A London-based social media influencer bore the appearance that most people did not expect to gain popularity. But Maia Gray is dispelling all the toxic beauty standards with her own condition, owning her insecurity one post at a time.
The 27-year-old suffers from cystic acne since her school years, but her condition is worse than most people.
Yet, she’s been using her platform to tell people that having a skin condition is not something to be ashamed of. She told people, “Social media is false. It’s a highlight reel of someone’s best moments. Not everyone is 100% happy all the time. Not everyone enjoyed their day. Not everyone goes out and nobody wakes up looking like a supermodel.”
“Since creating my account, I have always said that content like this should be shown in schools. It should be also shown in advertising.”
She continued, “I don’t want people to feel how I felt growing up. I don’t want children to grow up hating themselves, because they’ve compared themselves to a totally unrealistic photograph of a stranger online.”
Maia knows that even people with clear skin would still deal with other types of insecurity. But there’s no need to “always… be perfect”.
Having to deal with bullies her whole life, Maia knows better than most what it’s like to suffer from being ostracized for one’s appearance. She recalled how it started, “When I first started secondary school, I wasn’t self-conscious. It was only until a girl came up to me in an English class and said ‘I would look prettier if I wore makeup.’”
“When I got home, I begged my mother to buy me makeup so that I could cover my skin. This later became a necessity and a habit.”
She got overly conscious with her skin, causing her to develop the habit of using makeup all the time. But all that did was worsen her breakouts.
Eventually, her identity was glued to makeup and she’d have it on all the time. She shared, “From wearing makeup in school, I then would wear makeup at home around my family. I would not let any member of my family see my acne.”
“As the years went on, I was bullied so much that I considered moving schools. My attendance began to drop as I was constantly being picked on.”
Instead of using makeup, it is also possible to treat cystic acne early on to prevent them from leaving painful marks. But most importantly, always learn to love yourself!
Her platform is now all about normalizing the condition creating a space where people with similar conditions know they’re loved.
