06/18/2026
On the eve of being properly birthed into the world this weekend, I wanted to share something with you all.
I realised I can’t ask people to be vulnerable without being vulnerable myself, so here goes.
Wearing no makeup is pretty easy for me, but this? Yeah. F**k.
I had crazy acne on my back as a teenager, to the point where I’d never wear an open back swimsuit. I’d walk with my back along walls, making sure no one walked behind me. I didn’t have a smooth back like my friends, so I thought I wasn’t beautiful. The irony was, I grew up doing competitive swimming. That was my sport. As well as surfing and spending time by the ocean in bikinis. So the level of surveillance I thought I had to have at all times was just ridiculous. Looking back, I want to wrap up that 16 year old girl and tell her she has more strength in her than she ever knows.
They’ve resulted in scars that will forever be there, scars I’m now using as my superpower for one simple message. Trust me, I would have never in a million years thought I’d be sharing a full on, lit up photo of it like this. I am no guru and it makes me fu***ng uncomfortable to post this. But here we are.
Every single bump, lump, wrinkle and scar is your superpower. We’ve all got em. No one’s perfect. Perfect would be boring. So wear em with pride. Show em off. Inspire yourself. Inspire others.
I think we’ve forgotten that beauty comes from within. Doesn’t matter what you look like, how old you are, how many acne scars you have, what cute photo you put online. Beauty comes from your heart, your love, your passions, your energy. That’s it. The moment you realise that, holy s**t, you just won at life. Believe it.
All I hope is that can help just one person be more comfortable in their skin. I’m going to try my best to use my platform for good. Come and get a makeup free portrait. Get vulnerable. Try it. Like it. Don’t like it. Hate it even. I’m curious to what we say when we’re photographed bare. It’s a global experiment of vulnerability and I hope it makes a mark ✨
P.s Thank you to the amazing for these photos and the task of intentionally lighting scars 🤪
