I’m gonna say it, I think #IWokeUpLikeThis is a bullshit humble brag, and here’s why…
Last month I read The New York Times piece on no makeup selfies and was instantly annoyed, but then stopped to think about exactly why the story left a bad taste in my mouth? It took me awhile to pin point it, because while I appreciate that celebrities like Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow are brave enough to post bare-faced photos, given the fact that one, they’re both beyond beautiful and two, they’re both adults in their 30s/40s with perfect skin I immediately thought:
“God, what about all the teens that see this and then feel like shit because they DON’T have perfect skin like Beyonce?”
I let it go, I chalked it up to a brief trend, but then gradually noticed more and more #NoMakeup selfies popping up on Instagram…some where the women looked perfect and others, not so much, which is COOL. In fact, I think it’s much cooler to show the world that we’re all human, and even those women who look “perfect” in their #NoMakeup photos have their own imperfections, even if you can’t see them in the selfie that they chose to share publicly with the internet.
Refinery29 said it best in their piece, where they talk about Lorde’s acne cream selfie that she posted, showing that even though her skin usually appears “perfect” during her performances, she too has to put in some effort when she’s home alone. As R29 said, “the acne cream selfie shows that in order to #wakeuplikethis, we’ve got to put some work into it” and ain’t that the truth. I’m 31 years old and, even though my skin is pretty good most of the time, I STILL get zits, just like the glorious little bugger on my chin, that I discovered late last night…and I DO put in the effort to make it better, so then there’s THAT.
Would you guys ever post an acne cream selfie?
Yup, I’ve posted full on acne face mask selfies and friends have always been supportive because we all go through it.
That’s so great to hear!
I love this post! You’re so right- I think those posts from celebs often come off so braggy- and sometimes they still look like they have make-up on! But let’s face it, normal women aren’t celebs and skin, just like the rest of our bodies aren’t perfect all the time- and that’s ok- it’s what makes us real!
Thanks, Emily! 🙂