Grief can, without a doubt, be considered one of the most unpleasant emotions that it is possible to experience. Whether it be due to the loss of a loved one, pet, the end of a significant era in your life, or a bittersweet memory of an event or place in the past, the emotional and physical symptoms of grief can be devastating, and sometimes even debilitating.
Something that we perhaps won’t associate with grief however is the impact it has on our skin. In this blog post we look at a first hand account of grief and loss, and examine opinions from medical workers, regarding what happens to our bodies physically during the grieving process.
Psychotherapist Amanda Falkson spoke of how her clients’ experiences regularly transcended the mere emotional, saying “Manifesting physical pain isn't unusual, nor are skin or respiratory issues. The skin is the largest organ of the body. When we are anguished, in pain and stressed, skin issues can erupt. I've noticed skin issues in people particularly when they suppress their emotions.”
The skin can be negatively affected by grief due to a number of factors. Sometimes, if we are undergoing a period of depression (which, though not a symptom nor an inevitability when it comes to grief, can sometimes arise as a complication resulting from it), we tend to neglect our physical health, eating foods with low nutritional value, or avoiding food altogether, and failing to take time out for self-care, meaning our hygiene and skincare routine may suffer as a result. These behaviours can have a detrimental impact on our skin, as we forget to take measures that we usually would to prevent breakouts.
This is a sentiment shared by Hafsa Issa-Salwe, facialist and co-founder of health and beauty clinic Botanical Mission, who reminds us when speaking to Stylist magazine that “it’s not uncommon for grief to take someone away from their daily activities, and that includes their skincare routine.”
“If you’re not removing make-up and the day’s grime or you’re not maintaining the use of any skincare product that you’re using to address concerns such as acne, then your skin may break out, which in turn can bring on more stress.”
Ashley Graham
Last year, model Ashley Graham, famed for her body positive and size inclusive stance, which has been making waves in the fashion industry, took to Instagram last year to share with her 19 million followers her pregnancy stretchmarks. She posted a picture with the touching caption “Justin says my stretch marks look like the tree of life”.
At a time when one should be celebrating expanding their family, many women feel ashamed of developing stretchmarks, despite it being a common occurrence. Ashley’s analogy of her stretchmarks resembling growth and new life is quite a beautiful one, and undoubtedly has helped a lot of fellow women celebrate this particular aspect of pregnancy.
Stacey Solomon
Having made her television debut as a contestant of the X Factor, Loose Women panellist Stacey Solomon is without a doubt regarded as one of the realest, and most loveable British celebrities on the scene. This relatability also extends to her experience with body and skin positivity. After receiving a message from a fan praising her for exposing her midriff on social media, Stacey spoke on her Instagram story about her stretch marks, naming them “natural glitter”.
She wrote “You are never alone. And you are perfect. So perfect that you can wear/say/do whatever you want if it makes you happy. And you deserve to be happy.”
“The truth is, stretch marks are natural glitter, scars are stories and veins keep us alive. Your body is incredible.”
Lizzo
When talking about body confidence, Lizzo is a celebrity that at once springs to mind. Her unapologetic love for herself and her body never fails to uplift her fans and supporters. It’s not surprising therefore that she too has spoken on the subject of stretch marks. Keen to debunk the myth that plus sized people don’t exercise, Lizzo posted videos on social media wherein she addressed this topic and hit back at body shamers. One video featured a powerful quote from her proclaiming “I am beautiful, I am strong, I do my job and I stay on my job.”
In addition to this, she said in an interview with ESSENCE magazine, “I love normalising the dimples in my butt or the lumps in my thighs or my back fat or my stretch marks. I love normalising my Black-ass elbows. I think it’s beautiful.”
She’s also used her platform to make her thoughts on airbrushing her stretch marks clear. She pointed out in the above Instagram post that she hadn’t airbrushed her “tiger stripe” stretch marks, asserting that “you are more than your body and you get to decide what beauty is”.
Rihanna
Popstar and owner of Fenty Beauty Rihanna has, over the years, amassed a global following, earning the respect and adoration of people of all ages and genders due to her iconic musical career and body inclusive fashion ventures. In recent years, Rihanna has refused to let critics and body shamers make her feel bad about her body, having once responded to unsolicited comments regarding her weight with a meme on social media.
A year on from this, Rihanna showed that she still carries this same unapologetic confidence by posting to Instagram a post featuring her natural body, including leg hair and stretch marks on her thighs. Many fans took to the comments to express their gratitude for her authenticity, one writing “I have stretch marks too, thank you for being true.”
