One beauty enthusiast who was told she looks like a dinosaur because of her three-fingered hands said she now embraces the comparison, performing under the stage name DJ Dino and selling casts of her hands.
Cassidy Laramee, 26, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was born with a thumb and two fingers on her right hand and had an extra thumb and deformed finger removed from her left hand as a baby.
The car saleswoman now has a thumb and two fingers on each hand and was bullied at school for being compared to a T-Rex.
But Cassidy now welcomes comparison and DJs at a karaoke bar under the stage name DJ Dino, sharing clips on social media with her fingers alongside images of dinosaurs.
Cassidy Laramee, 26, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was born with a thumb and two fingers on her right hand and had an extra thumb and deformed finger removed from her left hand
She also sells casts of her hands to parents whose children have a similar condition to boost their confidence.
Cassidy said: “I was born like this on my right hand, on my left it was deformed.
“I had half a little finger [little finger] and two thumbs. I would have been a killer at crossing my fingers but they removed it when I was a baby.
“I don’t know exactly what fingers I have [now]I know I have thumbs, that’s it.
“People were always saying I had Velociraptor hands or T-Rex hands, so I was always trying to roll with the punches.
Focusing on the positive, Cassidy says she can get a discount at the nail salon and get to the end of a can of Pringles
After being bullied as a child for looking like a dinosaur, Cassidy embraced the comparison and began appearing as DJ Dino
“In third grade, I was bullied out of my school, so we moved and switched schools. When I went to a new school system, everyone was very nice to me.
“I’ve gotten a lot of different things like ET or Ninja Turtle, a few different nicknames, and I kind of just adopted them.
“I always tell people I’ll give you $20 if you tell me a joke I haven’t heard.”
Cassidy avoided nail salons for years after feeling embarrassed when a nail technician used a toenail extension on her thumb.
But after seeing Megan Fox’s so-called “toe thumbs” and cheekily asking for a discount, she now loves getting them done for $60 at Happy Nail Salon in Chicopee.
Cassidy said, “When I first got my nails done I was very confident because I have a thumb that’s like a toe thumb. It’s a big one.
‘[The nail tech] joked around and said, “Oh, I have to use a toenail [extension] for this one” and after that I didn’t get my nails done for a long time because I was just really embarrassed.
The car saleswoman also sells casts of her hands, which are often purchased by parents whose children have a similar condition to boost their confidence
Cassidy’s condition has led to health issues, stating, “My hands are a little sore, and I’m sure at some point they won’t be as strong as they are [now]. I now have early stage arthritis.
But the 26-year-old likes going to the salon because “my nails make me feel pretty”
“But then I was like, ‘You know what, I don’t care, I love myself and my toe thumb. If Megan Fox can have toe thumbs, then so can I. She owns it.”
“I asked to get a 40 percent discount at the nail salon because it means less work and less materials.
“I’m not saying I’m entitled to a discount, but I have to get what I can get here. I can’t open pickle jars.
“Any money I save I tip the nail tech that does my nails because I’m not easy with designs and cool stuff so I’m overly generous with the nail tech.
“I always go to the same nail salon as I’m a bit picky about designs. I like my nails to make me feel pretty.
“My hands are already dirty, I at least want my nails to look good.”
Cassidy also began making casts of her unique hands, saying, “I work in car sales, and when I shake hands with people, they automatically say, ‘Oh, something’s missing here.’
“A lot of people think it’s really cool and want to touch it.
“I started making hand molds just for fun after I went to a local fair and they had hand molds.
“I posted it on TikTok and a few people wanted to buy it. Many people asked about silicone.
While fewer fingers come with certain downsides and health complications, Cassidy is focusing on the positive side.
Cassidy said: “It’s difficult to open anything like pickle jars, bags of chips or doors.
Cassidy (pictured as a baby) was bullied out of her school when she was younger and had to move
But Cassidy says the difficulties she experienced helped her “become the person I am today, who is strong and confident.”
“I have weak wrists, they don’t have much mobility, so just open everything.
“My hands hurt a bit and I’m sure at some point they won’t have the strength they have [now]. I now have early stage arthritis.
“I always wonder which finger I’m going to put my wedding ring on because I don’t have a set ring finger.
“But there are definitely benefits, like the end of the Pringles can.
“If I lose something on the couch – quarters, nickels, dimes – my hands go down there to get it – my hands are like claw machines.
“For the absolute world, I wouldn’t change anything about myself.
“Even the difficulties I’ve gone through in my life are helping me to become the person I am today, which is strong and confident.
“There are a lot of people out there who struggle to have confidence and it really helps to see a role model or to see someone else openly speaking about who they are.”
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