Waking up, feeling that dull ache of a clogged pore growing under your skin is one of the worst things to wake up to. 

It feels especially worse when Proactive and Curology ads attack you left and right with before and after photos, telling you how their limited time cleanser will be your one way ticket into beauty. 

For years, I have struggled with my skin. I come from a family of greasy skin and large pores. It sucks dealing with acne when you’re in elementary school. I spent years picking and scratching at the red pimples on my chin, forehead and nose.

In middle school, you would never catch me with my greasy emo side bangs out of my face, that was most likely a huge reason I had acne, as I couldn’t let anyone see my gross, bumpy forehead.

Now, as a 20 year old whose hormones are calming down and who keeps her hair off of her forehead, I’ve realized that not only is having acne not ugly, but is pretty gosh darn cute, even though it made me hate myself for so long.

Acne is very common. It is the most common skin condition in the US, as it affects about 50 million Americans annually, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. 

In our society, acne is always seen as ugly and that if you have acne, you have “problem skin”. All the actors, singers and internet stars we follow have clear and radiant skin, or use makeup to cover it up. 

In many shows portraying teenage high school lives like “Teen Wolf ”,” all were beautiful adults who either had clear skin or were wearing makeup and used good lighting, playing teens who should have pizza faces. 

No wonder I felt so gross (and sometimes still do) having chestne and breakouts on my chin!

While my acne is far better, I still struggle with it. I still cover my skin up with foundation and feel dread when a lil red pimple erupts. 

It’s funny though, because when I see other people with acne, I think they look so, so cute. It all started when I got into KPop.

 I was spending my time looking at more beautiful and talented people, who always seemed to have the most flawless skin. But one day, scrolling on tumblr, I saw the youngest member of BTS without makeup. 

His cheeks were covered in dark red acne bumps. 

I felt my heart flutter out of my chest. After that day, I started paying closer attention to kpop Idols when they didn’t have makeup on. 

All of them had acne. It’s silly to think of this as being my epiphany that acne is something that everyone deals with and doesn’t make you an ogre, but as a 15 year old, it made my favorite idols much more appealing and human. 

Now, you might be thinking, “celebrities are some of the most beautiful people in the world, of course they look good with acne”, but after realizing that acne doesn’t downgrade a person’s appearance, I truly believe that it makes people cuter. 

When I see any of my friends without makeup, I get butterflies in my stomach. When I see a pretty girl or boy in class with pimples covering their cheeks and foreheads, I get hearts in my eyes. 

Many others are also starting to realize that acne doesn’t make you unattractive. In 2018, after Kendall Jenner going on Golden Globes red carpet with acne, many took to instagram, posting unedited and unfiltered selfies with the hashtags #acnelove, #acnepositivity, #acneisbeautiful and, #acnedoesntmakeyouugly, according to a January 18th, 2018 BBC article. 

Acne makes people much more human and relatable. It’s something we can all complain about together. Imperfections are always the most endearing parts of a person. And trust me, when you’re interacting with people, they’re not hung up on the pimple on your nose like you are. 

So, while you’re sitting on your desk, obsessing and picking at your fresh new pimple, remember there is someone who will have a crush on you, with or without your pizza face.