Adrian Brannan- An Open Letter from a DV Survior
Adrian Brannan (posted with permission from www.buckaroogirl.com.
The picture you see right here is a picture of a girl who I can describe as brave, bold and fierce. You could call her a victim, but I don't think she'd like it very much, overcomer would describe her more correctly. If you haven't heard of this talented woman, her name is Adrian Brannan, she's also called the Buckaroogirl. This girl can sing, draw, pick the guitar, ride and rope. Plus, she has a really great way with words. Her blog at www.buckaroogirl.com is a collection of fashion, lifestyle and letters that she writes to those who visit there.
I ran across one of her letters last week and I was inspired by how she conducted herself in it, as well as how she was so real and raw in what she said. The day before she posted a picture of herself in her cowboy hat, wild rag, pink lipstick and her hair curled. Her caption read that she was going to sing to some school kids. She looked so cute! From her letter I would learn that someone commented on her picture that she's teaching all those young kids that they have to wear lots of makeup like her to be pretty. She replies politely in her letter stating that this is not for the gentleman who made that comment, but instead to the kids because that gentleman made a great point. She goes onto say that she wears the pink lipstick to hide a scar that she received from an abusive boyfriend. Yes, she's still self-conscious about it, and she believes the "3rd and 4th graders do not need to know this or see the scar." She writes more about why she fills in her eyebrows to cover more scars from that same abusive boyfriend and how she wears concealer under her eyes because she can "only sleep about an hour and half to two hours at night because of PTSD and being terrified of the night and dark." She explains that "I wear make up because I am strong enough to move on from my past and feel like woman again. To feel beautiful and confident, whether I am wearing make up or not." She then posted of a picture of herself without any make up on and signed the letter "a barefaced girl."
“I wear make up because I am strong enough to move on from my past and feel like woman again. To feel beautiful and confident, whether I am wearing make up or not.”
I wanted to share this because I believe more people need to read this letter. It came from such a vulnerable place, she didn't need to write it but I believe she knew that it would impact many who read it, I definitely was. I had no idea that domestic violence survivors could suffer from PTSD, it totally makes sense though.
On social media. so many times, everyone is potrayed to be so perfect. You'll never catch them with their hair a mess, face without make up and let's not even mention what they're hiding behind that perfect façade they put on the screen. But that's not what ministers to people, it's not what shows how God is a redemptive God and how He's all about restoration. He brings beauty out of the ashes and makes all things new. There's so much power in the testimony. It's powerful enough to bring healing, to change lives and to ultimately change someone's eternity because they learn how good Jesus is.
So if you're reading this and you're working through an ugly past, you're in search of healing, the best place to start is in your Bible, the second is reaching out to someone who will listen to you and guide you in the right direction. Then, maybe someday, you'll come to a place where you can share your testimony like Adrian.
If you'd like to go read the rest of Adrian's letter, you can find it here. You can also find her on Instagram under @buckaroogirloffical and Facebook under Adrian Buckaroogirl.