A Case For Beyoncé: Nobody Is Perfect — Embrace It

When leaked photos surfaced from Beyoncé's 2013 L'Oréal Infallible campaign, the Internet had an epic meltdown regarding the unretouched photos of Queen Bey — which have since been deleted from the original site. There's nothing particularly odd or concerning about these photos — they show Beyoncé made up with L'Oréal products, looking gorgeous, as per usual. But what's causing all the buzz is the scrutiny regarding the clarity of her skin.

Wait, you mean to tell me that Beyoncé, professional entertainer and real-life human woman, gets a few blemishes every now and then? No.

Here's the thing: airbrushing and photoshopping have turned into the rule, not the exception. We've ended up in a society where everyone has to appear picture-perfect, which means consumers are being taught to live up to a standard that isn't real. Heck, even celebrities are being held to a standard that isn't real! Although I'd be remiss not to mention that I do use things like Instagram filters to help conceal my own imperfections. (And I'm sure you do too.)

At the same time, L'Oréal is a beauty conglomerate that sells products that cover up the skin. And based on these photos, said products do a pretty darn good job of concealing, don't you think? Beyoncé is having a normal "ugh, I have a blemish" day, and the makeup is covering it up. But lest we forget, your makeup isn't going to flatten out your breakouts. It can hide and conceal, but you are still going to see the bumps. It's not the blur tool in Photoshop.

So yes, there are bigger fish to fry here, but personally, I'm the most concerned with the negative and downright heinous comments trolls people are making about Beyoncé's skin. Most people on the planet have had a pimple, I could bet. Yet there are people railing on Beyoncé for not looking 100 percent perfect? It's a real shame.

Beyoncé's photos weren't actually "leaked." The Beyoncé World, a fan site, obtained exclusive images from her L'Oréal Infallible and Feria campaigns, which it shared with its readers. Those photos have since been removed, with the site stating, "Due to the disdain of the BeyHive, we have removed the photos. We don't want to cause any drama, nor do we wish to start fan wars. Some of the things we have seen posted were just horrible, and we don't want any parts of it. We were just posting the photos to share the fact that our queen is naturally beautiful, at the same time she is just a regular woman."

It seems pretty harmless, given a fan site was the one to post the photos. And while nobody really wants a bad skin day blasted out to the general public, I have to say that one good thing has come from these "leaks." Finally, we see celebrities like Beyoncé as they are: real people with imperfections (which just might make us love them more.) Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne deal with psoriasis. Beyoncé breaks out. All is normal in the world.

What we really have to change is the mindset that every person — women in particular — has to be perfect and start celebrating women as they are.