After a young Washington state woman's makeup transformation images on Instagram became a viral cruel meme following negative comments posted by Twitter parody accounts, the community college student decided to fight back via a video. After suffering an allergic reaction to benzoyl peroxide (used in acne medications), the 20-year-old had asked an artist to apply an acne cover-up to conceal the pimply skin on her makeup-free face.
Ashley VanPevenage's acne broke out after she applied the peroxide to her face. Her friend Andreigha Wazny then agreed to use cover-up makeup to conceal the skin blemishes.
Wazny posted before-and-after pictures of VanPevenage on her Instagram account last January. However, the image went viral after a pair of parody accounts on Twitter added a caption, according to Cosmopolitan UK.
When VanPevenage started reading online comments the next day, she was shocked and upset. She then became self-conscious about the little bumps on her face.
Some of the memes were quite harsh. One joked that the social network picture justified taking any woman swimming on the first date.
The young Washingtonian said that she then lost all self-confidence. She never went in public without adding makeup or a hairdo, according to People.
However, VanPevenage then had an epiphany. She realized that people should feel comfortable about their natural appearance, and that it is true that beauty is skin-deep.
The young woman then made a video to encourage teens and adults dealing with acne. VanPevenage wants everyone to learn something from it, such as how to deal with negative comments.
Wazny is proud to be part of her friend's inspirational story. She told People that her friend is beautiful inside and out, and whether or not she is wearing makeup.
Here is VanPevenage's response to the viral memes: