Lose Yourself

Remember this time last year, when a new way to selfie was blowing up the ’gram? Gigi, Bella, Kylie and Kendall were fans, and it even had its own hashtag. It was dubbed “the migraine pose” by celebrity make-up artist Nam Vo, who explained that raising one hand to the temple (as though you had a throbbing headache) and using it to discreetly pull back your skin gives a temporary face lift that’s perfect for photos. Also ideal for showing off your manicure, she added helpfully.

Vo might have thought she was sharing an important PSA, but what she got was immediate backlash. Migraines, she discovered, are anything but pretty. “Given that someone usually looks like death warmed over during a migraine attack, the idea that someone was equating migraines with a glamorous pose was both absurd and infuriating,” says Kerrie Smyres, who blogs about her journey with chronic migraines at . “When you’ve lost friends to suicide – and contemplated it yourself – due to the severity of this illness, it’s pretty hard to laugh off.”