Chelsea is an influencer and a skin positive advocate from Houston, Texas.
“Last year, during COVID, I uploaded my first skincare video on YouTube, and that was my first time being without makeup online. It was a very vulnerable time for me. I got feedback from people saying - “thank you so much for not being afraid to show your scars or to get a pimple.” I think that really resonated with people because on social media, all you see are the good parts of people. All you see are pretty faces and pretty bodies. If you aren’t in a confident mindset, that type of content brings you down. Pictures like that are really a trigger. I used to have pictures like that on my feed and think - “wow, I don’t have skin like that. How does this girl not get a blemish at all?” I realized how this content affected me, so I stopped posting pictures where I was blurring my face. After I uploaded that first video with no makeup, that really changed things for me.”
Chelsea explains how different experiences in her life have led her to embracing her skin.
“When I started getting acne in middle school, I thought it was just a phase, but it got worse. It started on my forehead, and then it moved on to my temples, and in high school, it started showing on my cheeks. My sister never had acne, and none of my cousins ever did. So, people were always giving me advice for my skin and recommendations. It was mentally exhausting to think that every time I talk to someone, they would bring up my skin.”
“My skin was really affecting me, but a lot of people in my life were like - “Why are worrying? You have a roof over your head. All you have to worry about is going to school and coming home.”
It was a very hard time, but one day I decided to stop wearing makeup because I knew that it was making my skin worse. There were whiteheads everywhere on my chin and cheeks. I started picking at it, and that’s where the acne scars came from. I knew that I needed to stop using makeup for a while because that’s what is breaking out my skin.”
Chelsea describes to us the first time she found the courage to go without makeup.
“I remember the first time that I decided not wear makeup at school. I was crying in the restroom. School started at like 8 a.m., but I was there at like 7 a.m in the morning trying to prepare myself. I was not ready to get out and face everyone. I remember I was standing there in a stall, thinking - “I cannot let people see me. I am not ready for this.” It was scary, but by my senior year of high school, I had stopped wearing makeup. I got used to it, and I was just focused on graduating. And in college, I was never worried about that.”
Chelsea shares how this journey ultimately led her to empowering others.
“My purpose for content is to prevent other people from going through what I went through. You don’t have acne because you’re face is dirty or because you’re ugly. I just really want people to feel comfortable with themselves, to be real with themselves, and to not worry so much. Also, following the right people on Instagram helps too. It’s helpful to follow people who post their good days and bad their bad days. I don’t follow people who try to look perfect on Instagram anymore - because honestly, they just affected me so much. I don’t follow those people anymore because I don’t want to ever compare myself. For me, it’s better to follow people who don’t post content like that because it pressures me to look like someone else. At the end of the day, we have to be ourselves. Although everyone judges, just be you. I remember how my classmates looked at me when I first decided not to wear makeup, but I still learned to be myself. Hopefully, I can share this with my community and break the expectation on social media that you have to look like someone else.”
@chelsea.linares