In a world where social media often promotes impossible beauty standards, authenticity has become a powerful force for change. At SXSW, content creator Fernanda Giménez and Thatiana Diaz, Editor-in-Chief of Remezcla and HipLatina, sat down for an honest conversation about breaking the mold in an industry that often prioritizes perfection over reality. Through openly sharing her cystic acne journey, Fernanda has built a strong community that values transparency, proving that beauty isn’t about flawlessness — it’s about confidence and self-acceptance. In their discussion, she and Thatiana explored the impact of social media on beauty standards and the responsibility influencers have in shaping a more honest and inclusive digital space. The conversation discussed a growing shift in how Gen Z engages with beauty content, moving away from curated perfection, and toward something far more real. After the panel, I had the opportunity to speak with both Fernanda and Thatiana to dive deeper into their thoughts on authenticity, representation, and the future of content creation.
Thatiana Diaz (@thatiana.diaz on Instagram)
Q: In your opinion which brands or creators do you think are leading the way in redefining beauty in a more inclusive and authentic way?
A: “I think Monet McMichael, but also Fernanda who I interviewed today. I think they have brought beauty out in such a natural way where it almost feels like storytelling. You don’t feel like they’re selling you a product. I feel like they’ve really mastered that in a way that brands have been trying to figure out, like, ‘how do I do that with creators? How do I do that as a brand myself?’ But they themselves, like when they’re trying on these products, they’re talking about their day, they’re talking about what they’re stressed about, what they’re eating, their lifestyle. They are catching you up as if you’re on FaceTime with them, kind of like best friends. And I feel like they’ve really mastered that and that’s why they have millions of followers. Those, to me, are the top names that I think of when it comes to beauty for sure.”
Q: If you can implement one change on social media platforms to reduce beauty related pressures, what would you change?
A: “Oooh that’s a good one. I think everything that says ‘paid partnership’ should be checked for any filters, or AI, or anything of that sort. I think now with all the features, it’s crazy what you can do on an application like CapCut, where you can even change the volume of your cheeks or like any frown lines. I think when you’re selling a product, there needs to be a level of integrity, the same way that there is with journalists for example. It’s like our articles — we have to call out when we’re selling something. We have to hold a level of journalistic integrity when we’re publishing articles in the media. I know a lot of bigger brands still don’t do it, but I think that should definitely be something that’s implemented. I think we have enough resources now where AI is able to tell you if AI is being used, or we have AI checkers for things like articles. I think there should be AI checkers for any filters of any sort for anything that is a paid partnership.”
“t needs to be held to a certain standard as well. I think that we should be regulating that a little bit more harshly. I think that we’re being sold things. I think we should be regulating these things when we have these creators that are selling us something. Because I know that now there’s ways for people to work around it and it’s like, ‘Oh i’ll give you money if you mention it,’ or ‘Wear our hoodie while you’re doing your makeup, but you don’t have to say it’s an ad.’ I always say this in the media, we hold this responsibility as a creator to transmit a message. We’re putting out a message with every piece of content, every caption. Every word holds a message, and we hold a lot of responsibility with that. You want to give the full picture, but with how fast we’re taking in the media, and especially the younger generation, we are just scrolling. You can’t trust your audience to take in something with only three seconds. So like, being up front. If we’re gonna share a story, we have to show both sides. We can’t always trust everyone to read the entire caption. But as long as we have all the information there, so they want to look deeper into it, then we are doing our job and being as responsible as possible.”
Q: Many successful creators have built a strong personal brand. And coming from a journalist perspective like yourself, we also have to kind of make a brand for ourselves also. What advice would you give to someone trying to establish their unique voice while still staying genuine and being able to build a brand for themselves at the same time?
A: “For me, I feel like I don’t want to say that you have to stay authentic, because I feel like we know that you have to have that authenticity and stay true to yourself. But like, what are you servicing your audience I think is the biggest thing. Like ‘what do you want your audience to take away from your content’ is the question you should ask yourself. I asked myself that as a journalist with the media brands that I work with and those that I now lead, like ‘what do I want our audience to take away?’ I think as journalists we are so afraid to create a brand for ourselves. It’s almost like that ‘takes away’ a certain level of professionalism if I’m creating content, and I don’t think that’s true.I think you have a lot of value to add in your industry experience. And as Fernanda said on the panel today, everyone has something to offer for social media . And I think it doesn’t have to tie to where you work. On social media I’m Thatiana, but I’m not Thatiana from HipLatina. And I think that’s important. You are not where you work — where you work is such a small part of you. And like I post funny content at times with my husband, and I used to be afraid of showing funnier sides of myself because I thought that was gonna take away from my professionalism. Journalism is such a small part of me. I love storytelling, but storytelling exists in so many different ways. Just because you pour into one cup doesn’t mean you are taking away from another cup.”
Q: What is one key message you hope people can take not only from your panel, but also from this article?
A: “I think we hear the word authenticity so much, and it’s almost like an overused word that really doesn’t hold much weight anymore because everyone’s just like ‘be authentic.’ I think we need to question what authenticity looks like. I think we think that it means you have to share every single part of yourself. And I think we learned that today, with Fernanda’s story and journey, in which she is very selective of what parts she chooses to share, but in those parts she does share, she is being transparent. I think that’s enough. I feel like we are in an era where everyone expects everything. Like I’m still being transparent, I’m just choosing what I want to be transparent about. I don’t have to give you all of me in order for me to be seen as transparent. I think that was the biggest thing I hope people took from this panel. Because when we think about authenticity, we need to ask ourselves, what does it mean, and what do we want it to mean.”
Fernanda Giménez (@ferchuugimeenez on Instagram)
Q: Many creators struggle with burnout, especially when they feel pressure to constantly produce content. How do you handle that while keeping your content fresh and engaging?
A: “I think taking a break is okay. I used to think that if I took a break, I was gonna lose everything. But I think taking a break is important to help find your way again. Focus on you for a second. Find a way to take a second and figure out what it is you want to do next and come back.”
Q: What’s the most eye opening realization you had about beauty since being in this space?
A: “I think that it’s more powerful to embrace your own beauty than to try and compare yourself. I compare myself so much and I found that there’s nothing good that comes out of it. It’s just harmful. Like, I started working out and I was looking at unrealistic expectations. So I think you should just stay true to what you look like, and just embrace what you already have. You were given it for a reason. For example, I have really hairy arms, and I was ashamed of it my whole life. People make comments about it all the time. I waxed it until like probably six months ago and then I was like, ‘you know what? I want to stop, because there’s probably a girl that has hairy arms and looks at my videos, and I have no hair and they think that’s how I was born.’ So I think you should just show your true self, what is there to lose?”
Q: Do you think there’s a responsibility for influencers and brands to be more transparent about edited or filtered content?
A: “Yeah, I think now with there being so many apps you can use to edit little things and no one will notice. I mean, it’s fine if you edit the background and stuff. For example with Zendaya recently, where you went to the brands page and she looks super airbrushed and then you go to what she posted and it’s completely different. You can tell now when somebody edited their picture, or when someone used the beauty filter on TikTok. I think it’s important to just try to not use it. Like that’s just not how you look, and I think people are gonna look up to you because that’s your responsibility as an influencer, to show what’s real.”
Q: What are some signs that beauty content is becoming harmful rather than empowering and how can we shift that narrative?
A: “Literally the ‘clean girl aesthetic.’ They equate the ‘clean girl aesthetic’ as someone having smooth, perfect skin and they think people who lack that are dirty. I think the ‘clean girl aesthetic’ is super harmful and I think even the filters are too. Like when you look up to people online and then you see them in real life, like yes, they are beautiful, but they’re not exactly how they look online in real life. The ‘clean girl aesthetic’ needs to be gone. I struggled with this a lot being Latina. I thought I could never be ‘clean’ because I was Latina and because I was comparing myself to American white girls. They’re blonde and everything is perfect, while I don’t live in a house like theirs. I especially felt like this when I was still doing content back in my country. I think you can still be clean and be from anywhere.”
Q: What has been the most challenging part about being so open about your skin journey, and how have you navigated through any negativity or criticism?
A: “I think the hardest part is being able to speak about it when I’m going through it. I share on social media that I am very positive and strong about it, but sometimes I am not. There’s good days and there’s bad days with everything. I feel like sometimes I’m going through it really bad, and I hate my skin and I hate everything, and I get in that sad mindset and feel like I can’t share that. I don’t want to show that to people because I don’t want to share negativity. But I feel like I also want to share that it’s okay to not be okay. Also like I mentioned during the panel, the unsolicited advice; I think that has been the hardest part. Now I feel like I’ve learned how to manage it more, and when I post sometimes I don’t read the comments. With my acne, I have tried everything. Sometimes people will comment ‘have you tried accutane? I’ve tried accutane and obviously that can’t cure everything. I think people just think they’re doing something good and trying to ‘help’ but at the end of the day, people with acne have probably already done all the research to figure out how to get rid of it. So I think if someone is not asking for advice, I don’t think you should comment on anything. Or maybe ‘if you need help, let me know.’ instead of saying ‘have you tried cutting out milk?’ without knowing if I have done that already.”
Q: What is one key message you hope people took away from this panel discussion or from this Q&A?
A: “I think we can turn our biggest insecurities into something good. If you were to tell me when I was young and crying in my bedroom because I had acne and was putting on pounds and pounds of foundation, that I have a community, thanks to sharing that part of me, I wouldn’t believe you. I think anything that you feel insecure about is part of you, and you can use that to your power, or instead of it being the worst thing, make that into the best thing. I think that’s going to make you more relatable and people are going to be like ‘oh my god there’s somebody else like me.’ That goes with everything, like body types as well. I think it’s important to show that because there’s impressionable little girls and people watching that side of you. Going back to before, I think that people should just stop making comments on people’s bodies and everything. I’m having a good day not even thinking about my skin, because why would I be thinking about my skin? Like I’m having a nice day and then someone will comment ‘what are you doing about your skin today?’ Like what the fu**? People always feel like they need to bring up ‘oh your skin looks so good today’ or ‘oh you lost weight’ and it’s just like what? When I was on accutane my acne went away for like three months, and then when I got off and it came back people were like, ‘oh I’m so sorry it came back,’ but I promise it’s okay, guys. Acne coming back is not gonna take any of my beauty away.”
As the beauty industry continues to evolve, conversations like the one between Fernanda and Thatiana serve as a reminder that authenticity is more than just a trend — it’s a movement. By challenging unrealistic standards and embracing transparency, creators are not only redefining what it means to be beautiful, but also inspiring their audiences to do the same. Fernanda’s journey proves that vulnerability can be powerful, and her impact extends far beyond the screen. As more influencers and industry leaders push for change, the future of beauty looks brighter, more inclusive, and most importantly, real.