Opening up about acne. Lucy Hale looked like a porcelain doll when she played Aria Montgomery on Pretty Little Liars, but according to the 32-year-old actress, her seemingly clear complexion was the result of good lighting.
“There were tears. There were days when I didn’t want to be in front of a camera,” she told Glamour. “I remember vividly one day we were filming Pretty Little Liars — and the show’s called Pretty Little Liars, so they wanted us to look a certain way. We had to specially light my skin to reflect in a different way so you wouldn’t see my acne. I remember being just so embarrassed and mortified”
The Hating Game star’s struggle with acne ended up being a huge factor for her present day love for skincare. “When you’re growing up and you have bad skin, it’s just another added layer of getting comfortable with who you are. I think the reason I’m so obsessed with skincare and beauty is because I struggled with my skin — you just want to crawl into a hole,” she explained, noting that the experience can be “isolating,” “heavy” and “difficult.”
While figuring out exactly what products and treatment works for her skin has done wonders for her acne, she’s accepted the fact that she’ll “deal with breakouts my whole life.”
“It’s also important for all of us to realize that skin has texture. Skin has pores. Skin has zits. We don’t see that as much anymore because we’re all on our phones and we’re seeing all these filters and gorgeous people and so it’s hard for us to remember that it’s ok to have skin that looks like skin,” she explained.
Breaking free of comparison culture is something that Hale shares with her former costar Ashley Benson. The 32-year-old actress, who played Hanna Marin on the series, exclusively told Us in June 2021 that she’s the first to call out photographers when she’s overly edited.
“I’ve been photoshopped on magazines and I’ve been very outspoken about that, because it doesn’t look like you — and especially now with social media and all these filters and plastic surgery,” she told Stylish. “I have nothing against any of that — what’s best for you is best for you. But, being natural and embracing your own inner beauty and not having to compare yourself to others is really important.”
