I Have an Unsexy Illness

"Crohn's isn't sexy." "And other illnesses are?" "Yes! People walk around proudly supporting breast cancer with those bracelets that say 'I <3 Boobies'! But who would want to walk around supporting Crohn's and wear a bracelet that says 'I <3 Poopies?'"

There is a quote from John Green's infamous book The Fault in Our Stars. It is "illness repulses". I find this hilariously ironic, considering the characters in the book are diagnosed with cancer and are both described as being fairly attractive. Cancer is probably one of the sexiest diseases out there. I'm not saying it isn't a terrible diagnosis, it is, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but it has been romanticized by the media and publicized fund raising efforts. 

When's the last time you heard about a person with an unsexy illness being featured in a magazine or TV show? I'm talking about people who's illnesses are uncomfortable to talk about. Like, endometriosis when a woman's uterine lining literally falls out during her period? Crohn's disease where you spend more time running to the bathroom to experience bloody diarrhea than you do at work? or Kidney diseases that are treated so aggressively with steroids that the patients appearance is so warped by side effects they hardly resemble the people they were before the medical therapy? People who gain weight from their treatment, or get facial hair, or drool, or become incontinent, or who spend so much time in bed they get sores, or their muscles atrophy? Or people with mental illness who say inappropriate things or get aggressive or maybe don't say anything at all?

At least Mother Monster loves us. 

When I was searching for images for this post I typed "ugly disease" into google and the SECOND image that came up was this: 

Ouchey.

 I knew what it was, but I followed the link anyway, sure enough, that right there,, dear friends is a Crohn's Colon. We are LITERALLY THE GIVEN EXAMPLE OF AN UGLY DISEASE. Sadness.

It's sad that our society is so shallow that we can even discriminate attractiveness within a tragic category as chronic illness and disability, that is sad. The even more enraging thing is that even though I pride myself on being an assertive advocate for my health, I feel inadequate. Like I shouldn't be proud of having Crohn's the same way a patient with breast cancer can be. Why? Because my most prominent symptoms happen in the bathroom? Ouch. 

Why can't Crohn's be portrayed like this instead?

I don't have any answers for this, it's just some food for thought. I just wish our society wasn't so obsessed with the sexy allure of certain conditions while others get next to no exposure.