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Photographer publishes unretouched photos to show that “acne is normal”

by 17 Comments

In recent years, the trends in retouching photos have been changing. Altering someone’s appearance isn’t so welcome anymore, judging from the recently reformed guidelines at CVS Pharmacy and Getty Images. Young photographer Peter DeVito has shared a photo series that goes along with these trends, but he’s taking it a step further. In his portraits, he has left the acne unretouched. His goal is to send the message that “acne is normal.”

20-year-old DeVito admits that he’s struggled with acne for a while. In 2017, he took “barely any pictures” of himself because he hated the way his skin looked. He says that recently his skin condition has been getting progressively worse. However, he wants to show that having acne is normal. He’s working on a project that portrays acne in a more positive light. It should encourage anyone dealing with this problem to see themselves in a different light.

As Peter told Elle, the body-positivity movement inspired him to start this series. Since he started posting the images, he has received plenty of messages from his followers. It seems that the photo series has affected many people to see themselves in a more positive light. And Peter hopes that “people will just start to learn to accept themselves more and not compare themselves to what other people look like.”

Now, as someone who has had acne, my opinion about this project and normalization of acne is twofold. First of all, I wouldn’t agree with “acne is normal” as a general statement. It’s normal when you’re a teenager, we’ve all been there. But at a later age, acne can be a symptom of more serious health issues. If you’re still dealing with them long after your teen age is over, of course, you shouldn’t think of yourself as less beautiful, but you should check your health.

On the other hand, at a very young age – I guess having acne is normal. As teenagers, we all go through hormonal changes and our body reacts to them. But, self-conscious as they are, young people feel ashamed of their skin and see themselves as less beautiful than they actually are. From this perspective, I believe Peter’s project is fantastic and empowering for the young people. You can’t do much about acne while your hormones are running wild, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of and there’s no reason to feel less beautiful. Still, take care of your health, both as a teenager and as an adult. Your body and your skin will be thankful.

[via FStoppers, Elle]

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  • Yes, it’s normal and no, it’s not something to glorify and present as ‘beautiful’… 🤔

    • Maxou

      Doesn’t mean it’s something to chase as ‘ugly’…

      • Duncan Dimanche

        But it is though… i still have some acné at 30 and I know that I get it when I eat sugar or bred… i am no doctor but past a certain age acne does come in big parts from what you eat

  • KC

    People are not perfect. That statement is not perfect, either. Perfect implies that there’s flaws. We’re wonderfully different.

    I can relate to a lot of this. There’s few images of me anywhere. I was in an accident, and although the scars have been repaired or faded with time, I still remember them, even visualize them. It was a test of strength and determination to photograph other people while I still had bandages on.

    I don’t want to drift into cliche’s. I was lucky. When the bandages came off, there were stylists who helped me. We didn’t hide the damage, we made the best of what was there. That alone was a fascinating journey.There’s difference between getting dressed and wearing clothes properly. A proper hair styling rather than “just a haircut”. Yes, those are all props, but it made me feel good and I projected that. My thanks to those great stylists.

  • Well, of course it’s normal. So are yellow, rotten teeth, and oily unwashed hair and dry cracked lips.

  • Judging by these comments, you’re all awful.

  • And yet many of those I see complain about retouching have snapchat filtered profile pictures with that awful “beautify” filter on. 🙄

  • The difference is, dirty toilets can and should be cleaned. If you got acne you got a problem you are not responsible for and which is not so easy to solve.

  • If you are a photographer then you are also the janitor. Yes it is your responsibility.

  • los bigotes también lo son , no veo porque las mujeres se los sacan.

  • Attention seeking and grandstanding. Acne is hardly an SJW issue.

  • So clients and subjects don’t get to choose whether they get cleaned? Are you basing your argument on comparing people to toilets?

  • Great, but pimples aren’t always there so it’s normal that clients want them retouched. Also retouching isn’t only about removing acne or making skin look “perfect”. There’s a lot more involved in retouching that has nothing to do with making someone look flawless. Thing is… because of a few rotten apples that go too far with retouching people think retouching itself is wrong and awful.

  • AsianReaper

    Get over it man . And change your diet if you’re not a teen with all the screwy hormones then likely you have pizza face cause you eat unhealthy food or put chemicles in your body and all the crap has to come out someplace .

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