So I was in the airport yesterday and I was just mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, when i saw this girls face. I think I’ve seen this girls face hundreds of times and I vaugely remember hearing about her some time ago…it was this face:
Chances are you’ve heard or seen something about this women, she’s Em Ford, a beauty blogger and you may have noticed she has reasonably severe acne. Em Ford is a genius with a makeup brush and contouring kit, so she started uploading videos and tutorials on her YouTube channel: My pale Face. This was all well and good and people loved her stuff. Until a few months ago when she decided to bare all and go bare face.
Then as you can expect with people who have a platform to voice their uglynopinions on a social platform…will do and soon enough words like ‘ugly’, ‘disgusting’ and various other words began to appear on the comment section.
So then she created a Youtube video addressing these comments, you can’t watch it here. I really do applaud her for this video, it shows you really just can’t win and you definitely will not please everybody…
On the one hand people love it, they love her face with makeup, or people shame her for wearing too much or for not wearing any at all. She gets accused of misleading people and one commenter goes as far to say ‘imagine waking up to that on a morning’. These comments cut way deeper than simply criticising her, they are personal and they reduce her to nothing more than object.
To be honest I think she handled the situation pretty well, I would have probably cried and deleted my account if I came under so much scrutiny but she didn’t, and I really do applaud her for that. She doesn’t do anything wrong, she likes makeup and she’s good it and all of a sudden thousands of people think it’s their right to insult a stranger on the Internet.
What I want to to really ask you though, do you think Instagram and YouTube have a duty to protect their ‘stars’? I think there definitely needs to be more intervention to stop comments of this style and of this mass, on people’s channel but then again is that just too big of a job?
Sadly I don’t think Em Ford will be the last YouTube star to face internet bullies, but at least she’s doing her bit to stand up for her and the people around her.
Let me know what you think,
Love Robyn!
A Girl In Europe 
That’s the thing isn’t it ? With fame comes everything. You just have to be a strong & find a way to deal with it.
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People have some level of anonymity and feel like can say anything and everything. People are less filtered today it seems and that is sad. I also think they haven’t been taught to be kind and to say and do nice things.
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You’re probably onto something there, thanks so much for stopping by
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Your blog is one of my faves. I enjoy your posts.
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Very kind of you Tony, thank you very much!
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Reblogged this on LBoogie's Pop World and commented:
Thank you, Robyn!
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Being “brave” enough to bully someone behind a computer is cowardly. Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been living under a rock and hadn’t seen this video. My bf has severe acne, he can’t help it and my own friends have mocked him for it. He uses prescription face cleanser and eats well. It’s just something he has to deal with. But he is a good person. Finding kindness in honesty is far different than being straight up cruel and nasty. #love #acceptance
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Thanks for dropping by, glad to hear from you. I totally agree with you and people really do need to learn about acceptance and probably more importantly keeping your mouth shut when it’s not needed. Great comment!
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I think that cyberspace should come with its own set of laws. I think that cyber bullying should be punishable by law. People have committed suicide because of things said to them by others online. It sickens me thoroughly. I behave online exactly as I do in person. I would never in a million years think to insult or attack some random person. It is obscene to me that people behave in this manner. It needs to be punished.
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It’s absolutely appalling that people feel the need to be so hateful, you are right, if you wouldn’t do it in person then why do it online!! Thanks for stopping by lady x
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Of course my love! Xoxoxoxo M
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Women are hotter without makeup. Scientific fact. Add a pair of sweats and a baggy tshirt and you have reached peak potential. Nothing better than a Saturday morning on the couch.
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Sadly people are not as accepting as you.
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Oh I’m not accepting, I hate people who wear makeup. 🙂 jk
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Thanks for creating such a touching post. I teared up at the end of the video.
I have never seen or heard of this gal before. While I personally have never suffered from acne, I do have some thoughts on the subject. Essentially this woman is beautiful and lovely despite any acne she has. She does an incredible job “covering up” the acne blemishes. And in the same token, I actually like the less is more appearance.
The comments she has received without and with make-up are overall ignorant, shaming and lack empathy. It’s the whole “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t” scenario! Then at the very end there are the comments of people who can relate … thank Goddess for them!
I think when some people see someone with acne they subconsciously attribute blemished skin to poor health — whether or not this is true. One of the most ignorant comments … and there were plenty … was that she doesn’t wash her face. People with acne often have OVER cleaned faces as they try to wash away the acne. There is a protective skin layer that can be disrupted by over washing; not many people know this.
I deal with patients who take medication for their adult acne. They don’t feel good about their acne, but many have come to accept it and deal with it. It is disheartening, that yes, people on the internet will write things they wouldn’t dare to say in person … kind of like driving. Some people become jerks on the road, but if they were to walk by that same person on a sidewalk, surely wouldn’t curse at them or scream.
A couple of sources I found regarding acne:
1) http://www.today.com/health/8-surprising-myths-about-acne-1C9381854
2) http://www.acne.org/myths.html (I THOUGHT THIS WAS A VERY GOOD SITE)
3) ALL ABOUT ACNE: http://www.westlakedermatology.com/dermatology-procedures/acne/
It is awful that people make fun of and shame people on line. However, there is freedom of speech and a censored world still wouldn’t cure all the ills, evils, misconceptions … take Iran for example — freedom of speech is overly censored in that country sending hundreds (if not thousands) of people to prison each year unnecessarily for speaking up and out.
I think one of the best ways to combat ignorance — and that’s really what all of these negative and unproductive comments are — is not by further shaming and banning, but rather through continual education … education as to why acne occurs, letting people know that these comments emotionally effect people. It’s an ongoing effort … kind of like dealing with acne.
Last viewing recommendation is one of those “white board drawing” videos. This is not only entertaining but also informative.
4) http://www.evanshealthlab.com/acne-video/
Again, thanks for such a thought-provoking post. And cyber hugs out there to that woman with acne or any woman with acne or any person struggling with acne! ❤
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Hey this was such a good comment, you should definitely share this with her on her YouTube or Instagram (mypaleskin) and hashtag ‘youlookdisgusting’, she’s looking for people’s powerful and motivational messages against acne shaming and other horrible things that the internet allows people to do. Brilliant comment, thank you so much! X
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It’s like you can be anyone on the internet and you choose to be bullies! Says a lot about your character, doesn’t it? With time, the nastiness will fade out. I hope Em doesn’t let it affect herself. She’s been really brave about the whole thing.
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Definitely, it’s a very brave thing to do! Thank you for stopping by!
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So sad how nasty people can be.. Most are only keyboard bullies..
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Exactly but I think she did a very powerful thing and hopefully will shut a lot of people up!
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Very true.
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I think people are basically the same as they always have been. They just have the technology to be anonymous, so the ones who want to feel powerful by putting people down will do so. The ones who will be supportive and come to someone’s defense will speak out too. No one’s nature has change. The technology is merely a tool that enhances what is already there.
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Yeah sadly many people only use their power for evil.
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Anonymity on the Internet makes people beasts and ravages, sadly people don’t have anything better to do than insulting people on the Internet.
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well said!
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I’m amazed how she covered all her pimples thru make-up! I have read one caption that says, “real women have pimples.” And it’s so true.
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Real women do whatever real women want to do, let her cover her pimples or let her not, it’s not for you or me to decide what a real woman should do.
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I mean, I’m not judging her. I’m simply amazed how she could do that, because nowadays, there are women who craved for beauty and mostly they do plastic surgery. And sometimes they look creepy because they appear like a mannequin that is awake. Please don’t get mad at me. 🙂
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I’m amazed how she covered all her pimples through make-up! I have read one caption that says, “real women have pimples.”. It may be true but theres also a saying that goes like this “if you dont like something change it” .
Although most persons make cover the flaws in their face but in the end they look odd every morning in bed.
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People are assholes. The internet just intensifies that. We have freedom of speech which is something that I think many of us value. Unfortunately that comes with things we don’t want to hear from time to time because you can’t have your cake and eat it too. What’s a shame is that so many people don’t have the decency to keep their nasty comments to themselves. As a YouTuber, I know I put myself out there, and I have to be strong enough to know the difference between someone leaving a comment that is a bit hurtful to be HELPFUL or hurtful to just be hurtful. I’ve come to accept that anyone who thinks it’s okay to be mean just to be mean is not the kind of person I would hang out with in real life… ergo, there opinion does not count. I think a lot of YouTubers are able to distinguish between the two as well… not saying it’s okay and it doesn’t hurt sometimes cause it does… not saying it’s not an issue cause it totally is… just saying we’re regressing as a society.
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I think you Youtubers are very brave because its hard enough being a blogger but actually putting a face to it is whole new kettle of fish. But it sounds like you’ve got a good tactic for the nasty internet trolss, so well done to you, I say!
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