Former Model's Anti-Bullying Video Shows Online Cruelty

Em Ford is a London-based beauty blogger and former model. About three months ago, she began uploading pictures of herself, makeup-free, on her various social media accounts.

Ford, who struggles with acne, was bombarded with unpleasant comments from the various corners of the Internet. So she decided to illustrate the disparity, with the video you see above. It’s racked up nearly 8 million views in a week.

Comments on Ford’s makeup-free face included gems like “I can’t even look at her” and “You look disgusting.” With makeup, they switched to “amazing,” and “so perfect,” though some people didn’t approve of that look either, leaving comments like, “Too much make-up,” “This is misleading,” and “You are so ugly. That’s why you wear make-up.”

Consequently, #YouLookDisgusting has become an anti-online-bullying tag in the past week, gaining momentum on Twitter.

“One challenge many face today,” Ford writes, “is that as a society, we’re so used to seeing false images of perfection, and comparing ourselves to unrealistic beauty standards, that it can be hard to remember the most important thing – you are beautiful.”