Intelligent Beauty

Why it’s time we all stopped feeling bad about breakouts

So, you’ve got a breakout. So what? We waste so much time feeling stressed-out, ashamed and concerned about blackheads and spots but, isn’t it time we dismantled the stigmas and learned to embrace our own idioSKINcracies? We’re bombarded with pictures of poreless complexions – airbrushed waaaaaay beyond the realms of reality – which is why we’re campaigning to keep things a little more ‘real’ and relatable. No one should feel like they’re somehow less lovely because they have acne – it’s normal and many of those whom you see on your Instagram feed have their own insecurities; they’re just a dab hand with concealer and FaceTune.

Rather than feeling the need to disguise, why can’t we trigger a shift in the dialogue? Liberate skin from a mask of foundation and learn to embrace naked faces in all of their glory – spots or no spots. Spots the difference?

Of course, it’s important to keep our skin healthy but often our relationship with our complexion (and reflection) is the one that needs attention. We all want our skin to be the best that it can be, but what if ‘best’ didn’t mean someone else’s idealised (fictitious!) standard of what beauty means? And of course, it’s okay to love make up – #TeamCultBeauty are make up obsessives – but what if your base was an optional extra and not a security blanket?

It takes time (and an army) to change our perceptions but we think the out-dated, Photoshopped visions of thrice-filtered skin are beginning to lose their appeal. With influencers such as {@mypaleskinblog} speaking out about acne, and Liv Purvis’ {@theinsecuregirlsclub} creating a platform to bolster our confidence, it feels like a veil has been lifted – more and more men and women can identify with those they see on Instagram and feel, not only reassured but empowered by pictures of unadorned, unfiltered faces.

And what’s the deal with ‘imperfections’? Perfect isn’t one, prescribed mould we should strive to inhabit – we are all perfect in our own, unique ways. Spots don’t diminish us – we’re more than enough, irrespective of what our skin’s up to. Try to remember that next time you feel like bemoaning a breakout – there’s nothing ‘imperfect’ about you. #ThisIsSkin

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Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...