In recent years, more and more people have woken up to the significance of body positivity. However, the skin remains taboo, and we are yet to accept it with all its flaws and imperfections. Though several A-listers and influencers have been vocal about their skin conditions, many of us are still desperate to cover up even the slightest blemishes surfacing on our skin.
But there’s a rising model with a mission to do away with the stigma surrounding acne and pimples. We are talking about Louisa Northcote, Britain’s Next Top Model finalist, who has launched the #FreeThePimple movement on Instagram in an attempt to normalize adult skin issues.
What Is #Freethepimple Movement?
Having dealt with the shame attached to bad skin, Northcote has now reached a stage where she is comfortable with her skin, and she motivates others to embrace their skin as it is. This online community aims to offer a platform to anyone who has been through the physical and emotional effects of acne. She hopes that the movement will defy normative beauty standards, which are often quite unrealistic.
Through the movement, Northcote aims to encourage and empower more people to accept their natural skin. In no time, the skin-positive community has witnessed remarkable growth, and the hashtag #Freethepimple has been featured on close to 500 posts across the globe already.
The Trauma of Her Early Years
The Dubai girl started as a child model and was eventually turned down by many modeling agencies due to her pimples. This motivated her to start the movement to help people worldwide who are suffering from the same issue. In her statement to the media, she confessed she was 16 when her acne got terrible. However, she was keen to change the perception that a magazine or a billboard cover model must have flawless skin.
Northcote proudly flaunts her un-retouched, make-up-free skin on social media, stressing how important it is to accept our own body and skin. One of her videos on Instagram also shows off her natural beauty. Her online photos, showing her acne, with the hashtag #freethepimple, are revolutionary moves to break the taboo. This initiative was followed by many people with acne, sharing their unfiltered photos and appreciating the movement.
Her Relentless Efforts to Keep This Going
In one of her videos on Instagram, Northcote expressed through her caption that she belongs to a generation that strongly believes in speaking up and bringing about a change. She further asserts that she has spent so many years trying to cover up her acne that it eventually started taking a toll on her life and mental health. This made her sit up and embrace her blemished skin whole-heartedly. She also added that she did not have anyone to talk to about her acne in her growing-up years.
That’s what prompted her to build this online community through the hashtag. She feels it is the most liberating thing to feel okay in one’s skin, regardless of how it looks. She believes that body positivity is a compelling movement that has taken the industry by storm.
Models of different body types now have their own space in the modeling world. It also has normalized stretch marks, female nipples, periods, and what not! Louisa now feels it is high time to embrace their skin, and hence the movement.
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Personal Passion Channelized Professionally
Northcote got a modeling assignment titled, Epidermis, with London-based photographer Sophie Harris Taylor. This project is a photo series featuring a range of women with different skin conditions. What sets it apart is that, though the photo series follows a beauty editorial style, it remains completely unretouched.
Let’s Take a Lesson from #Freethepimple!
Currently, intending to minimize her acne, Louisa is undergoing some chemical peel and laser sessions. She shared with the media that when she first decided to post a makeup-free selfie that exposed her acne, accompanied by the hashtag movement and her message about it, she never thought it would gain such attention. She has received a lot of accolades for creating this space for body positivity.
Louisa is thankful to everyone for their support. This is the body positivity that must become a norm in the days to come. After all, beauty should be all about being happy and comfortable with yourself!
