Ever since Anastasia Pagonis has shared her inspiring story, she's gained a massive following on social media — specifically on TikTok — and she hopes that by opening up about her journey, people will have a better understanding of who she is.
"It's really special to me. It's the reason why I continue to do this and why I share my life — because not everyone is perfect. Sometimes on social media you think everyone's life is just all fun and games, but I like to show the real, authentic side and my struggles and the things I have to deal with," the 20-year-old, who is blind, exclusively tells Morning Honey while talking about partnering with Gillette Venus, The Official Razor of Team USA, to celebrate the Power of Smooth, a new advertising campaign launching on May 16. "It's amazing that people can relate to me in some sort of way. I'm glad I can be that person for people to look up in that way and break down those stereotypes that the world has on disabilities."
The athlete started to lose her vision age 11 years old, and she later learned she had autoimmune retinopathy, as well as a genetic disease, that took away her ability to see by the time she turned 14. Despite the challenges — she previously went into a deep depression — she's faced, she's come out on top — literally and figuratively as she beat her own world record in the 400m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Since the brunette beauty has amassed almost 3 million followers on TikTok, she's able to calm people's nerves when they see someone with a disability. "They sometimes don't know to approach them. They don't even know how to have a conversation with them, and I try to break that down. I feel like sometimes people think they have to walk on eggshells around someone with a disability, and I want to show them I can joke about it, too. I want to show others I can be a professional athlete, I can dress cute, I can wear makeup and I can have smooth legs!" she quips.
"I'm so thankful for my supporters," she adds. "I feel like they are my friends. Growing up, especially through my vision loss journey, I did not have a friends, and I lost a lot of friends. I feel like I can come on the platform and talk and share my life with them — and hopefully they can learn something from me. I'm very similar to you!"
When her TikTok first blew up, Pagonis was "definitely surprised" but also "frustrated" because there's so many people that "are so ignorant to disabilities and that showed me I need to continue this journey because not a lot of people understand it and that's sad. Hopefully I can show them this is what a disability is, and we can be normal, too!" she says.
Though being blind might hold some back, Pagonis takes her disability in stride. "It's been so amazing, and it's opened so many doors for me. I am genuinely so thankful for it," she shares.
Pagonis is now gearing up to hopefully make it to the Paralympics in Paris, which begins in August. "Things are so chaotic! I'm super excited for trials, which are in June, and then hopefully making the Paralympic team and competing! I'm in competition mode right now," she notes. "Training has been tough. I train every single day in the morning and then sometimes I will do doubles, but I love it and I'm so excited to see how all this hard work pays off."
"I try to switch my nerves to excitement!" she adds. "However, health is so important, and I'm so glad it's coming to the surface — and has been in the past few years. If you're not mentally ready, then no matter how much time and hard work you put in, you're not going to be able to perform the best way you can because you're not mentally there. I know my limits, and if I feel super overwhelmed, then I take a day off and know that is not going to kill me."
The New York native is trying to go with the flow, but she is adamant on making to Paris. "Once I'm there, I want to have fun. I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself. My main goal is to make it to the podium in all the events I'm competing in," she declares.
"I want to show people that anything is possible. There might be things that get in your way, but you don't always have to go straight over the mountains!" she continues. "Sometimes you have to go around the mountain. You can make it happen no matter how long it takes or how hard it is."
Since Pagonis is all about empowering others, it made perfect sense for her to partner with Gillette Venus.
"I've been using Gillette Venus forever! What other razor brand would you use? It's the best of the best!" she exclaims. "It's amazing, especially going into the games this year, it's so exciting to be with someone that I've always used and that's so authentic to me. Having Venus by my side and making sure I have the perfect shave on race day is amazing."
"I have to shave for my job. It's something that makes me feel confident and there isn't so much that you can do when you're about to get in a race and compete because you can't wear too much makeup, you can't look crazy, so making sure my legs are shaved and my arms are smooth is perfect. It gives me the confidence I need and makes me feel like a girl boss!" she says, noting that the Comfortglide White Tea Razor is her everyday razor. "I feel so powerful when I'm about to get in the pool. I can also feel a difference when I'm swimming, which is even more important."