Name: Deshani Darshika Gokarella
Born: Adelaide, South Australia⠀
Lives: Melbourne, Victoria
Handle: @deshani.g
Growing up I struggled to find people to look up to. People who looked like myself that I could relate to. I tried to fit in so bad at school and pretend not to make my culture a big part of my upbringing and while I don’t want to say I was embarrassed to talk about my background, I definitely tried to change certain parts about myself to suit the Australian culture. ⠀
As I grew older and matured, I realised my culture and how I was raised was a huge part of me and if anything it was something to be proud of. My page signifies the importance of embracing all sides of you. You’re not just another human being, you are extraordinary and have many sides and layers to who you are. I also struggled with body image my entire life. I saw myself as the ‘fat’ one of the group and I had dug that thought so deep in my head that I was never satisfied for who I was on the inside.
I accepted I was always going to be the odd one out, the one that didn’t get as much attention as the other girls but through learning to love myself, I realised how toxic these thoughts were to my mental and physical being. As I have matured and learnt so much and grown from the many experiences of my past, I have gained the strength to be a voice for the individuals who still feel this way. My page is dedicated to creating content that resonates with others and be the representation that was so heavily missed growing up. My skin colour, body, voice, mind and spirit is beautiful. And so is yours!
