A YOUNG woman who was bullied to the point of cutting off her eyebrows has transformed her experience into a booming business.
Tania Speaks, 18, is an entrepreneur, mental health advocate and one of Time Magazine’s 'Most Influential Teens of 2018’.
From Baltimore, Tania was in elementary school when her peers began taunting her for "looking like a man with a bushy unibrow." The teasing soon became something more sinister, including physical assault and verbal abuse, resulting in Tania taking a razor to her brows.
Tania told Barcroft TV: "I kind of felt like the odd one out." at her lowest point, Tania shaved her eyebrows off after seeing where her mum kept the razor.
"I didn’t realise how sharp it was, I had to go to the hospital and get stitches." Tania returned to school, but the harassment continued.
Dissatisfied with how her brows were growing back with available products, Tania began researching ingredients.
Although she created the product for herself, Tania soon realised there were others who were looking for a natural alternative.
When Tanika found out about her daughter’s booming business, she told her to make it official.
The pair went and registered "Brow Boost" in 2016, making Tania a business owner at 15 years old.
Since then, she has become a household name for public speaking, visiting schools to promote anti-bullying.
"I try and talk about working on your mental health and building your self-esteem." PHOTOGRAPHED BY Scott Hoon / Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing - NOTE: This Photo Can Only Be Used Within Context With The Information Provided In The Metadata