Growing Up with Freckles

My story starts off when I was around 8 years old. I didn't have a single freckle and was as fresh faced as a baby. My grandmother was the only person in my family to have a large quantity of freckles covering her whole body and I often asked her what they were. She told me, "they're sunspots, sweetheart. If you don't cover up when in the sun, you'll get them too. Make sure to wear sunscreen." As a little rebel and being forgetful, I hardly ever wore sunscreen and ran outside all summer doing various activities and getting sunburnt and living life.

One day I was standing in the mirror and noticed three small "sunspots" under my right eye on my cheek. I panicked and thought the worst. "I'm getting old!" I dove under the sink and started looking for my moms makeup. I remembered her using "skin colored paint" on her face and thought it would hide them from the world. So I loaded my spots with it and tried to rub it in like using lotion. They were still visible! I put more and more on until I realized that it wouldn't help. So I put a bandaid on it so nobody could see and I vowed to not got outside again until they healed. I thought it was genius! I marched out of the bathroom feeling better about myself and was stopped in my tracks by my mother.

"Why do you have a bandaid on your face?" She questioned.

"I don't know." I said.

"Well, take it off then, it looks funny." She laughed. So I carefully took it off and looked at her.

"Is that my concealer?..." I started crying and told her about Nannie's sunspots, how I found three and how I didn't want to be old already. She told me that they were freckles and that a lot of people had them. She explained skin melanin and that they were pretty. I wasn't worried anymore but I was still determined to not get anymore.

The next day I dug out the sunscreen and coated my face three times! "No more freckles for me," I said to myself. I did it for weeks, then one day I was standing in the same mirror and I noticed that my face had tonnes of them! Scattered on both cheeks and on my nose. I stood there horrified. How could this happen? I put on sunscreen everyday! I started to turn down activities and stay inside more, when I did have to go out, I wore a million layers of both lotion and spray sunscreen.

I did this for a really long time until I finally realized... what's the big deal? My mother was right! They aren't ugly. Nobody has said anything about them and in fact, I sort of like them, I think. I became my old self again and played outside with friends again and more freckles came. They spread to my chin, forehead and even my eyes, but I although I didn't care, I was still a little self conscious.

We hosted a family reunion quite a few years back (I was about 13 years old) and I was hanging out with some cousins, and an aunt I had never met came up to me and introduced herself to my sister and I. She said this exact quote: "Hello! I'm your aunt and I saw you in the hospital as a baby! I see you have many freckles! Did you know that freckles are just fairy kisses? I see the fairies were unkind and didn't like you." It took me a minute to understand what she said, but I briefly talked with her and excused myself to go cry in my room. "How could someone say something to unkind to someone she had hardly met?!" I was heartbroken and became more self conscious for years.

When I was 17/18 years old, My life changed when the freckles trend started. I was confused. Why was everyone wanting something I desperately hated? I looked at Instagram pics of people drawing freckles on themselves, putting water transfer tattoo freckles on themselves and even tattooing permanent freckles! I must admit I felt a little pride as I watched people alter themselves to what I have naturally. I came across a Facebook article on the trend and looked through comments. People writing "wow! I want this!," or tagging their friend and commenting, "#skingoals ❤️ ." I posted a picture of my freckles in the comments and people started replying to me saying such nice things. I instantly felt so much better and posted the same picture to my social media with the caption "Freckles." I've never turned back since.

Now here are some pros I've learned with my freckles.

1. You don't have to wear foundation!

I haven't worn foundation in so long! My freckles always show underneath so it's sort of pointless. My skin feels so nice and I never have to worry about my foundation coming off on my clothes. Also, with no foundation routine, it gives me more time to spend on my eyebrows and eyes!

2. You're unique!

In the best way possible! People can try, but nothing works as well as natural. You get to say, "yes! They're actually real." People now always say to me, "wow I love your freckles! I wish I had some."

3. Smaller pimples blend in.

This is a lifesaver. Little pimples blend right in to freckles and they're unnoticed, even by me.

4. You get more in the summer and they fade out in the winter.

They come in and out with the trends.

5. Your autumn fashion is killer with the extra touch.

My boyfriend says he loves them with fall fashion because they make you look extra nice.

I haven't found any flaws with them❤️ . So, If you have freckles, rock them!