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Rihanna recently took to Instagram to share her first selfie of the decade and it was a makeup-free selfie, where she had a laid back look with straight back cornrows and a black zipper hoody.
Her fans admired her natural look, while one fan took the chance point out a pimple by asking the Fenty founder to let him pop it.
Rihanna showing her humour and confidence when she responded to the fan by saying, “Let her have her shine, PLEASE!”
The image has since received over 5 million likes. Although this was another fan-celebrity-clap back moment, we cannot circumvent the pressures women are put under to have perfect radiant skin.
In 2019 we saw a growth in skin treatment trends including the introduction of masking on a regular by either using charcoal or 3D masks, micro-needles, skin peeling, LED light therapy skincare gadgets, face steamers and rollers.
READ MORE: South African women of all skin types reveal the best beauty products they tried in 2019
As effective all these are in improving the skin, it does not eliminate the weights put on women to opt to always wear make-up should they not be able to follow or afford the treatments.
Oftern when a woman walks around with her 'imperfect' skin or she will get remarks such as “you need to see a dermatologist or your skin needs treatment”. Skin breakouts are caused by numerous reasons, some which are uncontrollable like hormones, stress, and change of season.
READ MORE: A caviar facial is part of these 35 beauty treatments to add to your bucket list
According to Healthline, “Your skin has tiny holes called pores that can become blocked by oil, bacteria, dead skin cells, and dirt. When this occurs, you may develop a pimple or ‘zit.’ If your skin is repeatedly affected by this condition, you may have acne.”
Many have struggled with acne during their pre-adolescence, during adolescence and post adolescence phase and when dealing with acne the first instinct is to always go for home remedies but when those fail, some women use unsafe products and unregulated doctors to achieve the same results in a short period of time which damages their skin even further.
READ MORE: Skin bleaching in 2019 - why are people still doing it and what are the dangers?
Not forgetting the amount of YouTube videos that have tutorials about how you can get rid of pimples overnight, which may include more skin damaging routines that could leave the skin scarred.
Challenging us to change the way we see a woman’s skin as flawless is London photographer, Sophie Harris-Taylor who opened an exhibition at the Francesca Maffeo Gallery in London from the 5th - 13th September, showcasing the beauty of acne.
READ MORE: Should we be seeing more acne on TV and runways?
Featuring 20 portraits of bared face women, the exhibition is titled Epidermis highlights and showcases the skins of women less often seen.
“Normality is defined by the images we see all around us, we are led to believe all women have idealised, flawless skin - they don't. Whether unshown or simply disguised, many women have conditions such as acne, rosacea and eczema and many of these women feel a pressure to hide behind a mask of makeup, covering up what actually makes them unique,” says Sophie.
See the images from the showcase below:
Inspired by her own experience of dealing with acne as a teenager Sophie says, "Suffering from severe acne throughout my teens and 20’s left me incredibly self-conscious and I longed for ‘normal’ skin."
Sophie created this exhibition because she wanted a series of work that empowers and allows women to love the skin they’re in, regardless of what condition they have.
Do you feel comfortable showing your skin breaking out? Tell us here.
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