Article: published on 31 October 2023
Beckii Whitehead has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram
'My make-up looks help me manage my disability'
- Published
A disabled make-up artist says creating extreme looks has helped her manage severe endometriosis symptoms.
Beckii Whitehead, 28, from Bristol, started experimenting with special effects make-up aged 11, after watching Halloween films.
She now earns a living by creating online content from home for more than 10,000 Instagram followers.
"It keeps me occupied and gives me something to look forward to," she said.
Ms Whitehead said being her own boss had enabled her to manage her endometriosis symptoms
Ms Whitehead was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2019, which has previously left her in a wheelchair.
"In one case I had a period for a whole year and I suffer from really bad anaemia," she explained.
She said at times "even standing up to go to the toilet" had been difficult.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere inside the body - often around reproductive organs, the bowel and bladder.
The build-up of trapped blood can result in internal lesions and scar tissue.
Some women experience no symptoms but for many others the pain can be debilitating, and the condition can lead to infertility.
Beckii Whitehead is known as beckii_jx on social media
"Endo is very unpredictable - one day I can get content done, then I can just crash half-way through it," said Ms Whitehead.
Being able to work from home has helped the make-up artist manage her symptoms.
"My mum used to let me watch those old corny Halloween movies when I was younger. I ended up falling in love with them," she said.
The first make-up look she tried was "really bad".
"I tried to do a realistic burn... it ended up looking horrific," Ms Whitehead admitted.
Ms Whitehead said the prosthetic heart she made recently was her favourite thing she had done
Then, while studying photography at college, she regularly booked make-up artists who "never turned up" or were always late.
"It left me teaching myself how to do it, so I could pass my photography course," she said.
Ms Whitehead is now a social media content creator, external, which she said had "become more of a full-time thing this year".
And the run-up to Halloween starts for the creator from 1 October.
It can take up to seven hours to create each look and two hours to remove it
Ms Whitehead has been posting different looks throughout the month, including a prosthetic heart on her head.
"I was very, very happy with how it turned out," she said.
She added: "I think raising awareness of endo is my goal."
Ms Whitehead would also would like to eventually get back into doing special effects make-up for films and productions.
And her advice to anyone who wants to try something a bit different: "Just do it - if you don't have that support network don't let it hold you back - I didn't have that support network, and I did it anyway."