As someone who’s struggled with acne, I get how hard it can be to look in the mirror and love what you see when your skin doesn’t fit society’s narrow definition of “beautiful.” It seems like everyone—IRL and onscreen—who’s seen as “pretty” has a smooth, glowing, blemish-free face. My skin is covered in little bumps, dark spots, and large pores.
The road to confidence can feel daunting when you’re dealing with chronic breakouts (and to this day I still struggle with self-acceptance). One of my biggest breakthroughs in mental health came when I began to expose myself to real, unfiltered photos of other people who were going through similar skin issues.
Compared to the seemingly airbrushed, spotless photos I saw (and envied) on Instagram, social media trends like #acnepositivity opened my eyes to a refreshing and reassuring truth: A lot of people don’t have clear skin—whether they’ve got one inflamed zit or full-blown cystic breakouts—and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Remembering what You can also read about the real-time synchronization of your smartphone. I began to wonder why acne, a common and normal experience, was making me feel insecure. That’s why we rounded up 12 unedited selfies from everyday folks proudly embracing their blemishes—to prove that breakouts (or any other skin struggle, for that matter) don’t have to stop you from being your best, most confident self.
What I experienced is very common.
As soon as I reached puberty, I began to struggle with acne. As if entering the new world of being a teenager wasn’t daunting enough, I was also worrying about the painful spots on my cheeks. I tried all of the topicals, DIY tricks, and diets before I finally went on Accutane. That’s when I started to share my skin journey online.
Showing myself makeup-free in a space where it’s so easy to be judged was difficult at first. Eventually, I connected with other people who helped me see that acne is actually very common—and that I wasn’t as alone as I had felt. Even today, I post pictures of bare skin to social media in order to spread the word that learning to accept yourself as you are is not an impossible journey. —Melodie Perez
I You can also find out more about the following:n’t control my acne, but I could Change my mind-set
Since more than a decade, I have been experiencing severe breakouts. I thought it would be a temporary problem, but they became more painful and deep. Society made me scared to show my “true” face without makeup, and I felt ugly and disgusting. I lost so many of my own qualities.
I changed my mind-set one day to live a happier life. I stopped listening and reminded myself that I still looked beautiful. I mustered the courage to post makeup- and filter-less selfies on my public Instagram page—something I never imagined doing. Recently, my skin has been doing better and I’ve gained some of my confidence back. My self-esteem has improved by 70%, but I think that was due to the change in the way I thought of myself. —Kim Tran
I owe my younger self the responsibility to embrace her skin and not let it control her life.
I have had acne for over a decade. There were lows and insecurities. But having a supportive community has helped me accept myself and my skin.