Though society has lately promoted “clear” skin to the point of fetishization, the fact is that acne happens, especially in teenagers. Even Leni Klum, daughter of supermodel Heidi Klum and a rising model in her own right, deals with breakouts, and her latest selfie shows just how much.
On her Instagram Stories, Leni, who is 19, posted a close-up of her bare, makeup-free face, with her eyes closed. She didn’t share any text or sounds with the image, instead letting it speak for itself. There are blemishes and red spots on her cheeks and forehead because, well, she’s a human.
Instagram:@leniklum
In October 2022, Leni Klum opened up to People about getting her start in the modeling world at 16, a notoriously acne-prone age.
“I feel like there is a thought behind having acne that you’re not beautiful with it or it makes you look not as good as you could look. There’s this stigma. I honestly used to feel like that too, a while ago. Then I realized, ‘Oh my God, this is normal.’ Everyone goes through it … It’s not bad if you have it. It’s something that anyone can get and it’s not your fault and it’s hormonal,” she said.
Despite her maturity, she did have moments of insecurity. “There were days where I just wanted to stay home and didn’t want to leave the house until my acne cleared up. Then I realized I can’t live like that. I can’t let pimples on my face prevent me from leaving the house,” she said, explaining that she reveals her skin texture to lessen the stigma. “A lot of people have acne that make it seem like they don’t and then people see that on social media and they’re like, ‘None of these gorgeous girls have acne.’ But some do and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” Not at all!
