Another title of this article could very well be: How Could Acne Be Connected to Our Expression in This World or Our “Niceness” to People? My previous article on this topic raised one unusual thought (unusual but so meaningful for me, might I say), which says that something inside of me may be JEALOUS of my acne. Sounds quite radical and bizarre to many, since how on Earth could that be possible? Though when we have acne, we want to get rid of even the smallest of pimples. Why?
I already expressed my thoughts on this in the previous article; however, I think with all of the things recently happening in my life, I would like to elaborate) đź’—
Once upon a time, there was a girl who wielded immense power. This power could be seen in her words—the way she knew how to put them together to elicit strong emotions from others—her actions, her way of living, her interests, and countless gifts and talents. The girl had it all; however, she was little. She wasn’t fully aware of her potential, and when she came into this world, she wasn’t alone. She had other people around her who lived by a certain rule: always be kind to others, bring them pleasure, help them, meet their needs and expectations, and entertain them, because this was considered the right way to receive pleasure in the long term. “You have to be good to people so that later you may be deserving enough to be happy.”
Undoubtedly, they meant well; however, there was one issue that the girl couldn’t quite put together: what it truly meant to be good to people.
In society, it seemed that in order to make others happy with you, one had to surrender to their will and do as they pleased, since others are naturally more inclined to be satisfied when everything is going exactly the way they want it to. It’s normal, of course, to value control and stability, since this is directly connected with our survival mechanism; however, does it always serve us as we wish it to?
For our little main character, that seemed like the most obvious solution to her problem. She realized that in order to make others happy, she had to become someone they wanted her to be. She thought it would be easy since she would only be bringing more happiness to the world. However, it was soon that she discovered one simple yet heavy fact: in order to please everyone, she would not only have to become someone they would want but also give up who she already was. Give up her natural interests, tastes, mindset, ideas, dreams, desires, and values, and turn herself into a different being. In other words, wear a mask specifically designed for everyone else.
And yes, sure, for some time it would work. People were pleased to receive what they wanted, and the girl was happy to see their joyful smiles. However, not everyone reacted that way. Some would be happy; others thought she had to do more. Some people called her fake, and, most tragically of all, no one was ever truly interested in our character’s company. They never seemed to care how she had been (not for her true answer), invite her to do something together, or show that they truly valued her.
The girl couldn’t understand what was wrong. She was trying to do everything to make everyone pleased, but no one seemed to care about her in return. Though in her own inner world, she firmly believed that she just had to keep going. And it lasted for so long that the girl seemed to even forget who she truly was. She knew that being herself was wrong, so she hid herself so well that no one would know she even existed (metaphorically speaking).
But even though her mind seemed to have forgotten, her body remembered and could not tolerate remaining silent and hidden.
Every time the girl tried to please others by hiding herself, her body would create even more acne, expressing something that the mind refused: how actually bright the girl was. Her body was unapologetic. It was her greatest supporter, willing to prove to the girl in any possible way that no matter what, since she was too afraid to express her true brightness within her actions, interactions, and words, it would not fail to do this for her. Because no matter what, it is impossible to simply hide it or hold it within.
Perhaps it’s time to listen to our body, to let ourselves be seen, and to reclaim our brightness. Because no mask can hide what is truly ours 💗
Love,
The Alien Girl
