The Vampire Girl Label: More Than a Myth

It's one thing to be different, but it's another to be reduced to a goddamn caricature. Living with porphyria, I've dealt with my share of ignorance, but the "vampire girl" label is a special kind of hell. It's not just a misunderstanding; it's a complete dismissal of my reality. People see the romanticized image, the pale skin, the sensitivity to light, and they stop there. They don't see the pain, the fatigue, the constant struggle to manage a body that's betraying me.

My ex's parents were the worst. They didn't even try to understand. They just latched onto the "vampire" trope and ran with it, invalidating my experiences and reinforcing harmful stereotypes. They dehumanized me to a point where I didn’t even exist anymore. When someone has this mindset — and many do — it strips away my individuality and reduces me to a fictional character, if I’m a person at all.

And the fetishization… omg Don't even get me started. People are so quick to romanticize an illness they don’t have. Ableist assholes love to turn it into something sexy and mysterious. I had goth 14 year olds say “that’s so cool! I wish I had that too!” That was bad enough a couple years ago in school, but I recently was told this by this old-ass guy of like 28-29. Sheesh!

But porphyria isn't a gothic romance or vampire fetish porn. It's a chronic condition that impacts every aspect of my life. It affects my blood production, my nervous system, my digestion, my skin, my bones – everything.

I'm not some creature of the night. I'm a person battling a painful and serious illness. I deserve to be treated with compassion, or at least basic human respect. It's about seeing my soul, not just my body.