This week saw ladies from around the world jump on the#flawesome hashtag, which women are using to celebrate things they were once insecure about.
You might look at models on Instagram and presume they #wokeuplikethis, but, chances are, they didn’t.
In fact, social media stars are increasingly getting much more candid about the truth behind their seemingly perfect images – and we have a lot of time for it.
Perfectly summing up the phrase, one social media user wrote: “Flawesome: when you embrace your flaws and still know you’re awesome. ”
And now, an Australian model has been lauded on Instagram after fearlessly showing off her eczema.
As reported by MailOnline, Karina Irby, 28, shared an image of her bandaged legs and delved into the extensive nightly regime she has to follow to keep her severe eczema at bay.
In an emotional caption, referring to herself as ‘after-dark Karina’, she wrote: “It’s taken me my entire life to not be ashamed of the skin I’m in and I still have bad days.
“After speaking to a dermatologist the other week I am now aware that I’ve let my eczema develop into a chroniccondition, simply because I never knew how to treat my skin 110% and I was too embarrassed to show a doctor.
“So now, every night after my ‘unicorn bath’ I have to smother my legs in creams and bandage them up. I’m learning that it’s not to be ashamed of but something to be proud of. I’m proud that doing something about it and hopefully shedding a little light and awareness by talking about it on social media.
“If you suffer from a skin condition try not to bottle it up. Talk about it and act on it. After all it’s not a big deal, our skin does not define who we are as a person. ”
She explained that diet or change of season causes her eczema to flare up.
She added: “I’ve been bullied, covered up all summer, up all night in tears from being uncomfortable, sacrificed social events and yes, I’ve tried every cream and diet under the sun!
“It’s only until recently that I’ve accepted myself the way I am and now I’m making it my mission to help other sufferers. Together we can normalise eczema and make others feel confident in their own skin. ”
She received hundreds of thousands of likes and comments from her followers, who praised her honesty.
What a brilliant message to be spreading.
If you suffer from eczema, be sure to seek medical advice from your GP.
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