I can write a dissertation, fully backed by an ever-growing body of scholarly research, about the detriments of Instagram to the mind and the self, but one fact is indisputable: Toxic as the social media platform could be, it has also played a pivotal role in helping the body-acceptance and self-love movement become more pronounced with each passing year.
Photographer Peter DeVito is a prime example of this push towards normalizing bodies. You may have seen some of his photos, in which his models are depicted in all their traditionally “not beautiful” beauty. He has focused a lot on acne, specifically, and removing the association of acne as something to be covered up or ashamed of.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkBC3OvDlfT/?taken-by=peterdevito
Another power player is Em Ford, whose nearly 1 million devoted Instagram followers are a testament to how common acne is, and how ready those who suffer from it are to cast off the shackles of self-hate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfCFDvPFKs2/?hl=en&taken-by=mypaleskinblog
The most recent, and inspiring moment of acne positivity comes from 25-year-old makeup artist and vlogger Rocio Cervantes.
Cervantes recently posted a tweet in which she, in the best way imaginable, emphasized her acne spots rather than trying to cover them up: She made her scars into stars.
I’m posting them lol I had an idea of not covering my acne so I thought why not put star stickers on top of them&then my foundation especially since right now I’m struggling with a lot of break outs but at the same time I want to do makeup so I hope y’all like! it made me happy pic.twitter.com/KzgaDeuWZs
— like she created the fucking rainbow🌈 (@Rocioceja_) September 17, 2018
She followed that up with her reason for the little project, writing that she hopes “anyone dealing with any skin condition can know they are not alone,” and that she felt “ashamed” of herself for wondering what life would be like if she had clear skin.
The tweets quickly went viral as messages of support and love came in from grateful friends and strangers.
Many were uplifted and inspired by the makeup artists positive message.
Clearly, the world needs more people like Rocio Cervantes.