02 Oct Belly scars are the must-have fashion accessory for 2014
A picture posted on social media by model Bethany Townsend has sparked a new craze. Bethany suffers from Crohn’s Disease, and posed for the picture proudly wearing her colostomy bag, which she needs because of her condition, in her bikini.
The craze – christened “Get Your Belly Out” – has gone viral and now hundreds of women are joining in by posting pictures of themselves with a variety of scars on their stomachs. There is a serious message behind the craze, however, as the idea is to highlight the huge rise in stomach conditions among women over the last few years, and for them to be proud of both their scars and bodies.
Crohn’s Disease now affects around one in 10,000 people in the UK, with women more likely to be affected than men. It can be incredibly painful and debilitating. Symptoms can be mild, which requires avoiding certain foods and pain management but more serious cases require surgery to remove parts of the gut, which is where scarring can occur. Other conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are also on the rise, which can lead to the need for surgery and could result in scarring.
Women with scars from surgery and illness got their bellies out and showed off their scars on the internet for the campaign. Crohn’s and Collitis UK has also shared the scar pictures on its Facebook page and they have since received over 11m views.
UK/DER/14/0002k Date of preparation:October 2014
