Aussie body-positive influencer Karina Irby has opened up about a horrific pedicure appointment that left her “mortified”.
Karina is an influencer who champions the message of loving your skin and body throughout her social media. However, in one of her latest TikTok’s (@karinairby) the body-positive influencer detailed a pedicure appointment that was so bad it gave her a pressure headache.
“I’m gonna sound like a brat, but hear me out. I just had the worst pedicure experience of my life,” Karina began in her video, which now has more than 283k views.
The influencer went on to explain that she has eczema — a condition where skin can become irritated, dry and itchy — and pityriasis — which can be described as skin rashes, as per Healthdirect.
“So my skin doesn’t look like everybody else’s skin. I’ve got lumps, bumps and scars like I get it. I look different,” she continued.
“But this lady looked at me like I was a pure disease.”
To give a little context behind her nail salon visit, Karina explained that in the morning prior she felt confident about the way her legs looked and that she was gonna treat herself to a pedicure — as any girlie should!
“I don’t feel self-conscious… but boy, I was wrong,” she joked.
“Now the lady comes over to do my pedicure and she takes one look at my leg. She doesn’t look at my face; she just looks down at what she’s about to deal with and I kid you not. I just watched her for a good 20 seconds.”
Karina then recreated the pedicurist’s reaction to her legs.
“She then looks up to my face and goes, ‘Is this OK to touch? Can I touch this?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, you can touch it.’
“Oh my God, I’m mortified. Like, I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole, please.”
Karina went on to say that the woman had a “concerned and confused face” while putting on her rubber gloves before starting the pedicure.
“I’m honestly just trying not to cry. I feel like everybody is looking at me,” the influencer continued.
“And then, for the whole pedicure, I couldn’t relax. I felt so uncomfortable. I was just watching her look at my skin.
“That’s probably gonna be the last pedicure I get in a really long time.”
Karina said she was so tense throughout the whole procedure that it gave her a pressure headache and a tense neck.
She finished the video by showing the camera the current state of her legs.
“I’m not a walking disease,” she said as she closed the video.
Thankfully, the response to Karina’s video has been quite positive, with many viewers sharing their experiences with eczema and how it’s perceived by the public.
Other folks gave the pedicurist the benefit of the doubt and wondered if she was asking because it was the salon’s policy.
As global warming continues to wreak havoc across Australia with this heated spring, my eczema has gone berserk, so I completely understand what Karina is going through in regards to eczema lumps and bumps.
I’ve been struggling with the skin condition since I was a kiddo, affecting my elbows and the skin behind my knees. Sometimes, it would flare up under my eyes.
In fact, it’s something that affects my whole family, so we literally steal each other’s prescribed cream — which I don’t recommend, FYI, but it’s something we do to cope.
Fingers crossed, Karina musters up the courage to treat herself to another pedicure in a salon that doesn’t make her feel insecure.
It’s what she deserves!!!
Image source: TikTok / @Karinairby
