I am olive-skinned.
There’s nothing special about my features; I look like any other Egyptian.
I have oily skin.
I’ve had acne since I was a teenager,
And I didnt know how to deal with it.

I was bullied at school a lot as a kid.
“Wash your face! You look dirty.”
“You look like so and so, but she looks cleaner than you!”
These are the kinds of things I would hear as a kid from my colleagues and sometimes even my own family.

When I got married, and went on summer vacation with my in-laws,
An old guy sitting on the beach behind us decided to casually embarrass me:
“We had one just like you. I have the perfect recipe for you”
And when I turned my back to him, my brother-in-law kept talking to him.
It was as if they were trying to find a solution to treat a skin disease.
Their excuse was: “We can’t be rude to an old guy.”

Why do they think I can't see my own face?
Why do they think I’m not trying to find a solution for my skin?
Why does everyone have to have an opinion about my skin every day?
Even when my skin is clear,
They have to point out how bad it used to look and how different it is now.
I wish everyone would mind their own business.