Miss Illinois Teen USA Shares How Her Skin Condition Inspired Her to Compete in Pageants

She's not letting it hold her back.

Kaleigh FasanellaJUL 28, 2017 11:17AM EDT

No one can really prepare you for what it's like to be born with or develop a skin condition. It can make you want to cover up and hide from the world and hinder you from living life to the fullest. Anyone who has experienced a condition like alopecia, eczema, or vitiligo knows this to be true — including Miss Teen USA contestant Olivia Bohleber, who at 11 years old, was diagnosed with Mullscum Contagiosum, a viral skin condition that results in raised, pinkish-red lesions.

As a pre-teen, Olivia's skin condition made her deeply insecure. "I would cover my skin... I wouldn’t go out wearing shorts in the summer. I wouldn’t even wear shorts in PE," she told Teen Vogue. After her diagnosis, Olivia went to see several dermatologists — finally finding one who boosted her confidence and ultimately inspired her to pursue dermatology as a career. "[She] made me feel comfortable for who I am and didn’t look at my skin and think ‘oh that’s bad.’ She really inspired me because she made me feel comfortable going in that room and that’s when I was like, I want to be a dermatologist. I want to be like her. I want people to come in with their problems and I want to inspire them to look on the inside and not care what’s on the outside," she says.

Since realizing she wasn't going to let her skin condition hold her back, Olivia let her insecurities fall by the wayside and went on to thrive in several beauty pageants, now earning the opportunity to compete in Miss Teen USA. Instead of covering up or trying to shield it from viewers, she's actually highlighting her skin in the most amazing way. "I’m actually not spray tanning for the pageant. I’ve grown up with my mom teaching me this message to embrace who I am," she says. "You’re going to see me in activewear on stage and my belly will be showing, my arms will be showing, and that’s just me."

While beauty pageants sometimes get a bad rep, Olivia has seen a much more positive side to them. "Competing in Miss Teen USA has been an eye-opener because there are so many other girls here that have different stories," she said. "My story is just one of them as well."

http://www.teenvogue.com/story/miss-teen-illinois-molluscum-contagiosum