Pimples and social media: both are basic — and largely unavoidable — parts of everyday life, at least in this day and age. And both have the ability to make us feel incredibly ostracized.

Acne, despite being universal — it's the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting between 40 and 50 million Americans at any given time — still elicits judgment, as if it only happens to the dirty or genetically un-blessed. And despite the fact that it's often aggravated by beauty products, we're still told (by companies with a stake in the matter) to cover it up.

Meanwhile, we spend so much time on our iPhones that they may as well be considered appendages, despite the fact that many a study has suggested that social media, for all the ways it makes our lives easier and more connected, can also have a negative effect on our mental state. Taking in others' meticulously curated lives, dilly-dallying through photo sharing apps instead of living in the moment — these things are depression-inducing (not to mention time- and attention-span-killing).

But we realize this. And so we, as a society, are beginning to change how we treat pimples (and physical "flaws" in general) and social media. We're caring for ourselves better, embracing our human qualities (regardless of the messaging we receive from beauty and fashion communications) and using social media in the best way we know how — to uplift one another, build empowered communities.

Click through the slideshow to see how those with social media clout (read: celebrities, YouTube vloggers, Insta-stars) are pushing the skin-positivity (or acne-acceptance, take your pick) movement forward.

Cover image via @7Kellx

Image via @brielarson

This article originally appeared on TheFashionSpot.com

"Riverdale's" Lili Reinhart has had cystic acne since she was 12, but she's trying not to let it define her. In her high school years, it caused her to have "slight body dysmorphia" and avoid mirrors for months at a time. Now, she's using her platform to help other acne-havers feel alright about their skin.

Back in April, Reinhart shared a jokey photo of her acne-cream-dotted face with the caption, "Tinder profile: Hi I'm Lili, I'm 21, a Virgo, Cali-girl and I have cystic acne. HMU." In another Instagram Story posted just last week, the actress took a more serious tone. "Adult acne story time," she began, going on to describe how she'd spent the day at a photo shoot with a broken-out forehead. "All I could think about when I was in front of the camera were the pimples on my forehead," she wrote. "These breakouts shatter my confidence every time they appear," she continued. "I'm not sure if or when I'll ever be able to accept my skin as it is. It's problematic. It scars easily. It's painful." She then called upon her followers to talk about their acne struggles using the hashtag #breakoutbuddy. (It hasn't quite gone viral — so far, there are 654 posts.)

Image via @lilireinhart

Back in March, former anti-acne spokesperson Justin Bieber showed off his forehead acne on Instagram Stories, captioning the video: "Pimples are in." (Something tells us Biebs hasn't chucked his Christie Kidd cleanser or Clarisonic brush, though.)

Image via @justinbieber

In September, not-so "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Rachel Bloom posted a selfie featuring two hormonal zits that would make Dr. Pimple Popper rub her hands together in delight. "The middle of shooting the season (around episode 8) is peak time for my hormones to run amok due to a hectic schedule," she wrote. "Try to spot the bloating, fatigue and zits and win a prize!"

Image via @racheldoesstuff

On May 6(ish), beauty influencer Ingrid Nilsen woke up to a big, fat, juicy pimple. On May 7, she decided to 'gram it. "It hit me last night that this pimple is a physical manifestation of all the work I did last week," she reflected. "I pushed through nerves, anxiety and some of my biggest fears to strive for something I've always wanted to do. I'm proud of that and if this is my body's way of saying 'We did it, but MAN I'm tiiiiired!' then I'm proud of that, too. Our bodies are so complex. They work hard for us every day, whether we notice it or not, so try to be generous with yourself. Meet yourself where you are right now and sink into the gratitude of the breath you just took. That's your body telling you you're good enough...because you're alive." (Again, somewhere, Dr. Pimple Popper's fingers are itching.)

Image via @ingridnilsen