Forget #NoMakeup: Acne-Cream Selfies Have Arrived

Now that The New York Times has declared the #nomakeup selfie the coolest new trend, it's only natural that the beauty world start the hunt for something even cooler. Enter, the acne-cream selfie. The Gloss points out that both Lorde and Tavi Gevinson have snapped shots of themselves with their faces dotted in zit cream — and it's pretty much the direct opposite of the no-makeup shots our feeds have been swamped with lately.

There will be plenty of naysayers who claim that this is just another form of shameless self-promotion and/or brilliant Internet trolling on the parts of Gevinson and Lorde. But, the acne-cream selfie is an entirely different entity than its no-makeup counterpart. Taking a photo of yourself when you're fresh-faced and scrubbed isn't exactly all that brave if your skin is gorgeous to begin with. In fact, it's pretty much the ultimate humblebrag, laced with the tiniest bit of moral superiority.

Acne cream, on the other hand, puts a somewhat embarrassing skin issue we all have to deal with and puts it in the direct spotlight. Teens like Lorde and Gevinson are no strangers to it, and there are plenty of adults who slather their faces with the stuff before bed every night. The acne cream selfie shows that in order to #wakeuplikethis, we've got to put some work into it. Not everyone can remove their makeup to reveal a glowing face, and that's totally cool.

Acne is an issue that everyone deals with, especially young girls. So, it can be insanely frustrating to see so many celebrities proudly displaying their flawless, makeup-less faces — especially when that isn't attainable for most women. So, for a celebrity like Lorde to show that her fans' struggles are also her struggles humanizes her. It reminds us that while she's a pop star, she's also a teenager, and, in turn, is more on our level than we believe. And, for us, that's more beautiful than any #nomakeup selfie we've seen yet. (The Gloss)