Many a professional beautiful person struggles/has struggled with acne. Australian-Portuguese model Belle Lucia falls into the latter category. Four months ago (rather uncharacteristically), Lucia posted a side-by-side photo comparing her face as a teen (when she had cystic acne) and her look now. "No one is perfect," she wrote in the caption. "I'm posting this to hopefully help those out there suffering with acne or anyone worrying about the way they look, because when I was young I wish someone would have told me that your looks don't define you and even the 'models' you see on advertisements aren't perfect."
Megastar Kendall Jenner has spoken at length about her struggles with acne. In a 2015 app post she wrote, "It completely ruined my self-esteem. I wouldn't even look at people when I talked to them. I felt like such an outcast; when I spoke, it was with my hand covering my face. Sure, I had crushes in high school, but I wouldn't even think about looking at guys." Of course, Jenner's openness about her insecurities didn't stop trolls from rudely commenting on her non-smooth complexion at this year's Golden Globe awards.
Happily, it seems Jenner's since gotten over her acne insecurities. Ignoring the negative Twitter babble, she responded to one fan who praised her for "showing up and strutting her acne." "Never let that shit stop you!" she wrote. (Hear, hear.)
If you follow the acne positivity movement, chances are you follow Em Ford of My Pale Skin. In 2015, the beauty influencer recorded the now-famous video "You Look Disgusting," in which she revealed how much hate she received for showing her real skin. (Unsurprisingly, it quickly went viral.) The #content master's page is full of acne-safe makeup tips, bare-faced selfies and sharp captions. (Her thoughts on the aforementioned KJ Twitter drama? "From one woman with acne to another, thanks [Kendall] for having the courage to stick your middle finger up at the petty-minded idiots of the world.")
Photographer and illustrator Peter DeVito's work celebrates those with all different kinds of skin. He's best known for his close-up, unretouched shots of people with acne along with powerful statements about self-acceptance ("Acne is normal," "retouch," etc.) temporarily tattooed across their faces.
"The whole point of me posting is to help empower other people," he told ELLE. "I'm hoping that people will just start to learn to accept themselves more and not compare themselves to what other people look like."
