‘People called me a “freak” due to my 7st leg – but now I love showing it off’

Mahogany Geter was cruelly branded a “freak” by people when she was younger due to her 100lb leg.

However, the aspiring model is now more confident than ever.

The brunette was born with a condition that caused one of her legs to swell to more than seven stone in weight.

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And after years of being stared and pointed at, the 25-year-old from Tennessee, US, says she’s discovered the confident “bad b***h” inside her.

Instead of hiding away, Mahogany now proudly shows off her leg on social media and hopes to redefine beauty standards.

Talking about her condition, and people’s reactions, she told the Today Show: “I’ve been told that the devil gave me this disease.

“I’ll get messages about healers that I should work with in other countries.”

She added: “When I’m out in public, people stare at me.

“There’s a lot of pointing — and I’m talking about adults here.

“Kids have the courage to ask me questions.”

Mahogany suffers from long-term condition lymphedema. This causes excess fluid to collect in the body’s soft tissue and cause swelling.

For Mahogany, the swelling on her left side has added 100lb (around 7st) to her total body weight.

Doctors noticed the difference in Mahogany’s left foot just after she was born and gave her mum the lymphedema diagnosis.

There’s no cure, however the build up of fluid in her leg can be eased with physiotherapy and lymphatic drainage massages.

Mahogany also wears compression socks that relocate the fluid to an area which it can drain from properly.

As a child, Mahogany said she was trolled even called a “deformed b***h” by a girl at school.

However, her life was turned around when she was approached by a professional photographer who wanted to help her build a modelling portfolio.

She shared: “I was completely sceptical. I remember thinking, ‘Why would someone want to take pictures of me?’”

But after being encouraged by her family, she gave the photographer a call and got her dream of being a model underway.

She has since used the modelling shoots to raise awareness about lymphedema and hopes to prove conditions shouldn’t get in your way of chasing your dreams.

Mahogany has warned there are many misconceptions about the chronic condition though, saying: “People think that only plus-size people have lymphedema.

“But lymphedema doesn’t choose a body type.”

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