of my life I felt like I had to hide. ”
It was no longer necessary to hide for a long time when LeAnn found a treatment sixteen years ago that kept the skin condition well under control. But then came the corona crisis and the associated stress. “All hell broke loose all over the world – including me, just like many people in this pandemic. I could no longer do what I love to do, I was no longer surrounded by people. Stress is also a trigger for psoriasis, so my disease flared up again, thanks to all the uncertainty. ”
Exposing
However, the resurgence of her psoriasis and the slowing down of social life was thought provoking. “Right now, everything we thought we needed is being taken from us,” says LeAnn. “We can now see that we are good enough without all the bullshit. We are still worthy without makeup and artifice. We deserve love without having to work for it. That’s why I’m tired of hiding. ”
She continues: “Music is my gift, it is why I am here. But I also want to give voice to other parts of me. I want to give voice to something so many people are going through. Now is the time to be honest about what psoriasis is and what it looks like. ”
Exposing himself in this way was a big step for LeAnn, which in the end turned out to be better than expected. “It’s one thing to see and judge yourself in the mirror. I thought it would be even more difficult to see a picture of it. That’s why I used to never let people take pictures of me during a flare-up. But when I look at these pictures now, I see so much more than just my skin. ”
Although the singer has not yet completely gotten over the shame, she urges others to embrace their imperfections. Will these photos change how I live? Shall I put on shorts now to go to the store? I really do not know. But I do know how small we can keep ourselves. When you allow yourself to step out of that cage you have built for yourself, a whole world opens up. I hope that anyone who kept themselves small now finds the courage to step out of that cage. When we stop holding ourselves back, our lives come back. ”
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