Before 19-year-old Cassandra Bankson filmed this video, she cried. And after she filmed it, she waited four months before she posted it on on YouTube and another five months before she read any comments. That’s how terrified she was of showing the world her face – and her acne.
But she shouldn’t have been so scared. The 10-minute clip where she shows the makeup routine she’s perfected to coverup her severe acne and give the impression of “flawless” skin has gone viral.
It’s notched up more than 7.8 million views.
Take a look:
So why are so many people watching it?
We put it down to the vulnerability and authenticity that’s conveyed by Cassandra. At the beginning she says: “This is probably the most nerve-wracking thing I could possibly do because it is my biggest insecurity…” And yet she does it anyway. It’s brave. And it’s a far cry from the airbrushed models you see on the pages of magazines.
“I thought the comments would be just as cruel as they were in school,” she said in interviews after the video went viral. “I thought for one girl or one guy it would be worth it but I didn’t want to see the negativity. But I came back and I was overwhelmed by positivity.
“I got my first pimple in the third grade and it progressively got worse, I had to work out how to deal with it.
‘The sad part is it’s a lot better than it used to be. I mean it’s still all over my chest, all over my back, it’s everywhere and you can see it goes down my neck, it’s all to the side, it even got on my ear. It’s gotten a lot better but it’s still really, really bad. It’s my biggest insecurity.
“I filmed the video last November but it took me a month to post it, I thought I was going to get the same hate I got at school over my skin” she said.
Judging by the number of views it has received, it’s what people want to see.
Top Comments
This probably reflects the issues of so many young women (and men)! I had pimples (not acne) quite badly in year 10-12. I remember just crying a few months before my formal, hoping and praying they would be gone. I tried everything, and the only thing that worked was going on the pill for 2 years, the pimples went, I stopped the pill and now I don't get any. I'm so thankful. Everyone is different, though, it depends on what the cause is.
This was me 7 years ago and 8 years before that, its the most horrendous thing- and is completely isolating- If you have this, don’t waste time with supermarket and all natural blah blah blah and see your doc for Roaccutaine- my issue is hormonal and topical treatment just doesn’t work and you waste sooo much money- Don’t listen to" you only have that acne cause you wear so much makeup" I say " Do I wear make up all over my back and chest"? So I did my course of Roccautaine and have been maintaining my skin with proactive ever since.
I'm glad you've found something that has helped your skin, but I hope you are avoiding sun exposure as much as possible and using the highest level spf to protect your skin every single day, because this regime will thin your skin, and make it very susceptible to pigmentation and premature aging. And don't forget the skin over the rest of your body, when you are using systemic treatments like Roaccutaine - moisturise and sun protection.