Celebrities are always in the public eye under bright lights. The slightest body hair, or even a zit on camera can get heavily discussed by people, especially online. Audiences are quite unforgiving when it comes to celebrities and it can get very stifling to be caught unawares and constantly papped. A lot of popular celebrities have been raising awareness about their need to be in their natural skin. This is because it's hard to be constantly caked in make-up just to live up to unrealistic beauty standards.
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that afflicts people irrespective of their social status, gender, age, or race. Flare-ups and triggers are a common occurrence and celebrities are not spared from the scabs and scars. As such, it's important to keep skin free from make-up, and to feel free, and unrestricted. Also, people suffering from psoriasis need to be transparent and candid about their condition to reduce the mental and emotional impact often associated with the disease. Here are 5 celebrities who have been vocal about their struggle with the disease and in turn have inspired more people suffering from psoriasis to open up as well.
Kim Kardashian West
Everyone knows that Kim is very candid about her life. In a bold move, she got candid about her psoriasis both on her reality show as well as on social media. She has managed to share regular updates about her psoriasis and has even gone on to share real-life advise with her followers struggling with the disease. Also, Kim has openly shared the results of various treatments. In an episode, she bared it all by showing angry red patches on her skin, detailing about her flare ups and freeing herself from the burden and discomfort of having her condition pointed out by fans and the paparazzi.
Kris Jenner
It’s not a huge shocker than Kim’s mom Kris has also battled the disease. Since it's true that having a family member with psoriasis increases the risk of developing the disease, Kim’s mom Kris has also shared her tryst with psoriasis on camera. Kim herself has spoken about her mother’s psoriasis. She mentioned that her mother was diagnosed with psoriasis at the age of 30 and about how she saw the patches on her scalp and on her mother’s body. Kim has also talked about how UVB light therapy worked for her mother but not so much for herself.
Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevingne walks down the ramp despite being a psoriasis patient. She hasn’t refrained from donning lingerie on the runway, memorably from her 2020 Savage x Fenty show. But Cara had her insecurities to deal with, especially during fashion weeks. Cara has spoken about how she is sensitive as a psoriasis sufferer and had appreciated Kate Moss for helping her with a doctor after seeing the way her scars were being covered with make-up before her Louis Vuitton show.
LeAnn Rimes
Leann Rimes, an American singer shared photos of herself in bikini during her 39th birthday after she dropped all pretence and brought her psoriasis prone body out of hiding. LeAnn had plainly expressed that she was tired of hiding herself. She even posed naked, showing her scars openly. LeAnn Rimes has had psoriasis since she was two years old and has gone to great lengths to hide her disease from the world. She has tried hard to cover up with uncomfortable clothing while silently suffering from the disease. LeAnn has highlighted the impact of hiding psoriasis on one’s mental, spiritual, and emotional health and compared the feeling to being ‘caged in’.
Stassi Schroeder
An American TV celebrity, Stassi is a celeb who has voiced her concerns about psoriasis on social media. She shares make-up free selfies on social media in a bid to do away with the stigma. Stassi has not shied from discussing her condition and she has admitted that it's a very annoying disease without a possible means to control it. She has also accepted that psoriasis comes and goes as it pleases. She even compared it to a douche boyfriend. Stassi Schroeder publicly announced that if her makeup were to be wiped away, everyone could see red patches all over her face. Stassi advises people to not stress about psoriasis and to let go of anxiety. Stress makes psoriasis worse and she is of the opinion that there’s really no point in being miserable.
Conclusion
Psoriasis, a disease affecting about 7.4million people in America alone is strangely not discussed as widely as it should be. But now celebrities are coming forward and using their social platforms to share their own personal journeys of combating the disease. Psoriasis may not have a cure but there are multiple treatment options that reduce the frequency of flare-ups. Women on social media are the first line of defence against the stigma. And celebrities who are refusing to hide their psoriasis from the world are the real heroes for silent sufferers of psoriasis.
