Amélie Mazenc: Overcoming Disability in Influencer Marketing
- MILLAU, France (AP) — Amélie Mazenc, a 25-year-old from Millau, has transformed social media into a platform for awareness and personal expression.
- “I’ve had six back operations,” Mazenc said, describing her experience with infantile spinal amyotrophy, a rare condition affecting muscle function due to nerve dysfunction in the spinal cord.
- "Today, I have only one lung and I grab all the microbes that pass.
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MILLAU, France (AP) — Amélie Mazenc, a 25-year-old from Millau, has transformed social media into a platform for awareness and personal expression. Living with infantile spinal amyotrophy, she uses Instagram and other platforms to share her daily life, challenges, and triumphs. After six back surgeries, she realized her ambition by launching her own graphic design agency.
“I’ve had six back operations,” Mazenc said, describing her experience with infantile spinal amyotrophy, a rare condition affecting muscle function due to nerve dysfunction in the spinal cord.
Mazenc faces ongoing health challenges. “Today, I have only one lung and I grab all the microbes that pass. I have also come close to death twice due to winter viruses.” Despite these obstacles, she maintains a resolute spirit.
Her daily routine requires meticulous planning. “I have to anticipate everything; it’s a lot of organization. I don’t know the feeling,” she said, adding a touch of irony.
Mazenc initially aspired to be a medical assistant.However, she encountered obstacles during her first year of advanced vocational training due to misunderstandings from some instructors. “There were teachers who did not understand my handicap too much and who put me sticks in the wheels,” Mazenc said.
For a year,Mazenc and her family fought to secure essential accommodations for her education. “From the first meeting I was told:” We are not going to change everything for you “.An uncompromising refusal, that the girl receives with difficulty:” I hear that I am one of 30, but I am one.”Thru perseverance, she obtained a modified schedule, though it wasn’t ideal. “I could not complain, it was better than nothing “, she loose.
Despite her efforts, difficulties persisted. Mazenc recounted an incident where a professor questioned her assistant’s role during an exam when Mazenc dictated her answers. “What is the interest, that I am there, if it is she who answered? It was like that for a year, after a while I was fed up to fight against windmills. I said to myself we stop everything and we start again.”
Mazenc founded Lily Agency, a graphic design firm in Millau, in 2022. Specializing in visual dialog,she serves businesses and individuals,focusing on social media. “The universe of networks has always made me dream, because it refers to fame, follow the singers, influencers … It has always animated me.”
Mazenc began posting on Instagram at 18, hoping to become an influencer. Currently, she has 3,000 followers. “I have a fairly atypical daily life,” she said.
“At first,of course,I was afraid of judgment,I said to myself,I’m not going to seem ridiculous,will people love me? Is they going to love what I do? So I didn’t instantly posted videos. I started by writing.”
In 2024, encouraged by her online community, she began creating videos. “I publish 3 real reals per week. I tell my day, I give news, I’m talking about my fiancé. It works pretty well, my last video made almost 2 million views,” Mazenc said.
Mazenc also addresses social issues, including accessibility and public courtesy, in her posts. “One day I drove on a dog droppings, my companion spent 40 minutes cleaning my wheels before getting into the apartment. Suddenly, I made a small job on the networks where I said that I understood that it was not very pleasant to pick up but hey … My fiancé was annoyed, especially when you say: don’t worry, it brought happiness.”
“These videos,” she said, “are also made to awaken consciences. I tell myself that it should not bother me, there are also strollers, bikes, canes …”
Living a Full Life
“I am disabled but, I have a life like any 25 year old woman. I need people understand that and that they do not say to each other: oh the poor, she must bother in her life”
Mazenc is planning to marry her fiancé, Mathieu, in September 2025. They have been together for four years. She is currently focused on her business and preparing for her wedding.
Amélie Mazenc is a 25-year-old woman from Millau, France. Despite facing significant health challenges, including infantile spinal amyotrophy and only one lung, she has built a prosperous graphic design business and a strong social media presence. She uses her platforms to share her life, raise awareness about her condition, and inspire others.
Infantile spinal amyotrophy is a rare condition that affects muscle function due to nerve dysfunction in the spinal cord. Amélie has shared that she has undergone six back surgeries as an inevitable result of her condition.
Amélie navigates several health challenges. She has only one lung and is described as catching every microbe that passes. She has also been close to death twice due to winter viruses. Her daily routine requires meticulous planning and institution.
Amélie has transformed social media into a platform for awareness and personal expression. She shares her daily life, including both challenges and triumphs, on platforms like Instagram. She started posting on Instagram at 18. She now creates videos that are well received by her followers, with one recent video attracting almost 2 million views.She also addresses social issues, including accessibility and public courtesy, in her posts.
Amélie founded Lily Agency, a graphic design firm in Millau, in 2022. The agency specializes in visual dialog and serves businesses and individuals, with a strong focus on social media.
amélie initially aspired to be a medical assistant but encountered difficulties when some instructors didn’t fully understand or accommodate her needs related to her condition. This led to a year-long struggle with her family to secure necessary accommodations.Through perseverance and determination, she obtained a modified schedule, although it wasn’t ideal. Despite these challenges, she persisted and ultimately pursued her passion for graphic design.
Amélie’s content aims to raise awareness, share her daily experiences, and address social issues related to accessibility and public courtesy. She hopes to inspire and educate her audience, promoting understanding and challenging societal perceptions of disability. She uses her platform to show that she lives a full life.
Amélie is engaged to Mathieu and is planning to get married in September 2025. Currently, she is focused on her business and preparing for her wedding, balancing her personal and professional life.
Amélie wants people to see her as a woman living a full life, just like any other 25-year-old. She doesn’t want to be pitied or defined solely by her disability.She seeks understanding and wants to avoid being viewed with pity.