This Beauty Influencer Got Real About Zits—and Why She’s Okay With Them

Waking up with a giant zit on your face can seem like the end of the world. But before you start the negative self-talk (or squeezing!), take a look at what YouTube star Ingrid Nilsen has to say about her latest breakout-turned-breaththrough.

“Pimples happen,” Nilsen captioned a selfie. “At 29 (after years of adult acne, scars, etc.) this is the first time I have felt completely at ease and pretty while breaking out. I haven’t tried to cover it up with makeup and there’s no filter on this photo.”

Pimples happen. At 29 (after years of adult acne, scars, etc.) this is the first time I have felt completely at ease and pretty while breaking out. I haven't tried to cover it up with makeup and there's no filter on this photo. There are so many messages being thrown at us every day telling us what's beautiful and what's not. As someone who has been in the beauty industry for almost 10 years, I've definitely contributed to this. Personally, I have grown to dislike the terms "good" and "bad" skin because they come with dangerous consequences. If you have "good" skin you feel the pressure to maintain this perceived level of perfection and any blemish, wrinkle or scar is felt as a personal failure. If you have "bad" skin you feel like you are less than and the pursuit of "good" skin can be absolutely exhausting. Ultimately, what these two things have in common is the feeling that we're not good enough. It hit me last night that this pimple is a physical manifestation of all the work I did last week. I pushed through nerves, anxiety, and some of my biggest fears to strive for something I've always wanted to do. I'm proud of that and if this is my body's way of saying "We did it, but MAN I'm tiiiiired!" then I'm proud of that too. Our bodies are so complex. They work hard for us every day, whether we notice it or not, so try to be generous with yourself. Meet yourself where you are right now and sink into the gratitude of the breath you just took. That's your body telling you you're good enough… because you're alive.

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For Nilsen, a longtime beauty vlogger, it’s all about rejecting the idea of “good” and “bad” skin.

“If you have ‘good’ skin you feel the pressure to maintain this perceived level of perfection and any blemish, wrinkle or scar is felt as a personal failure,” she said. “If you have ‘bad’ skin you feel like you are less than and the pursuit of ‘good’ skin can be absolutely exhausting.”

Nilsen reflected on the stress she’s been under recently, and how that pimple was a “physical manifestation” of her effort to try to achieve a so-called perfect complexion.

“Our bodies are so complex,” she said. “They work hard for us every day, whether we notice it or not, so try to be generous with yourself. Meet yourself where you are right now and sink into the gratitude of the breath you just took. That’s your body telling you you’re good enough… because you’re alive.”

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