Me and My Acne-Prone Face are Going to Keep Writing About Skincare, Barbara
“If your skin looks like that you have no helpful advice for people to follow” - Barbara on Facebook
I let this comment from a stranger hurt me for 2 seconds and then realized I don’t give a shit. I have acne and I’m proud of how much progress I’ve made on my skin in the past 6 years since delving into skincare.
I started Levitate Beauty two years ago because I was tired of getting advice like “just drink water and rub lemons on your face” from a beauty guru who was blessed with clear skin all her life and didn’t really understand the struggle I was going through (btw, this is real life advice I took from a famous beauty YouTuber many years ago and I’ve never regretted anything more).
It truly amazes me that, despite the rising popularity of skincare over the past few years, there’s still so much ignorance and misinformation around acne. I’ve had hormonal acne since I was 7. You read that right: 7. Accutane helped but it never fully went away. And while learning how to take care of my skin has helped tremendously, I still. get. breakouts.
Acne is caused by so many different things including genetics and hormones. But having acne IS NOT the equivalent of not knowing how to take care of your skin.
Because of my acne, I’ve poured countless hours into researching skincare. I started blogging so that other acne-prone people know they're not in this alone, and so that I could share any helpful advice or products I discovered throughout my skincare journey.
I’m not going to apologize for the aspects of my skin that are out of my control and I’m not going to allow myself or anyone else to be shamed for it. And because of my experience with acne, I know I have so much to offer and share.
Acne-prone friends:
You’re beautiful. You’re doing amazing. Don’t let people like Barb get you down.
To all of my skincare content creators:
Keep doing what you’re doing. Each of us has something to offer based on our beliefs and experiences - whether it’s an experience with acne, dry skin, sensitive skin, rocesea, or even a world view that we should be using more cruelty-free or environmentally-friendly products.
We all have a “thing” and no one should ever tear you down for that. The internet needs more of us talking about skincare. Because even to this day, I look for advice and reviews from those with similar skin and ethos as mine.
To everyone that follows me, whether you are acne-prone or not:
Thank you! I can't tell you how much it means to me when someone follows me or comments on one of my posts. I’m so grateful to each of you for supporting me over the past couple of years.
And, lastly, to Barbara:
I'M TIRED OF YOUR CRAP. But also thanks, I guess. You’ve got me fired up and I’m ready to keep pumping out skincare content against your wishes.
That's all for today's rant. Thank you for coming to my TED talk!
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