Yaas girl, get it.
If you managed to go through puberty and not suffer from acne, skin conditions, or even just the odd break out, good for you.
You are one of the few people who didn't wake up at least once plagued with worries about leaving the house because of the state your skin.
Chances are those of us who did (or do still) suffer from poor skin, spent hours pouring over skin care websites and aisles in Boots searching for something that'll cover our faces and make us feel even a little bit less self-conscious during day light hours.
Despite the fact that so many people were going through the same thing, the feeling that you were the only person in the world who had ever had acne raged on.
And even if you weren't, the belief that the so-called, elusive, 'pretty people' never had a bad skin day in their lives was always there.
This, of course, was not true - but it's hard to see past your own questionable experience when you're teenager to realise to everybody pretty much goes through the same shitty skin-based crap anyway.
That's why Stacey Solomon's most recent column about her own skin is fairly important.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf0mYSjAfbk/?hl=en&taken-by=staceysolomon
While a lot of us may like to think that we've come to accept how our bodies and faces do or don't look, there are still plenty of people out there struggling to find that ability.
And that's grand.
In her column for
The Sun, Stacey admits that she never struggled with acne growing up, but that once she hit her mid-twenties, she broke out.
The presenter wrote that she was left with "craters and scars from stubborn spots," that she became paranoid about leaving the house without makeup on, and that having a clear face in front of her boyfriend was "excruciating."
She also admitted something that a lot of people wouldn't - that she still worries about how her skin looks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhMb__SnyFn/?hl=en&taken-by=staceysolomon
"I often rub my hands across my face; feel all of the dents and bumps in my skin and my heart sinks a little," she said.
"It’s terribly superficial and there are much more important things in life to worry about, but it does get to me."
And of course it does - no matter what the abundance of bloggers might say, self-esteem doesn't just appear one day with a new mantra of self-acceptance and a few 100k followers.
It's a long process and some of us may never get there entirely but it's still refreshing to see somebody speak honestly about their attempt, not sugar-coating, not dressing up, and not acting as if they're stronger than they are.
It's just nice, y'know?
You can read the rest of Stacey's column
here.
