My acne has always been one of my biggest insecurities. At one point, it even had taken over my life. To this day, it’s painful to reminisce on all of my disappointment in my complexion that began around seventh grade and continued into my years at Wilson. Though it took many years of struggling, I am lucky to say that I’m finally comfortable in my own skin. Honestly, as much as it sucked at the time, I am grateful for everything my experiences with acne taught me. 

Having acne in middle school was hard, to say the least. I vividly remember the constant jokes from my peers that made my life a living nightmare. On top of that, being shy and awkward didn’t pair so well with being insecure about my appearance: basically, I felt as if my life was over in middle school. And though I was constantly reminded that my skin was normal, and I was going through puberty, I still felt like I was being punished in some way for having skin that was “different”.

Even though I’ve come to understand that some things in life are out of our control, that can absolutely suck to find out when you already feel horrible. Feeling out of control was hard: I remember having helpless crying fits over the number of spots I had. Even so, I tried to stick to the positive, repeating to myself that “everyone is different, and everyone is beautiful in their own way”. 

My constant breakouts used to even prevent me from attending certain events. I used to try to imagine myself with clear skin, even begging or praying for it. Looking back, I realize how awful the effects of strict beauty standards can be on young people.

But trust me, nothing feels as amazing as finally coming to terms that you are worthy, no matter the amount of scars on your face. I’ll admit that the self-love journey was challenging for me, but it wasn’t impossible. Beauty comes from within, and acne doesn’t make you less appealing. We’re all a bunch of teens going through puberty, so rather than viewing it from a negative perspective, let’s all understand that it’s okay to be a teen, and to have acne. 

The ideal of “beautiful clear skin” is genuinely overrated, and in my opinion, we should all forget that useless standard. Acne may be frustrating, and yes, I do have my moments of anger with my skin, but thankfully, I’ve learned that I’m beautiful no matter what. It’s crazy to think that I spent the first three years of high school always worrying about my acne when I should have been enjoying some of the best years of my life. 

High school students should be enjoying our teen years going on silly adventures and experiencing fun stereotypical teenage activities. Worrying about your appearance, especially your acne, shouldn’t come anywhere close to being one of those activities. This is your life, and you get to decide what’s important to you. You deserve a fun, carefree high school experience, free of useless skin insecurities and self doubt.