What would you do if someone told you to take off your sound processor because it wasn’t “pretty”? For Rose, a model in France, this inspired her to create an online community to help others.
“It all started at a photoshoot where the director asked me to remove my cochlear implant, saying it wasn’t ‘pretty’. That was when I understood the necessity to talk about it on social media and raise awareness among as many people as possible,” says Rose.
After years of experiencing harassment and bullying due to her deafness, Rose started using social media to build awareness and help others like her to find strength in community.
“When I saw how many people were interested in deafness, I started making funny videos to portray situations I experienced every day. From there a community was created and continued to grow. More and more people told me that it helped them accept themselves, so I continued.”
Rose has an impressive following with more than 40,000 followers on Instagram and even more on TikTok.
“I was completely overwhelmed by the response my videos had! Some people sent me messages of distress because they didn’t know what to do after learning of their child’s hearing loss diagnosis, as there wasn’t any follow up.”
“Other young people, who were experiencing harassment, told me they found my funny videos helped them overcome difficult moments.”
“Social media has helped me a lot. In France, I’ve found deafness is very taboo. No one talked about it, so I found it important that I bring this subject to light.”
Now with a successful modelling career and having completed a master’s degree, Rose was invited last year to be a National Ambassador for Cochlear Foundation’s Achieve Anything programme. She has also written a book to help others: Vivre avec une surdité: Un témoignage saisissant – Des conseils concrets (Living with Deafness: A Striking Testimony – Practical Advice).
“This is the book I wished I had in my hands when I was younger. I experienced a lot of bullying at school and a lot of self-doubt. I wanted this book to answer all the questions I used to ask myself.”
“I also wrote it to help parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children. My parents were lost when I was diagnosed with deafness and also searched for answers to questions about how they should handle it. In my book I offer advice on how to best support your child after the diagnosis.”
One year on after participating in Cochlear Foundation’s Achieve Anything Global Summit, Rose feels like she’s in a good place and continuing to advocate for people with hearing loss.
“I’ve completed my master’s in luxury and retail, and now I work on raising awareness in companies to make their communication more inclusive. I plan to expand my social media community and start my own business.”
“My ultimate goal is to continue helping deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals not only in France but around the world.”
Rose’s book is available online through Amazon France. And you can follow Rose on Instagram and TikTok @_rosepaynl
