Tayla Clement, 26, has never been able to crack a smile because of a rare genetic disorder she was born with that prevents some of her facial muscles from moving.
She now describes her condition as something she is grateful for.
Moebius syndrome is a neurological disease that affects one person out of every 50,000 to 500,000 when they are born. It is caused by undeveloped facial muscles in the womb. In addition to facial paralysis and lack of eye movements, it can also cause problems with swallowing, chewing, and speech, among others.
“The syndrome affects my sixth and seventh cranial nerve, so it’s essentially like facial paralysis,” Ms. Clement told Fox News Digital.
Intellectual development is normal in children with Moebius, but the social adjustments that come with being unable to smile can be daunting.
“They are often mistaken as being sad or overly serious, when they are simply just not able to smile,” Staten Island University Hospital pediatric neurologist Dr. Juliann Paolicchi said about the condition.
Ms. Clement recounts constant bullying during her growing-up years on her Instagram page and in an interview with ABC News.
“People would bring plastic bags to school and tell me to put them over my head because I was so ugly they didn’t want to see me, and I didn’t deserve to be seen,” she said. “I think when you grow up being told that you’re ugly and you’re worthless you believe it because you don’t know anything else.”
After a failed operation to correct the condition when she was 12, Clement sank further into depression. “It was such a horrible time for me,” she said. “But looking back on it now, I couldn’t be more grateful for the surgery being unsuccessful. I think it was all supposed to happen that way.”
After some time in therapy to deal with the trauma of her childhood and her negative feelings about herself, Clement was able to accept her condition and build a new life for herself.
“The surgery being unsuccessful was the biggest blessing in disguise,” Clement wrote in a post on Instagram. “I think sometimes as humans we are so blinded by what we ‘think’ we should look like so that we will be accepted into society, I mean that’s definitely the trap that I fell into for years&years, but turns out, some things are just meant to be the way they are and we shouldn’t need to feel like we need to change certain things about ourselves to be accepted.”
Ms. Clement now works toward inclusion in sports and has become a content creator. She interviews rugby players and some from other sports and hosts events on her podcast, “Toe the Line.”
She signed a modeling contract in 2022 and is proud of herself and her accomplishments.
“I’m living a life I truly never could have dreamed of,” she said. “I’m doing a job that I absolutely love, and I just did not think this level of happiness and contentment was accessible or attainable for me … It’s been a long journey, and I’m very grateful for all of it.”
She has been able to connect with others who have Moebius, something that wasn’t possible in her younger years before social media became prevalent.
“I really needed someone like my present self when I was younger,” she told Fox News. “It’s a full-circle moment to be there for other people now.”
She now sees her disease as a positive thing in her life because it allows her to “inspire people and help people” who face similar challenges.
“Being alive is such a gift, and it’s a special thing to be born with Moebius syndrome. It doesn’t make us any less worthy, beautiful or amazing,” she said.
Ms. Clement says she has figured out how to express happiness in her own way.
“I think everyone’s smile is different, just like everyone else is different,” she said. “I just smile in my own way.”
