YouTube Stars!

What can we learn from the Ashley VanPevenage meme explosion? Earlier this month, there was a lot of coverage in the media about Ashley VanPevenage, a 20 year old college student from Tacoma Washington, who was the model in a "before and after" makeup picture posted by the woman who applied her makeup; makeup artist Andreigha Wazny. It is said that Ashley had some allergic reaction to benzoyl, and this makeup concealed its affects. The "before and after" picture was posted by Andreigha on her Instagram account, where it was shared on many social media sites.

It was the accompanying captions and comments that caused controversy. One wondered how such a stunning transformation was achieved for Ashley when the commenter herself could not cover one pimple successfully. Another was rather hurtful to Ashley:

For more on this story, let's watch Ashley herself, interviewed on a recent segment of a show called Girl Code Live on MTV. The discussion continues in the comments, and some males seem to be claiming a form of "false advertising" in which they state that they would become upset if they had some sort of a relationship with a female who wore makeup and then found out that they were covering something up.

Ashley VanPevenage has also made her own YouTube account, and she made a response video there, to express her feelings. She was surprised to find that a picture featuring her face had gone viral and become a meme. Ashley lost her confidence, but then she came to the conclusion that people's opinions really don't matter -- the only thing that really matters is who you are. She ends by hoping that people dealing with acne can feel confident about who they are. Here is Ashley VanPevenage's response video:

This entire episode reminds us of some of the things we have covered here in the past. Guest blogger Emma reminded us that perfection does not exist, and discussed the brave stories of three woman, one who also had an acne issue. We also had extensive coverage on Rebecca Black and the meme that developed around her song and video "Friday". She became one of the most recognized, and despised, persons on the net, at the age of just 13!

For those interested in reading more about relationships and makeup, we offer links to 2 excellent articles on these subjects. This article talks about the difference between true love and obsession, stating that "There is a tremendous difference between real, true love and unhealthy obsession or fixation." True love should be effortless in that you enjoy being with the person rather than needing to be with them. However, "When you’re fixated on someone, it feels more like you’re suffocating. It feels like you need them… like you must have them treat you a certain way, give you a certain relationship title, or somehow prove their commitment to you. You feel like until you have this, you are not OK and will not be OK."

Back to the topic of makeup and why girls wear it, here is an excellent article that goes into great detail on the subject. It talks about why women may wear makeup from the viewpoint of evolutionary psychology as well as from current social pressures. The article concludes, "Why do women wear makeup? You could say it’s a pinch of patriarchy, a dusting of sex, a smattering of fun, and a whole, caked-on layer of misplaced insecurity." it is worth reading the entire article!

Now that several weeks have gone by, what is Ashley VanPevenage doing now? She is out living her life! She has become less concerned about what anyone thinks about her appearance and is comfortable traveling around town without makeup. She recently posted the following video. All we can advise is, be careful when videoing and driving as you may run over something! Of course Ashley was not operating the recording device, her friend did that. Smart plan! So this video is titled "VLOG 1 - Out shopping with friend, also get scared to death!" and therefore we can assume that Ashley VanPevenage will be vlogging more in the future. We look forward to watching, and we wish her all the best!

Labels: acne, Ashley VanPevenage, body image, makeup, meme, MTV, relationships, self image, skin

posted by KennyCrane at 10/23/2015 12:21:00 AM