The Important Meaning Behind These Models With Acne at a Fashion Show

When you attend a fashion show, there are guaranteed to be some some surprises. Take Lady Gaga's runway walk at the Marc Jacobs show or the time Hood by Air sent models with unblended contoured faces down the Spring 2016 catwalk. Whatever the stunt may be, it's bound to awe the viewers and whip up excitement for the haute couture creations.

Recently, at Milan Men's Fashion Week, Malaysian fashion designer Moto Guo took the shock value one step further by sending models down his Spring 2017 runway with full-blown acne. We're not talking about a pimple here or there; these models had red splotches all over their faces. These weren't real breakouts, but rather uniquely executed makeup looks created using lip liners and eye pencils.

By spotlighting acne flare-ups in his show during Fashion Week, the designer spoke to a larger point: that blemishes and skin problems are real, and it's OK to leave them exposed. At fashion shows, we almost expect to see models only with glossy hair and pristine skin, but Moto Guo shattered this illusion by choosing to highlight the realities many of us struggle with daily.

One of his makeup artists snapped a photo of the models and captioned it, "pimples and rashes are in fashion now."

Though I understand what she means by "in fashion," that's not exactly the term I would use to describe the meaning behind Moto Guo's show. Zits, pimples, rashes, and other skin problems are not edgy or trendy. These are sensitive issues many people struggle with on a daily basis. And to declare acne as "in" makes light of a difficult and often heart-wrenching subject. It adds even more insult to injury that the skin conditions featured in the show were faked with makeup. Why couldn't Guo have just hired models with uneven complexions if he wanted to make a statement?

That being said, it's worthy to note that Moto Guo began an important conversation: all skin types can be represented on the runway. Beauty diversity at Fashion Week has been an ongoing topic, and this is just another example of how it's being executed. Past designers like Marc Jacobs and Jason Wu led the way for Moto Guo by choosing to emphasize their models' natural beauty by sending them down the runway makeup free.

Ahead, see photos from the show and let us know what you make of the situation.