It’s no secret today’s beauty standards are set at unattainable heights. Perhaps, the most unachievable of them all is a blemish-free, clear complexion. One free of blackheads, whiteheads, hyper-pigmentation, discoloration and zits of any sort. Now, we won’t sit here and say “who cares about achieving clear skin,” because let’s be real, you and I both know WE care, and for good reason too. But we do need to dismantle the idea that acne isn’t normal; it’s okay to have a pimple and it’s okay to have 50. Your acne doesn’t define you.
Our society perpetuates this stigmatized view of acne which makes all of us dealing with it feel as though it’s something to be ashamed of. We’re here to let you know that if you’ve dealt with one nasty breakout after another, we get you. If you’ve tried every face wash, cleanser, mask and moisturizer, we’re here for you.
Dealing with acne is hard enough as it is without the stigmatized idea that by having it, you’re somehow “less than.” The mere phrasing of the term “acne sufferers” displays just that, like yeah, acne SUCKS, there is no denying that, but making us feel like we have something to hide only makes having it 1,000,000 times worse. We understand, there’s days when an unexpected breakout bombards every part of your face and you’d rather lock yourself in a room than face the world, but why is that? Why should a couple bumps on our skin dictate what we do, and how we feel about ourselves? We should all be questioning why we feel bad about one of the most COMMON skin conditions in existence, and the simple answer is, we shouldn’t.
We should be able to walk outside, makeup free and feel comfortable and confident in our own skin. It’s all about understanding our acne or the remnants of it, are not flaws or imperfections. And if you’ve dealt with or are dealing with acne, you are by no means “less than” perfect.
The stigma which surrounds the topic of acne is only made worse by those who mistake pimples for lack of cleanliness, those who look at these natural impurities with disgust, or pity. You know the, “but like, have you tried washing your face?” people. So if you are one of the fortunate few to be past your acne filled years, or if you’ve never felt the fury of a full face break out, here’s what you can do. Please, stop telling us to drink more water (we drink PLENTY). Stop asking if we’ve washed our faces (we’ve tried every product on the shelves). Don’t ask us if it’s our diet (we eat our veggies). Please, stop insisting we need to stop wearing makeup in order to achieve clear skin (we’ll wear our Fenty foundation if we want to, thank you).
There is no one cause to acne and therefore there is no one cure. We, as a society, need to understand that a new blemish doesn’t mean the start of a bad day. It may sound cliche, and maybe even a little cheesy, but your bumps are beautiful, your acne isn’t an imperfection, it’s not something to be ashamed of, and it’s not something you NEED to hide. So, as we continue our trial and error journey towards clear skin, let us all remember the wise words of Ms. Kendall Jenner, “Never let that s**t stop you.”
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