Let's be honest, we've all been scrolling through Instagram at some point and have mindlessly compared ourselves to a picture-perfect influencer or celebrity, whose face appears without a pore in sight.
In just one post, however, Millie Bobby Brown has made the world feel better about their skin, using her status as a global Gen-Z icon to show that even the most glamorous of A-listers have skin concerns just like ours.
The 19-year-old, who shot to stardom playing the character of Eleven in the Netflix hit series Stranger Things, is already a beauty muse, as proven by the stratospheric success of her beauty brand Florence By Mills. It was named the biggest beauty brand of 2022 according to beauty comparison site Cosmetify’s annual Index, which bases its ranking on Google searches and Instagram engagement, mentions and following. She found a gap in the market at just 15 years old and created the brand for fellow Gen-Z’s who are apprehensive about using skincare at a young age.
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Using her platform and influence in the cosmetics sphere to provide a realistic perception of life outside of social media, she shared an Instagram carousel of two selfies with her 63.5 million followers. One, a glamorous look complete with dazzling glittery eyeshadow and a nude lip. The other, a bare-faced no make-up selfie which showed off her acne, with the caption: “@florencebymills send help!”
Her post was immediately met with praise with fans commenting: “thank you for normalizing breakouts” whilst another said: “love how you show off your acne. it is normal and okay to get breakouts” and “she makes me feel so comfortable to have acne i feel almost empowered and confident in my face bc I've learned that it truly is normal”
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In a recent interview with Glamour for her Women of the Year campaign, Millie explained that Instagram also makes her feel self-conscious: “I have a huge pimple on my face. And I’m going to go on Instagram, and I’m going to see five different girls that look beautiful! Flawless! Stunning! And, okay, slay,” she says, but adds she’ll find herself “sobbing, because I know, I know I don’t look like that.”
Truth be told, everybody has been affected by images on the internet at some point, regardless of status. And Millie's post, which proves that social media's beauty standards are often unrealistic, will undoubtedly have an incredible influence on all who follow her, particularly young people.
Other celebrities, take note...