As we discussed in an earlier post [Getting Over You], I am not a natural redhead. Despite the abnormal amount of people who ask me curiously if I am and then act as though they're so surprised (really?! Girl, I would never have guessed!), it's a total hoax. I'm an ordinary old almost strawberry blonde with unexpectedly almost brunette eyebrows and eyelashes and almost white body hair. I've got blue eyes (with yellow around the irises that makes half the American population think they're freakin' green) and a marshmallow nose and, ahem, voluptuous? lips that induce a painful and extensive claustrophobic state when chapped. Literally. My throat gets dry and I break out in a cold sweat and I shake and I ask feverishly around for ChapStick. Hence the reason why I have six hundred different kinds of "lip gunk," as my mother terms it.
After a few weeks of careful contemplation, I resolved that the reason everyone thinks I'm a born ginger is my pale skin and relentless freckles. A day spent in the sun with minimal or (heaven forbid) no sunscreen leaves me with an uncomfortably rosy complexion and a new smattering of tiny spots all over my face, arms, fingers, and recently, knees. Thankfully, these rapidly fade to the point where often those who don't know me well - or don't look very closely - don't notice them. But more than ever since I colored my hair the sun kisses have demanded more attention.
As a self-conscious kid, being pasty and freckley wasn't desirable in the slightest. I wanted smooth, tan, clear everything. Even later, when I found out what skin cancer was, I still wished I at least had the gossamer porcelain complexion bestowed upon models and celebrities and heck, most of the known world. It just wasn't fair! My freckles were always a burden, always something to be dealt with instead of celebrated. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the turning point was in 2009, when I saw a photograph in CosmoGirl! magazine of a stunning model with long, messy blonde hair, soft pink lips, and a lovely sprinkle of freckles across her nose. Before I knew it, I was seeing spots on faces everywhere. Glory! Glory to the sweet sunshine for making other people just like me!
For the freckle-faced, freckle-phobic, or just downright freckle haters, here's some inspiration to change your minds:
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| Lily Cole |
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| Alexis Bledel |
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| Emma Watson |
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| Eddie Redmayne |
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| Rashida Jones |
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| Twiggy |
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| Emma Stone |
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| And, of course, everyone's favorite celebrity: me. |
Yes, freckles can be beautiful. Be proud of your face! Even if you're purple. Although, that might mean you need the Heimlich maneuver. Go check on that. In the meantime...
Happy (safe) sunning!
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