Face Equality Week 2026 – Seen and Served: code switching

This week is International Face Equality Week. I’m a Face Equality International ambassador. Here’s more about the campaign in the post below.

I want to share how relentless peoples reactions to my facial difference can be. At the supermarket this afternoon, I was holding a lot of groceries waiting for my fave cashier, trying not to drop them all. Two little girls saw me, pointed and giggled at me. “Look at her. Why does does look like that?” one girl asked her sister. “I was born like this, please don’t laugh at me”, I replied, not missing a beat. Their mum didn’t say anything to them, or me. The customer ahead of me said “great response” and I said “I’ve had a lifetime of practice”. She smiled and left, the kids left with their mum, then I was served. I had to code switch.

Kids’ curiosity is natural, I know. But gosh it’s tiring.

There’s a chapter about talking to kids about facial differences and disabilities in my book, Say Hello.