The Forgotten Child: Alia’s Journey from Rejection to Rebirth
What Makes You a Beautiful Disaster?
I was raised to believe there was something wrong with me.
By the time I got out of high school, I was a mess of emotions, anger, regret, and pain. But underneath all of that, I also had so much love to give.
That’s what makes me a Beautiful Disaster.
Why Do You Identify with the Beautiful Disaster Brand?
Beautiful Disaster was the first clothing brand that truly felt like me.
The styles were things I actually loved, but more importantly, the messages made me feel stronger and reminded me not to give up.
Tell Us Your Beautiful Disaster Story
I was abandoned by both of my biological parents and raised by my grandparents on my biological mother’s side. But even though they took me in, it never truly felt like home.
My grandparents had a daughter late in life, and then a year and a half later, I was born and abandoned into their care. Even though I was technically the youngest, their daughter was always the golden child.
She could do no wrong.
Growing up, I always felt like something was off.
On her birthdays, she would get balloons, special breakfasts, and gifts before school. Mine were forgotten completely.
When I asked why, I was told I was ungrateful.
She got expensive new clothes while I got oversized hand-me-downs that barely fit me. When she accomplished something in school, she was celebrated. When I accomplished something, I got:
“That’s good.”
One year they remembered my birthday and brought home a cake covered in almonds.
I’m allergic to almonds.
I couldn’t even eat my own birthday cake.
Another time, my grandmother bought me Spice Girls merchandise and concert tickets, except I didn’t even know who the Spice Girls were. It was like they never bothered to learn who I actually was as a person.
I became the forgotten child.
The child nobody noticed unless I spoke up.
As I got older, things only became worse. I was expected to help take care of everyone else, and whenever my grandfather didn’t like something I said, he would hit me.
One day I asked why my “sister” didn’t have as many chores as I did. My grandfather slapped me across the face and told me to stop complaining and be grateful.
By middle school, the verbal abuse became even worse.
That’s when they told me I was adopted and that my biological mother was an addict and alcoholic. They constantly reminded me that I would probably end up just like her.
Those words stayed with me for years.
Meanwhile, my sister could simply exist and still be praised for it.
In high school, I joined the volleyball team. When my sister joined her private school’s team, my grandparents never came to any of my games — except when my team played against hers.
Then they showed up for her.
Not for me.
That was the moment I realized:
I didn’t exist to them.
Maybe it was petty, but I told my teammates what was happening, and we made sure we never lost to her team.
I actually got in trouble for refusing to let my sister win.
What Happened for You to Turn It Around?
One day after a championship game against my sister’s school, my grandparents left me there and drove home without me because they were angry her team lost.
I called my Aunt Giselle, and she came to get me.
That was the moment I decided I was done trying to earn love from people who refused to give it.
I stopped playing their game.
Gone was the doormat.
Eventually, after another fight with my grandfather where he punched me, I finally punched him back.
Then I left.
I moved in with my Aunt Giselle. We struggled financially, but neither of us regrets it for a second.
For the first time in my life, I felt free.
Name 3 Things You’ve Done to Move Closer to Happiness
- Reading — books became my escape and my peace
- Meeting my husband, who made me realize I was worthy of love
- Earning my degree and becoming a high school teacher
What Is Your Favorite Beautiful Disaster Collection, Past or Present, and Why?
The Fallen Angel collection speaks to me the most.
For so long, I lived in darkness trying to become someone other people wanted me to be while never receiving love or acceptance from them.
But I rose anyway.
I may have lived in the shadows, but I became stronger because of it.
Through the chaos, I became a Beautiful Disaster and was reborn with wings.