Constanza Concha, one of GLAMOUR’s 2021 Self-Love issue cover stars, has also seen a decline in skin positivity since the Pandemic. “I’ve seen a lot of the voices in the community just grow out of the movement,” the body positivity influencer says. Some of this was a natural evolution – “they either continued their studies or became mothers”.
But she also points out that skin neutrality – a recognition that there is no such thing as ‘bad’ or ‘good’ skin – is a growing conversation that is replacing skin positivity. “Creators went from talking only about skin positivity and their skin issues, to showcasing more about their lives, sharing makeup tutorials, lifestyle content.”
And that’s no bad thing – both movements, says Constanza, “suit different preferences. Some people may need affirmations at the end of the day to feel better and others just a small ‘it’s alright’”.
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Skin with no shame needs allies
The important thing is to keep the conversation around skin having no shame going. “Unrealistic beauty standards have a big impact on the minds and hearts of those who cannot achieve them,” Constanza notes. “Awareness creates empathy and people with rosacea, scars, acne, eczema deal with a lot of mental and physical pain daily.”
Maybe if I’d seen more girls like me with acne on social media when I was growing up I wouldn’t have burnt my skin with acids. I wouldn’t have spent hours crying over my spots. I would have been too busy having fun and being normal. Because that’s the thing: spotty, dry, irritated, scarred, lined, Black, Brown and freckled skin is normal.
All of which begs the question: how long before we only see sanitised, airbrushed images of women’s skin on social media, in TV ads and on billboards?
Some people probably think that banning a book on freckles is trivial. Compared to the big political issues playing out on the world stage, maybe it is. But to those young girls with freckles and acne who are bullied and othered at school? Or those Black and Brown women whose contribution to the skin conversation is being silenced? The death of skin positivity feels anything but trivial.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR’s Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
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