Back in January, Ashley VanPevenage shared a pretty cool before and after shot of herself when she allowed the internet-famous makeup artist “MakeupByDreigh” hide an acne outbreak she experienced after having an allergic reaction to benzoyl. The results were stunning, but VanPevenage’s joy quickly turned to embarrassment and anger after she noticed her photo had gone viral and people were making fun of her.
People began captioning the photos with lines like, “I’ll spend some time with her, as long as I never see her before 10am” and “at least she’s hot with makeup” and “this is why I have trust issues.” Though the original photos were a way to show the makeup artist’s technique and skills (and some might say a pretty brave move on VanPevenage’s part), the positive images quickly turned negative when the memes poking fun of her skin started showing up everywhere.
Instead of stewing in her anger and embarrassment, VanPevenage decided to respond in a healthy way to send the message that making fun of a person online can do a lot more damage than you may realize. She also hopes to inspire people to ignore the bullies and be comfortable in their own skin.
She says in her YouTube video, “After this picture was posted and I read all these comments, I lost my confidence. I didn’t like going out in public without makeup or without my hair done. But I realize that that isn’t the person I am and people’s opinions don’t matter to me and they shouldn’t matter to anyone. Everyone should feel beautiful in their natural skin and it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside of your face. The only thing that matters is who you really are.
What do you think of the way internet users turned Ashley VanPevenage’s image into cruel memes?
What do you think of the way she has responded to all the hate?
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