The 24-year-old Egyptian-Canadian is one of the faces of Sephora's latest national campaign.
“The language barrier made it so difficult to communicate what I felt or to communicate even what it is [to be gay],” explains Gerges. “At the time the only Arabic word for what it means to be gay, ‘khaneeth,’ directlyto something negative—it connotes being a pervert, effeminate, and is more commonly used as a way of saying faggot.”
“A lot of what I do now is informed from what I learned trying to deal with my parents,” he says. “I’m educating myself on what it’s like to be queer in the Middle East and what I can do with my platform to talk about this or to create any kind of change. And I’ve found a community of kids who have felt exactly the way that I have felt. I take that back. Not just kids, but older men and younger men, queer women, trans people from the Middle East, who have found similarities in our stories.
In trying to fit that mould as a young man grappling with his identity and sexuality, Gerges went down a spiral of eating disorders and body dysmorphia. He became anorexic in his first year of university, a time when he was not only struggling with being accepted in the gay community “as a plus-size man of colour” but also deeply unhappy studying science, something his parents had encouraged him to do.
He took eight months off social media between October 2015 and May 2016. During this hiatus, Gerges took the time to heal, using the distance from people’s hateful comments to learn how to love and accept his body. When he was finally ready to return to social media, he made a promise to himself that things were going to be different.“I decided I wasn’t going to FaceTune my body anymore.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
'Starfish' with what appears to be a big butt goes viral on Twitter
Leer más »
This Red, White, and Blue Hairstyle Is Going Viral on InstagramAnd just in time for the Fourth of July, no less.
Leer más »
People Are Body Shaming Khloé Kardashian Because She Body Shamed Jordyn Woods and It's a MessTwo wrongs don't make a right.
Leer más »
Is Your Song Going Viral? These Guys Would Like to TalkAt a time when the music industry has become increasingly focused on viral hits, managers Danny Kang and Daniel Awad pride themselves on finding — and amplifying — viral talent
Leer más »
Nothing Will Boost Your Confidence Like Megan Rapinoe's Meme-Worthy Power PoseIf you've watched the 2019 Women's World Cup, you've seen Megan Rapinoe — you can't miss her. The 33-year-old forward runs fast (faster than fast), and
Leer más »