Madeline Argy may be front row at fashion shows, modeling for brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel, and strutting around Florence in head-to-toe Gucci, but she isn’t your typical influencer turned fashion person. She’s got acne...and she isn’t hiding it. In fact, she openly shares her struggles with it with her 13 million followers across TikTok and Instagram. She even recently partnered with CeraVe to spread acne awareness.
Madeline is the antithesis of how society has deemed a model “should” present themselves. She’s the star of a luxury campaign one day; the next, she’s talking about spiraling while quitting smoking cigarettes on her Pretty Lonesome podcast or filming herself covered in pimple patches and ranting about The Summer I Turned Pretty. Her audience loves her for all of it—my acne-prone self included. Her refusal to conform to the industry’s airbrushed standards has paved the way for normalizing acne in luxury brand spaces, which are notorious for perpetuating the idea of flawless skin.
I sat down with Madeline on Zoom (we both coincidentally showed up makeup-free and in matching gray hoodies) to talk about her skin journey and so much more. “I have mostly a female following and a very clear image of who I’m speaking to when I create content,” Madeline tells me. “It’s not going to harm anyone to see me with breakouts and spots on my face. If anything, I hope people feel better about their own skin because of it.”
Keep scrolling to see our full convo as we dive into everything from why she's unapologetic about her acne to regrettable Botox, cycling beauty trends, mental health, and the best (and worst) parts about living in LA.
You’ve been very open about your acne on social media, something your millions of followers deeply appreciate. When did you start breaking out?
I got my first period at 14, and it resulted in full-blown cystic acne. I got it in check by going on birth control. But when I fully went off birth control at 24, my cystic acne returned, and I haven’t been able to get rid of it since. I’ve tried everything—from fancy facials to expensive laser treatments and piling on products—but over the years, I’ve learned that my skin is its happiest when I keep things simple.
You talk a lot about mental health on TikTok and on your podcast. Does your mental health impact your acne or vice versa?
I definitely think they’re intertwined. Stress is the biggest trigger of my acne. If I’m not taking care of myself, my body has to work overtime and my skin always gets worse. When there’s a lot of inflammation in my system, I get those painful breakouts that really suck.
How do you navigate having acne while modeling for luxury brands? How do you approach the juxtaposition between your real skin and the industry’s polished image?
It’s kind of stressful, to be honest. My skin always decides to break out whenever I have a big shoot or event. I think the most important thing is having the right people on set whenever you’re shooting, so the brand doesn’t make you feel worse in your own skin. The makeup artist can really make it or break it. If you get someone who’s just gonna try and pack on a bunch of foundation and concealer, I just end up feeling so awful. I’ve also learned that my acne doesn’t look as noticeable as it feels when I’m on set. I’ve had plenty of shoots where my acne has been horrific in real life, but then it doesn’t translate at all in the photos. Knowing this helps me get over any anxiety about my breakouts.
One of the things your fans love most is how confidently you show your real skin. Have you always felt comfortable doing so, or is this a more recent development?
If I had been doing social media at 16, I would have definitely hidden my acne. But at this point in my life, at age 25, I genuinely don’t care. I’m also kinda lazy about covering up my breakouts with makeup. I don’t think it’s going to hurt anyone to see me with spots on my face. If anything, I think it’ll make people feel better about their own skin. There’s no harm in being seen as someone with acne.
Speaking of confidence, when do you feel most confident?
When I’m wearing an outfit that I like and I’m hanging out with my girlfriends. I feel like that is as good as it gets.
How does your beauty routine connect to your sense of self and sexuality?
My whole style—the way I do my makeup, the way I do my nails—everything changes when I’m more comfortable with myself. I go through phases where I really enjoy wearing a lot of makeup, getting very feminine, and putting on a dress, and that will happen even if I’m dating another woman. It’s just cyclical for me. Lately, I’ve been getting more comfortable with myself again, and my style has kind of shifted back to a more neutral place. Same with my nails. A year ago, I just couldn’t do acrylics anymore, so I switched to gel, and it’s been the best decision. Now I look down at my hands, and they just look like my hands.
If you were to create a beauty product, what would it be?
I think I would make a tiny, portable, battery-powered men’s razor. Like the ones they do their hair with, so that you can go bald on the go. I want it to be strong enough that you can fully shave your head on a whim.
My next question was actually about the time you shaved your head. Would you ever do it again? Maybe with this new beauty device that you’ve now invented?
I honestly would shave my head again. I thought it was so fun to have no hair. I didn’t love the way it looked, but I thought it was really fun. And I think being bald is pretty cool, but I won’t be doing it again anytime soon.
Which current beauty trends do you have strong opinions about?
I’ve been freed a bit from the shackles of beauty trends recently. I don’t know how quickly this one cycled out, but I remember a few months ago, people were doing the morning shed. That shit drove me insane. I actually saw one the other day, and it was this girl saying, “No one told me my chin strap was gonna make my jaw recess.” And I was like, that’s massively a you problem, because what do you mean no one told you?
Fuck marry, kill: pimple patches, mascara, and blush.
Kill blush, fuck mascara, marry pimple patches.
Who is your current beauty muse?
I like Chappell Roan’s makeup. She’s always doing such different looks. For so long, people were going minimalist with their makeup and saying less is more. Then she came to popularity and was like, “Absolutely not, we’re gonna do everything.”
On TikTok, you talked about having an uncomfortable experience with Botox. Can you tell me about that, and whether you’d ever do it again?
I won’t do it again. I’ve only just regained my forehead. I couldn’t do this [scrunches face] for so long. When I moved to L.A., I was incredibly insecure because everyone had this strange skin that I didn’t have. There wasn’t a single line on anybody’s face. I would meet someone and assume they were younger than me, and then they would say they’re in their 30s or something, and I’d be horrified. Everyone looked so young, and then I was like, Oh shit, I need to catch up. So that was why I tried it. I think it’s insane that I got it in the first place, and all my friends at home relentlessly made fun of me.
What do you love the most about L.A.?
I honestly like most things about L.A., but I’m not sure what I love the most. I recently went down to the Fashion District for the first time, and that was really cool. I didn’t know that even existed.
And what do you hate most about L.A.?
I know this is a silly request: I, obviously, knew what I was getting into when I moved here, but I wish it would rain more. I genuinely never thought I’d say it, but I miss the rain. The weather is always so lovely here that I can never just rot inside.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
(Lead Image) Dress Chloé, earrings Isabel Marant.
Styled by Jessica Neises. Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi for Oribe Hair Care. Makeup by Rommy Najor for Kiko Milano. Manicure by Yukie Miyakawa at See Management.
Jasmine Hyman is the Assistant Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about the latest beauty trends and must-have products. Her most prized beauty possessions are a meticulous skincare routine and salon blowouts. You’ll also likely find her in bed reading a good book or endlessly scrolling TikTok (spoiler: it’s usually the latter) while listening to Harry Styles’ entire discography on repeat. Follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.
