Celia wore a sweatshirt to her prom.
Not as a look. She was born with one hand, and for most of two decades she dressed to disappear. Long sleeves in July, sweatshirts in every photograph, no matter the season, no matter the occasion. "I almost would rather die than show what my body looked like," she says.
These days she daydreams of a lace hand. And a leather one, a bionic one, a floral one — interchangeable, chosen the way other people choose earrings, to match whatever mood she woke up in. She has never worn a prosthetic in her life. She just really likes accessories. Here, she talks personal style, acceptance, and the one piece she keeps going back to.
What does WELDUN mean to you personally?
It brings forward inclusion, and it creates a safe space for people to feel comfortable in their bodies. It's taken a long time for me to feel comfortable in my body, to show it, and to feel cool with how I look. Being in a space where the fashion is curated for people in my community, I feel so much more seen, welcomed, and part of something much larger.
Is there one piece in your closet you keep coming back to?
I love to switch up my looks. But my favorite pair of jeans is a really run-down pair of Levi's — paint marks on them, rips in them. I've washed them so many times that they've become so soft, and they're super baggy the way I like them. They hug my hips the way I like it. I feel sexy and chic at the same time, depending on what I wear with them.
A lot of what we talk about is this meeting point between comfort and style. Finding that meeting point is hard. What has that journey been like for you?
Let me tell you, it's been a very, very long time coming.
It was really uncomfortable for me, especially in my middle school days, showing my body, actually realizing that people saw me as different. I didn't really have that concept until I moved to the suburbs and started at a school in the middle of the year, and I was just the odd man out.
[That’s when] I started to hide my body. Long sleeves, sweatshirts, no matter what time of year it was, no matter how hot it was. I wore a sweatshirt to my prom! You could not tear me away from a long sleeve. I almost would rather die than show what my body looked like.
Was there a moment where something clicked and you felt acceptance, or was it more gradual?
It was gradual. I have a really amazing community around me. My friends are amazing, my family, the people I've met along this journey…it was just changing my mindset. I don't care anymore. It's hot, I'm tired. If you hate the way I look, hate the way I look. If you hate me, hate me. Because I'm not spending time hating you.
I've had horrible experiences. We've all had horrible experiences. But I'm getting over the negative attention, gradually realizing it wasn't my problem, and that there are spaces where I belong, where I'm welcomed in, and where I'm treasured…doing things like this is also my greatest healing.
Three words for your personal style today?
I'll give you two: Whatever, forever.
Wear whatever you want for however long you want, forever. If you want to follow a trend, follow a trend. If you want to hang on to that trend [until] the day you die, do it, babe! And going back to the journey: [don’t be] afraid to be the odd man out. Being the odd one out is what makes you cool, makes you awesome, makes you beautiful. It's what makes you stand out, and standing out is cool.
People love a box, don’t they?
They do. Dress your age — who says? In reality, if you're comfortable doing you and wearing what you want and being who you are, that's it. There's a beauty in allowing people to really just be who they are.
If you could sit down with your favorite designer and have them make you one thing — something specific to your life and your body — what would it be?
I'm big on accessories. And I've never had a prosthetic or anything like that, but when I saw The Terminator for the first time and I saw this robotic hand peeled back from the skin, I thought: I want an accessorized hand. Interchangeable. Like a piece of jewelry. Whatever mood I was in, it fits that mood. A leather hand. A bionic hand. A metal hand. A floral hand. A lace hand. And it doesn't even have to be a hand! It could be an inanimate object. Accessories make your outfit, and your outfit doesn't just have to be about what you think it has to be about.
A lot of people who come to WELDUN are at different stages of acceptance with their bodies. Any advice for someone who isn't at the accepting part yet?
I know how hard it is to get to the point where I am…and [how hard it is] to get to the points of people who are even past me. The most I can say is: explore, be who you want, look however you want, without thinking about who's looking at you or what people are going to think of you.
Look for the open door. And the door is open over here.
