In the age of cosmetic enhancements and photo filters, it may be hard to love our natural skin without any reservation. Luckily, the movement for body and skin neutrality is growing bigger—in effect inspiring more people to stop feeling sh*tty about not having clear and fair skin.
There’s nothing wrong with skincare or frequent trips to the dermatologist, but it’s also perfectly normal if your skin doesn’t look the same as a celebrity’s. It doesn’t mean that you’re not taking care of yourself and it’s not an invitation for others to give unsolicited comments.
We list down some of our fave local Instagram bloggers who are empowering people with different skin types and skin conditions to feel confident.
Noreen Bagaygay
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Noreen Bagaygay is a New Zealand-based blogger who started sharing her journey as a psoriasis warrior in 2018. Though apprehensive at first, she has been sharing photos of her flare-ups and comparisons of photos when she’s in recovery. Though Bagaygay isn’t one to sugarcoat her struggles, she generously shares her recovery routines and reminds her followers—especially those with skin conditions like acne, vitiligo, and eczema—to be proud of themselves.
“I don’t show my skin to get compliments. I show it to empower other people who think that they could never wear anything that shows their skin conditions. I want them to feel that they are not alone, because I was alone when I started my journey to love my own skin. I want everyone to see that it’s okay,” Bagaygay wrote in one of her posts.
Ayn Bernos and Morena the Label
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A number of people were rooting for beauty queen, blogger, and Morena the Label founder Ayn Bernos during this year’s Miss Universe Philippines pageant. Outside of the competition, she has continued to speak against colorism and shares her brand’s platform with other morena creatives.
Bernos’ label also started a Facebook community called Kayumanggi Club where people share their own experiences with colorism and recommend products that aren’t anti-kayumanggi.
Elora Picson of Fat Girl Glow
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Photographer Elora Picson started Fat Girl Glow to share self-portraits in the hopes of inspiring other women to feel beautiful and worthy. After all, women like her—“a fat girl with birthmarks on her face”—are not typically in the media, she told Preen in a previous interview.
Picson doesn’t cover her birthmark or use filters to hide her skin’s texture in her photos. She also encourages her followers to unlearn the negative connotations attached to the word fat.
Tin Advincula-Allí
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When beauty blogger Tin Advincula-Allí shares her makeup looks, she opts to do away with filters. She shares that she’s oily and acne-prone, but it’s obvious from her posts that those factors don’t make her enjoy glamming up any less.
She proves that putting makeup on doesn’t always mean that you have to make all your skin marks disappear.
Her Skin Posi
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In 2020, MM started started contributing to Instagram’s #AcneCommunity with Her Skin Posi. She posts unfiltered photos showing her acne, hyperpigmentation, and skin texture.
MM hopes to change the perception that having acne is equivalent to poor hygiene and that we should have identical relationships with makeup. Just do what feels good for you.
Photo courtesy of Noreen Bagaygay’s Instagram
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