If you have no idea who Cassandra Bankson is, let me tell you about her. She is a teenager who has been bullied for the past several years because of her severe acne. Her life was miserable. She figured out a way to hide her acne with makeup and went on YouTube and made a video showing millions of other teens how to do the same thing. That was almost two years ago, and now, Cassandra has reached her goal. She got booked for New York Fashion Week. Being almost 6 feet tall and impossibly thin also helped. It just shows you that you can turn around something negative and not just do something for yourself, but also others.
Good for her. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are beautiful! Knock em dead!
ReplyDelete^co-sign!
ReplyDeleteI love a happy outcome. She’s a stunner, and that hair is WOW!
ReplyDeleteBoy I feel for what this girl had to go through and how long it probably took her to find what worked. That being said, there is medication that will really help with people that have bad acne. A girl I worked with had acne like this and the medication cleared it up like 80%. The cost of the makeup she is using has to be huge. Major kudos for her trying to help others.
ReplyDeleteGood job, girly girl.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't hurt that she is so lovely. She has beautiful features. I hope she is just as pretty inside. Good luck and screw the bullies.
ReplyDeleteMean people suck. Cheers for Cassandra! (I think I need to bookmark & watch that video later. Maybe I can learn a thing or two.)
ReplyDeleteAcne is a beast. My daughter has been on variety prescription meds, both topical and sometimes oral since 6th grade. She is now a senior. It has impoved, but not completely gone. The doc thinks that she is finally growing out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent story of rising above adversity.
Aww I love this girl. I'm so happy for her!
ReplyDeleteGood for her! Those makeup companies should be offering her free products.
ReplyDeleteI could use this! I'm 26 and still struggle with acne. It suuuucks. So happy for her. I bet the bullied are at home doing absolutely NOTHING with their lives.
ReplyDeleteThat video has almost 12 million views on YouTube. If I were a make-up company, I'd be knocking down her door for endorsements.
ReplyDeleteI love these stories! I went from 100lb to 170lb in a little over a year when I was 13-14 .. A mix of depression and rebelling against my mom who put me in modeling.. It was amazing how fast I lost friends and became the joke of the school. I switched schools but always kept that " fat girl " mentality. I lost the 70lbs when I was 18 but to this day ( I'm 33 ) I still deal with feelings of insecurity concerning my weight. Good for her for turning the negative into a positive. HS sucks !
ReplyDeleteShe is so brave to post this for the millions of people to see. She's an inspiration for all us who struggle with whatever embarrasses us about ourselves. Good for her!
ReplyDeleteI am happy this worked out for her. She is a lovely girl. I suffered from acne for years and finally got in under control with diet & other things, so I feel for her.
ReplyDeleteThis is AWESOME. I'm so very happy for her, and what a great inspiration to others.
ReplyDeleteSuccess is the best revenge :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful story, mainly because she didn't give up! To make it even better she went on to help others and has found success. Brave, smart, beautiful girl!
ReplyDeleteSnoopy ITA
ReplyDeletegood for you, Cassandra! In time your acne will fade but the bullies will always be ugly.
ReplyDeleteI suffered from adult cystic acne I had perfect skin as a teenager and thought I had made it.
ReplyDeleteIt made me feel like a monster and affects your self esteem so much. I can't tell you the feeling of having puss and ooze just pouring out of your face, it's a nightmare.
I went on this new drug called Acutane which helped, but also had suicidal feelings (I was literally one of the first people on it so they didn't know about all the side effects back then)..
Happy she was able to turn a positive from a negative.
Acutane. Please be mindful of colitis.
DeleteWow, this girl! Good for her! She really is very pretty and very brave (with 12 million views!)Like Cathy said, I cant believe some makeup company hasn’t beat her door down yet for endorsement deals. I think NY fashion week is a nice fat f—k you to everyone who bullied her!
ReplyDeleteLet's start referring to her an A++ model.
ReplyDeleteAcne is heart-breaking. My Mom had it this bad as a teen, and has a face full of scars to this day (age 70+) because of it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for her! I had some cystic acne as a teenager too. It's awful. We tried topical and antibiotics and nothing helped. Finally got on The Pill and it really, really helped. I just turned 41 Monday and I use Retinol and take the pill to keep it down. I still get occasional ones though.
I remember a coworker when we were about 20 had acne that looked like hers here and went on Accutane. It was amazing! Her skin was gorgeous after a round of those pills. I know it can cause terrible side affects to some though.
Side note: Over the counter and ProActve do NOT work for cystic acne.
Okay, done. Sorry for the book!
Awesome Blossom!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am subscribed to her on youtube.
ReplyDeleteShe has tried almost every single acne product the doctors gave her and none of them really worked. So, she changes her routine every couple of months to see what works and what doesn't.
I had bad acne throughout HS. Affected my self esteem. Luckily i wasn't bullied. So happy for this lady.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! She'll never have that problem again, and neither will the people she inspired! To those who can't see below the surface, a big ol' fuuuuck you.
ReplyDeleteI used to have really bad acne when I was in my early 20's...even cystic acne. Soooo embarassing. The acne turned into adult acne. No matter what product I used, my face wouldn't clear up. Thank God I don't have any scarring. I never picked. I went to every dermatologist I could find. I tried Proactive...nothing. In the last 8 years...I was able to get rid of it completely, because of one estitician I found. She uses Image products. That's all I'll use now. Turns out, if you dry out your skin, it creates more acne, that's why drugstore products don't work. I never get any zits on my face now. Not even one. It's awesome after suffering for years.
ReplyDeleteI still get breakouts. I have struggled with acne since my teens, thank goodness I have never had to deal with cystic acne and never needed to go on drugs.
ReplyDeleteI have learned 2 things, be as gentle as possible to your skin (no matter what type it is) and that includes avoiding harsh, drying products, and topical BHA works wonders. Unfortunately, there are very few pH balanced BHA products, only Neutrogena and Paula's Choice. BHA treatment has saved my skin and everyone with acne should try it.
This girl is awesome, her courage is admirable.
:)
ReplyDelete<3
not to make light of what she went through, but she is amazingly beautiful. the kids had to come up with SOMETHING. great that she gets to do this. "hey classmates! BOOM!"
ReplyDeleteGood for her! High school kids are the worst.
ReplyDeletenot to be a bitch but two things:
ReplyDelete1- using your hands and fingers to put on makeup is a huge NO for acne prone skin. You're just adding bacteria and oil from your hands.
2- all those products that contain pearl essence and the primer- will GIVE you acne.
I am very happy for this beautiful girl and I wish her the best but perhaps a week off makeup altogether would be beneficial.
I've seen a few of her videos. She's gorgeous and seems really sweet.
ReplyDeleteNow we just need to keep her away from Adam Levine and that ilk, lol.
It's great that she's persisted despite the problem.
ReplyDeleteI love Pro-Activ, I wish it had been around when I was in high school.
I've overused it before though, with drying effects. Now I use it a couple of times a week, and it works much better.
I think this girl is amazing for having the guys to bare what she is most insecure about to the public, and she seems sweet and I'm glad she is trying to help others who suffer from acne. One problem I have is that all of the products she mentioned are quite pricey and sold in boutiques and department stores. Those foundations are like 40-60 dollars a piece, which is why they work so well. If she could find comparable products from the drugstore and recommend some, that might be even more helpful.
ReplyDeleteJax, well washed hands can be okay for applying foundation, as opposed to sponges or brushes that aren't cleaned well enough. I've seen arguments on both sides. I agree with you, the amount and type of makeup she is applying are probably making her acne worse and she should take a week off and let her topical products do their work. :)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Accutane has been pulled off the market in the U.S. because of litigation. I had cystic acne in my 20s and I was miserable. It took a couple of months of Accutane and it disappeared forever. I was so grateful.
ReplyDeleteThis young lady has a great spirit. I do hope a makeup company gives her a big fat contract.
Her videos scare me.
ReplyDeleteI implore you all to see more of her videos. Good for her if she gets rid of the acne, but she gives advice that's totally wrong and bordering DANGEROUS at times. Bad.