Not a single soul on this planet can say they have absolutely flawless skin.
We’ve all got our share of pesky spots, and some suffer with skin conditions such as acne. But one woman, called Maia Gray, is on a mission to show the world that it’s no biggie.
She posts on Instagram under the handle its_just_acne, and she shares her journey to encourage other women to love their skin. Maia’s all about spreading the word that acne’s nothing to hide from, as loads of people have it, so they’re not alone in the fight.
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She wants to show people can still ooze confidence and look amazing, even when their skin flares up. But, even though her page is a beacon of positivity, some keyboard warriors keep posting hurtful comments.
The influencer, who’s racked up a whopping 145,000 followers, has spilled the beans on the nasty jibes she gets about her complexion.
The trolls have made comments like “make-up makes acne worse”, “why does she wear make-up? It doesn’t cover anything”, “she needs to hide her acne” and “your skin is dirty”.
Alongside a candid video, Maia wrote: “If you’ve ever received unkind comments about your skin, I want to let you know it isn’t your fault. Ignore what society thinks and be your own wonderful, strong, unique beauty standard. You do not need changing.”
Since she shared the video online, it’s clocked up more than 1,400 likes and plenty of positive comments. One individual remarked: “No one and nothing in the universe is perfect. We should admire the creation of our God.”
Another chimed in with: “We do what we want, when we want, with OUR skin. People will rarely be happy with our choices. Love this vid.” A third responded: “You’re beautiful with or without make-up.”
Meanwhile, a fourth added: “If someone ever says your skin is dirty it’s not your skin, it’s their mindset. Everyone has textured skin and every skin is beautiful.”
Despite the negative comments, many people admire Maia for her candid discussions about body image. Her content resonates with many who are grateful that there are voices advocating for those with acne.
Although she’s now a skin positivity advocate, she confessed to having struggled with accepting her skin in the past. She was bullied at school because of her appearance, which greatly affected her growing up.
In a previous post, Maia shared: “In school, I was called names and bullied. People made fun of my skin. Now, I realise that all of what happened to me, made me a stronger person.
“It made me want to fight for those who feel alone in their acne journey. I promise you that acne will never change you as a person.
“People will be unkind. That’s a fact of life but never ever let their unkindness dictate your life or your goals. Be you. No matter what.”
Maia utilises her platform to provide tips, review products and offer make-up advice. Her candid videos reach thousands of people and are both uplifting and helpful.
Her main goal is to inspire individuals not to “hide” their skin due to acne. She emphasised this in a post encouraging people to enjoy the summer months.
Maia stated: “As the weather starts to warm up, often we feel the need to hide our skin. It’s important to remember that no matter what your feel your skin looks like, never feel that you need to hide your acne.
“Acne is something that is common. Millions of people around the world have a skin condition and knowing this, makes me feel less alone in my journey.”
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