My name is Lynda. I’m 28, and I was born in Stockholm, Sweden. I moved to London when I was about 10 years old. But in 2021, I moved back to Sweden. That’s when I posted an acne transformation. It went viral, and I’ve been posting about skincare and acne ever since.
Lynda describes how her skin journey began.
I can remember breaking out for the first time at 11 years old. I felt like I was the only one going through it. And as I grew older, the feeling deepened because I never saw people of Afro descent posting about acne on social media. There was some content, but it never depicted acne to the severity that I had it.
On the other hand, feeling excluded is what inspired me to post about my skin. I wanted to help people in similar situations. I decided to post a transformation video, and I didn’t expect anything from it. But, when I woke up the next morning, it had like 18k views. I was very surprised that I could make such effective content because growing up with acne played on my self-esteem.
As mentioned before, not seeing yourself in the media makes you feel as though you’re not valuable or worthy. But one day I simply thought to myself, “If there’s no standard made for me, I have to create a path for myself.” That’s the mindset I’ve had in recent years.
I want to show that it’s okay to have acne and put yourself out there. Because at the end of the day, you’re still human, and nine times out of ten, there are people who feel like you. They’re just afraid to show themselves.
Lynda conveys how she can definitely empathize with this.
That used to be one of my big things. I was afraid of showing myself, but I knew getting out of my comfort zone was required for helping people. Plus, the longer I hid, the longer I would be keeping myself from certain aspirations. I wanted to post the authentic process of how I got from point A to point B. Content like this is just as valuable as education about skin. It’s important to know that not everyone has clear skin – that it’s just a myth.
I also wanted to make content for body confidence. I’ve always been more curvy. But having read magazines from a very young age, I never saw myself. And even today, common beauty standards don’t portray diverse body types or skin types. They promote unrealistic ideas, and those are the things I try to challenge. I try to challenge these norms by promoting diversity and representation in the beauty industry.
Beauty should be inclusive of all shades and body types. For example, not being able to find your shade in 2024 is crazy to me. I think we should be able to celebrate all skin tones, textures, and body types. We are pressured to mend ourselves to a specific body type. For example, although I know I’ll never have Eurocentric features, I would try to adhere to Eurocentric beauty standards, which actually exclude a wide variety of people.
But still, knowing that I would never fit that standard, was damaging. Trust me. I’ve been there. I can remember feeling like I should try fad diets or that I shouldn’t eat. I can remember feeling like I didn’t even want to touch my body.
But now – I know that I have to accept my body for what she is. No matter how you look, you are who you are. But, in order to get to this point of self-acceptance, you have to do what makes you feel good because the little things make a difference.
I had to accept that I would never fit that standard. So, I had to create a standard for myself. The biggest step for me was acceptance. But the journey of acceptance isn’t linear. It’s not a narrow straight road. It’s full of ups and downs. You have to accept the fact that your body and skin will go through changes. You won’t live a life where you always embody the ideal, and that’s something I thought was possible. I remember how I wanted to live my life with no breakouts. I craved it, but I had to come to terms with myself and learn to love her where she was – because no one can do that for me.
Another thing that helped me do this was God. I believe in God, and God says that I am a masterpiece and that everyone in this world has been brought here for a reason. Everyone has a purpose, and it might not look like the next person. So, those are the things that have truly helped me and shaped me into who I am. It’s also very important to have people around you that love you. I would tell my friends about my acne, and they would say, “That’s not the first thing I noticed about you.” Hearing things like this was amazing for my mental health because I can remember not wanting to make eye contact. I fearedthat it wasthe first thing people noticed.
I didn’t want them to stare at me for too long because they might start looking at my skin and judging me. So, having friends who support and remind you that you are more than your skin truly helps. Surround yourself with people who love you, truly speak to you, feed you positivity, and don’t bring you down. Even though my friends didn’t have acne, they were still uplifting because they poured into me and reminded me of who I was.
Lynda continues to share tips on reaffirming yourself.
Self-care is also good for reaffirming who you are. For example, I’ve always loved makeup, but originally, I used it to cover my acne scars. I couldn’t leave my house without putting foundation on. But now, I don’t use it to hide. I use it to accentuate my beauty, and this is part of self-care. But, self-care is different for everyone. It’s whatever makes you feel good and pours into the relationship with yourself. The longest relationship in life you’ll ever have is the one with yourself. When you have a positive relationship with yourself, that shows up in your day-to-day life.
However, don’t feel ashamed if you’ve had experiences with feeling unworthy and insecure. Some days self-care and self-improvement feel out of reach. But, I will always say, “Do what makes you feel comfortable.” We live in a society where having your hair, lashes, and nails done has been made the standard. So, we think, “That’s what I want too.” But, it’s important to ask yourself, “Is that truly what I want?”
Ask yourself, does putting on makeup or taking bubble baths make you feel better? And if the answer is no, figure out what you like, and embrace who you are. Don’t do things because other people are doing it. Doing this can bring on a cycle of comparison. Comparison takes away joy. When one looks at another person’s life and thinks to themselves, “I don’t have those things,” it can have a negative impact. So, figure out your own path, and embrace your individuality.
Likewise, during self-care, you can take the time to write things down. You can break your aspirations into small steps, and you can make the intention to walk in those steps every day. The more we do those things, the more trust we have in ourselves. Also, set aspirations that align with your lifestyle and personality. When you accept who you are, you will have more direction on your journey. Don’t just create goals based on how you see other people creating goals.
Lynda tells us how helping people to embrace their potential is one of her biggest motivations for creating content.
Reaching our dreams and confidence go hand in hand. That's why I want to grow my platform and continue to inspire people. Societal pressures are becoming so deep-rooted in people, and I want to show people that it’s okay to be themselves.
I just want to build a community where people feel safe sharing who they are. I just want to advocate for people and make sure that internalized pressures and beauty standards aren’t taking over. I know there’s a lot of work to be done.
Nevertheless, if I can help someone embrace who they are and know they’re not here by accident, this is a win for everyone. There’s a plan for you, and you are a masterpiece. Also, know that you’re not alone. You will get there. Be gentle and kind to yourself. Speak with care to yourself because the things that we say manifest. Try to say positive things about yourself. Fight back with affirmations. You are beautiful. You are worthy. You are more than enough. God loves you.