Beautiful Girl, Cruel World

When a young woman began posting images of her face on social media, she had no idea of the cruel reaction that would follow “” or the effect it would have on her self-esteem.

Twenty-something London blogger, Em Ford, started My Pale Skin in 2014 after receiving thousands of messages from people all over the world who suffer or have suffered from acne.
In an effort to soothe others with similar skin conditions, the former model turned film-maker began to post images of herself without makeup on social media. During that time, more than 100,000 people commented on her face, most of which were deeply disturbing.
She decided to document the comments alongside an emotionally-charged short film, which features Em with and without make-up.

“I wanted to create a film that showed how social media can set unrealistic expectations on both women and men,” says Em. “One challenge many face today, is that as a society, we’re so used to seeing false images of perfection, and comparing ourselves to unrealistic beauty standards that It can be hard to remember the most important thing.”

The film starts out with an image of Em wearing a black singlet, her hair half pulled back and her skin free of makeup. As tears stream down her face, comments from faceless bullies flash up in the droves “” and they make you cringe.
Cruel sentences like, I can’t even look at her, WTF is wrong with her face? Her face is so UGLY. EWWW, GROSS, HORRIBLE. One person wrote, Seriously”¦ has she ever washed her face? Another says, Ugly as F*CK and then, YOU LOOK DISGUSTING.
It’s disturbing to say the least. How can people be so cruel?
Em then proceeds to apply makeup, Covering her blemishes, applying fake eye-lashes, eyebrows, mascara, blush and lipstick.  If you didn’t see it before (even though it is painfully obvious), she is beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.
Next comes comments from posts of Em wearing makeup: You are so beautiful, You look amazing, I love your makeup and That lipstick is amazing on you, you’re so perfect.
But then…
This is amazing but gross, You wear too much makeup, This is false advertising, This should be illegal, she still looks like shit, Trust no F*cking bitch with makeup and You look disgusting.
Heartbreaking to watch as the tears stream out of Em’s beautiful eyes. It’s horrible. Cruel. You ask yourself why? Why be so nasty? But people are, and that’s the sad truth.
Em then wipes off her makeup amongst words that represent her past feelings, such as, I hate myself, people stare, makeup is my saviour, why is this happening to me, it ruined my life.
Then, as the last of her makeup is removed, she writes, I am finally accepting myself and YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL.
“You are beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Not even yourself,” she writes before the video ends.

It is arguably the most powerful short film showcasing the cruel world of cyber bulling and faceless trolls we have seen this year. Here is a young woman who has put herself out there to help others only to be named and shamed by people who don’t know her, have never met her and will probably never meet her. People who have judged her on her skin, a condition that she has struggled with her whole life, and yet they see it as an opportunity to inflict pain through words.
Em is brave. Dealing with bad skin is one thing, but taking it to the internet, where viewers know no limits, is an act of pure courage.

To all you faceless trolls, enough is enough. Go get your kicks somewhere else.

Join the discussion with Em and share your thoughts – #YOULOOKDISGUSTING