My Freckles And I

Ever seen a newborn with freckles?

I sure haven’t and that’s because no one is born with them.

Freckles occur when our skin has been exposed to the sun for quite some time. And before you ask, no freckles aren’t instantly inflicted by the sun, that’s just a myth.

Some people’s freckles are more obvious than others. Ever notice they become darker in summer and then they lighten in winter?

When I was 12, I didn’t like my freckles. I remember being self-conscious about them and wanting to cover them up.

I remember not many people around me had them so I felt different like I wasn’t a ‘normal’ person.

I remember getting a nickname from my Aunty: ‘freckles’. At first, it used to annoy me because no one else I knew had them and whenever she said it I would pretty much ignore her.

I remember staring at myself in my bedroom mirror and imagining not having them, thinking of my friends who don’t have freckles and how jealous I was about them.

For some weird reason, I had made myself think they made me ugly. So I got into makeup, to find that one foundation that would cover them up and stay covered. I would be so self-aware when it came to people seeing me with no makeup because of them.

Now that I’m 21, I can honestly say I no longer dislike my freckles. I really don’t notice them.

I don’t know if it’s because I wear makeup most of the time, or because I’ve come to terms that they are actually just natural beauty.

I think after hearing it so much from the one you love, you begin to take notice when you look at yourself in the mirror and start believing it.

He’s the one that taught me that they are natural beauty: he would always tell me how beautiful I looked without makeup, how it is his favourite look of mine, and how he loves my freckles.

I’m not the only one with them. You see so many people now who are embracing their freckles and you realise that they truly are beautiful.

My freckles are a part of me.

My freckles are who I am and what makes me beautiful.

Embrace yours. Don’t be afraid of what people think.

Be proud, be you.