Sophia Ridlington knew what people said about her: that she was fake, that she hid behind makeup.
What almost nobody saw was the reason. Beneath every layer of foundation was a skin condition, psoriasis, which left her with red, scaly patches and which she learned to cover up before heading out to work as a bartender.
Every shift behind the bar was also an exercise in hiding: making sure nobody noticed, nobody asked.
But other people’s judgment weighs heavily. Until one day, she decided she was done explaining herself from the shadows. She took off her makeup, showed herself as she truly is, and told the truth about what she had been hiding for years.
The response from those who looked at her changed. And her gesture became a message for other people with psoriasis: skin is not a lie, and no one should feel they have to apologize for who they are.
