Being Sick Made Them Famous—and a Target of Trolls
On Oct. 8, Anelise Dao posted a picture to Instagram of herself smiling in the sunshine. She’s wearing a black crop top, and her purple ombré floats to her left shoulder. Intricate black tattoos and long pink nails decorate her fingers, which hold a delicate white rose. At first glance, she could be at Coachella.
But below the smile, the shirt, the nails, and the rose, several large white bandages cover Dao’s stomach. A feeding tube protrudes above her navel. Her bracelets are a mix of dangling silver charms and white hospital bands.
“I am beautiful,” she wrote, “Lines, tubes, scars and all.”