Presenting the bigger picture
The hot, dry weather of harvest can be a challenge to people for all sorts of reasons.
For Bree Pease, a psoriasis campaigner who is working on a Donald farm, close contact with dust, sitting for extended periods of time and grease can aggravate her skin.
Miss Pease said her psoriasis Instagram page, which has grown to more than 5000 followers since it started three years ago, was intended to ‘help people find their own kind of beautiful’.
“I felt really alone, in that I didn’t know anyone else who had it,” she said.
“I made the account in the hope I’d find a friend I could talk to.
“I have so many messages from daughters, cousins, family members and people in my community. Seeing my page is a conversation starter.”
Miss Pease, from Western Australia, said she arrived in Donald on her travels and started working on a farm during harvest.
“My family are farmers and I wanted to see how farming differs across the country,” she said.
“Donald is such a beautiful town, and it is filled with youth, which really surprised me.
“They have welcomed me with open arms and, despite my background – I did need a lot of training – they have all been really supportive.
“The main difference between Western
Australia and Victoria, I have noticed, is there is so much water here and the climate is very different.
“I was shocked by how cold it was when I got here.
“I’ve been harvesting lentils and chickpeas, which we don’t grow in my part of Western Australia.
“We grow a lot of lupins there. There are not many on this side of the country.”
Miss Pease said her social media presence had brought her lots of opportunities to reach other people with psoriasis.
“I was flown to Melbourne for a fashion show,” she said.
“Some of my images from the page were used on billboards in New York for a month as part of World Psoriasis Day.
“I’ve also been able to work with other photographers. Those personal connections have been great.”
Miss Peace said representation of diversity in fashion and media was important.
“Even though my psoriasis page is very niche, there is a bigger picture,” she said.
“It doesn’t have to be as visible as mine. We are all insecure in some way and there needs to be a realisation that it’s okay to present as yourself.
“That relation to someone who looks the same as you can be quite motivating.”
People can learn more about psoriasis and Bree’s story by visiting her Instagram page @psoriasis_beauty