By: Shenelle Kassie
Famous models and influencers are using social media as a platform for influencing the masses to love the skin they're in, whilst openly sharing their own personal battles with confidence and self-love. They all have their own unique experiences with how social media has contributed both positively and negatively to their lives.
Kadeeja Khan, beauty guru, (Emerald Beauty), 22
Kadeeja has taken to Instagram and Youtube to share her experience with battling acne in hopes to help others in a similar position. Kadeeja never used to show her acne at all and would cover it up with exquisite makeup looks. That was until 2017 when she decided to become transparent with her struggles to social media. She candidly shares how acne has affected her mental health and how social media has had the power at times to lower her self-esteem. In an Instagram post, she notedly expressed how she used to photoshop her pictures as a result of receiving hateful backlash from others. However, she is sharing every step of her journey to clear skin - both the ups and downs - with her followers in hoping to be someone that they can relate to and portraying that they're not alone. Kadeeja is helping to take a stance against the mostly negative stigma attached to acne and striving for skin positivity.
Shaun Ross, American model, 27
Shaun is an albino model who has had his share of criticism on social media because of his skin condition. After a while, Shaun was contacted by a young girl's albino mother who encouraged him to start his campaign #inmyskiniwin in 2012 to challenge beauty standards set by social media. This campaign is still very prominent across all social media, particularly Instagram and Twitter, where individuals share photos of themselves feeling confident in their skin. In general, his skin condition has been continuously challenged over the years. Despite that, he always ensures to share the fact that he is a proud African-American man. Striving for skin positivity and self-love, Shaun hopes his campaign will also raise awareness of the discrimination against all individuals with albinism globally.
Shalom Blac, beauty guru, 23
Shalom is a burn survivor who shares her life on her Youtube channel and Instagram. She has been a burn survivor since she was nine years old. After being relentlessly bullied back in her home of Nigeria, she came to the US and wound up becoming a successful social media influencer. However, she still notably receives hateful comments from others. Despite that, she is on her journey to self-love and acceptance whilst hoping to help others going through a similar situation to herself. She presents many empowering videos and captions hoping to inspire others on Youtube and other social media platforms, constantly encouraging others to love the skin their in.
One of her most inspiring quotes that is a must read:
"At this point, in my life, I don't regret what happened to me. I feel like this was my calling. If I had a choice, to take it back, I definitely wouldn't because it's helping other people."
Ralph Souffrant, Haitian model based in New York, 23
After leaving his home country of Haiti, Ralph has become a successful model in America, working with some of the biggest names in the industry from Beyonce's Ivy Park to Calvin Klein. However, he has had his fair share of having to deal with criticism and harsh words from individuals, both in real life and on social media. From time-to-time he still recieves backlash and hateful comments from trolls. Nonetheless, for the most part he is heavily supported and respected on social media due to his unique look. From being constantly teased for having freckles, he is now using them to his advantage and making a name for himself in both the fashion and modelling industry, whilst exuding confidence, self love and comfortability in his own skin.
Here's an iconic photo exuding skin confidence of American male models, Mekhi Lucky, Quis Crawford, Shaun Ross and Ralph Souffrant.
These models and social media influencers with all types of skin conditions have all taken negative experiences and criticism and turned them into a positive through embracing their uniqueness. They all are using their platforms in hoping to help many others out there that may be experiencing a similar battle to themselves. If they can do it, you can do it too. As they have all expressed themselves in different ways, their main message they are projecting is that it starts with being comfortable in your own skin - with that alone the rest will be history...
Comments