Body positivity has made immense progress in recent years, but one area that many still consider taboo is skin.
#freethepimple is a movement that has swept Instagram feeds, encouraging women to share images of their acne and embrace the skin they’re in by taking a break from treatments and makeup.
Louise Northcote, founder of #freethepimple, told i-D Magazine that she had nobody to talk to about acne when growing up, so she decided to build a community where people could support each other.
“Body positivity is a powerful movement, which has led to industry-wide embrace of models of all different body types,” she said. “It has seen an embrace of people with stretch marks, an embrace of female nipples, an embrace of seeing women with their periods, and now it’s time to embrace your skin, which is why I have created #freethepimple - a movement that I hope will empower others to embrace the skin they’re in.”
The movement has been widely successful on social media, with people from all over the world sharing their #freethepimple pictures and stories.
“I've struggled with acne for about 3 years, but in the past two months I've finally been able to embrace how I look without covering it up and in the past month I've felt confident enough to go out in public with absolutely no makeup on,” one person shared on Instagram.
#freethepimple has already generated over 500 posts on Instagram.
