Sometimes it can be difficult to embrace the things about ourselves that are different. But when you lean in to all of the things that make you unique, you can begin to really appreciate your authenticity, and the rest of the world can appreciate it too. This is what one Japanese man did with a unique trait he was born with. Shogo Yoshida has had this different but interesting trait his whole life, and it is now a huge part of how he has created his own source of happiness for himself and others. Check out how this man has shown the world how to turn uniqueness into a successful business.
Shogo Yoshida is a hairstylist who is excellent at his craft, but there is something different about him that may not immediately meet the eye. He has a rare condition that caused him to be born with drumstick-like fingers. The condition is a genetic mutation known as pachydermoperiostosis (PDP), which is associated with cardiovascular disorders. One of the good aspects of his case of PDP is that it is inactive and does not affect his organs in any negative way.
Shogo has learned to fully embrace his condition, even going by the name Bachi Yubi-san, which translates to “drumstick fingers.” He decided to approach life with a positive outlook and has been sharing his journey and unique fingers through social media.
His fingers have been a way for Shogo to spread positivity to those who follow him online, but it has also become a way for him to distinguish himself as a hairdresser. Many people seek Shogo because of his great skills as a hair stylist and also because of his fingers. They love the soothing feeling of his fingers and how his unique touch feels with a head massage or a shampoo session.
Shogo’s fearlessness shows that any of us can utilize what society may deem a weakness, and turn it into a strength. He is so proud of his unique fingers that he turned them into his own personal logo. The logo is a green and white design that features a head with a surprised facial expression. The coolest part of the logo is that instead of hair, the head has fingers sprouting out of the top, which look just like the drumstick shape of Shogo’s fingers.
He is also well known for showing off his nails, which are larger than average because of his finger shape. He does some really amazing artistic designs on his nails, which feature some concepts you may have never seen before in nail design.
Shogo has become very positive about his fingers, but admits that he was not always so upbeat about them. He had to deal with a lot of negativity that caused him to lack confidence in himself. “I used to hate these fingers,” Shogo said, but he worked really hard to turn his complex into a strength.
He had to get over people and their opinions of his fingers and nails. Some people online accused him of using his trait to become famous and made him out to be exploiting his condition just to increase his profits and popularity. But Shogo was determined to defeat the negativity and stay true to himself and keep doing what made him happy.
Because he was eventually able to see the awesomeness of his condition, he is now very successful at raising awareness about his condition and changing stigma about different physical traits like his. He strives to promote inclusivity and acceptance of others who have unique physical appearances.