#normalize acne

"There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." -Richard Avedon✒ // self portraits // normalize acne // all photos are mine🌙

My name is Jaymi!

I have been on a roller coaster ride of loving and hating my body my whole life.

I have struggled with disordered eating, as well as body dysmorphia in regards to the shape of my body and the hair on my body.

I have always been hairier than all of my friends, so I would shave my entire body (literally the whole thing, except my eyebrows and hair on my head) each day when I showered for almost 7 years.

I recently came off of the birth control pill because I have been in an amazing relationship with my girlfriend for the past 11 months and protection for pregnancy is not needed 😂

This has caused me to get painful cystic acne on my chin, cheeks and forehead. I never had acne growing up so this has been a hard transition for me.

It has also caused me to put on quite a bit of weight, which in the past would have sent me into a spiral of working out and eating less, but thankfully am at a place where I feel content.

I don’t know when or how it happened, but being around other people who I know will still love me, no matter how much I weigh, if I shave, or if my face is covered in acne really helps me to accept myself.

I also like to dress up and put on makeup for no reason some days just for a little pick me up! Hence the last photo 🥰

not the prettiest,

not the bravest,

not the loudest and not the shyest,

not most confident,

too impulsive sometimes,

on a different path than you,

and maybe I do think different about some things.

But that’s okay. That’s why I am me and not someone else. And everyone who belongs to you will come anyway🤍

Hi, today I would like to talk about something that affects a lot of people, especially teenagers: acne. But first... what is acne? Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. It causes whiteheads, blackheads, or pimples. It is most common among teenagers, though it affects people of all ages. I never had pimples in my life, and since I turned 17 I’m dealing with acne.

I think I’ve never been so frustrated, stressed out, ASHAMED OF MYSELF, DISGUSTED BY MYSELF as I am now.

Acne is terrible. And not because it “ruins” your face. It’s terrible because people out there disgustingly stare at you, you can notice it by the look in their face; not to mention the boys. I think that if people wouldn’t act like this, bearing acne would be a lot of easier. I won’t say “love yourself” or stuff like that because I would be inconsistent, as I’m the first here disgusting myself and complaining about pimples. I’ll tell you something that happened to me some days ago, something that prompted me to write this. I was at school, I arrived early, so I was eating a snack since I don’t have time to have breakfast. A “friend” of mine came to me, looked at me, and pulled my face mask up saying: “so no one will see your pimples”. I was appalled... I wasn’t feeling bad for what she said to me, I just was shocked by the act. How dare you saying something so mean and rude to someone? To a friend? I hate ignorance, rudeness, and human wickedness. I’m still appalled by this episode. Do you know what I did? I remained silent without reacting. I should have pulled my mask down and told her: "excuse me, how dare you?" or "can’t you see I’m eating?" But you know... sometimes it’s better to be indifferent. I end by telling you something that my father suggested me to say whenever someone comments my pimples:

"Every pimple is a man I seduced"

- thigh gaps

- no cellulite

- no stretch marks

- perfect skin

- always having guys want you

- having meaningless sex or hookups

- getting drunk underage

- being 100% straight

- being mean

- having perfect grades

- never messing up

- always being confident

- always being happy

- doing drugs

please keep in mind if you ever feel pressured to do/be/act like any of these things, that saying no or not having it happen to you are ENTIRELY NORMAL and do NOT make you somehow less or worse than anyone else! just making sure we stay realistic because it can be hard as fuck to do in this world 

also! if you do/are any of these things that is A OK I’m just making sure people who aren’t don’t feel like they are missing something