Normalize Real Skin
As humans, we need to be kind to ourselves and know that what is advertised is not always portrayed as “normal” and can be very unrealistic if not unattainable standards to meet.
Real skin is beautiful
Every person’s skin will have varying degrees of acne, texture, discoloration, and scars; it is just part of being human. Your skin is how you can regulate heat, protect from dehydration and infection, respond to temperature, pressure, and pain, to name a few. Your skin is constantly working and doing all it can to keep you protected. With that in mind, as humans, we need to be kind to ourselves and know that what is advertised is not always portrayed as “normal” and can be very unrealistic if not unattainable standards to meet.
Natural skin is “normal,” and all that exists in its natural state before makeup, filters, and products. This is what makes us beautiful and human. When we are constantly bombarded with what we are told we “should” look like, it will affect our view of ourselves and how we think others view us. It can cause extensive effects on our mental health and well-being. Our world seems to revolve around this idea of perfection being labeled as “normal” when it is typically photoshopped—utilized through company branding, advertisements, social media, tv, and movies. The campaigns, social media, and everything in between need to show what real skin looks like to undo the conditioning that having anything other than clear skin is not okay.
What can we do?
We, as Estheticians, must work to help normalize the conversation around this. We need to talk about skin texture, acne, pores, rosacea, vitiligo, and much more. This is normal, and it is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed by. The skin is the largest organ on our body and is not one size fits all! Our industry and our world could do a better job setting the tone and helping every individual feel comfortable in the skin they are in. Minor changes are being made to show this, but there is still a lot of work to continue bringing positivity to this topic.
It is important to note that every person should feel free to be confident and comfortable in their skin no matter where they are at in their journey. It is okay to have goals you want to accomplish with your skin but still feel beautiful regardless of where you are at the moment.
Written by Whitney Dickerson