Friday, 10 July 2009

  • Birthmarks: Hide them or Not?

    Birthmarks: Hide them or not?

    I have a single, significantly sized birthmark: a quarter-sized, medium brown spot on my caramel-colored skin, situated below the navel. When I was younger I used to be somewhat embarrassed by it.

    I say 'somewhat' because I didn't have any reason to show my stomach at that age--I wasn't allowed to wear bikinis. But whenever I did see it, I wished it wasn't there. My mom would joke sometimes and say that it was a grape juice stain (despite the fact that it's not even purple).

    I think having this birthmark contributes to my sense of modesty. Not to say that there's anything wrong with having a birthmark (except for in the modeling world, perhaps), but even at the age of 20 I still don't wear bikinis. It's not just because I don't want anyone to see my little "grape juice stain," but also because I don't feel comfortable showing too much skin in public, even if it's at the beach. I also think that one-piece swimsuits have the potential to look extra stylish; that is, as long as they're not the tropical flower-patterned suits that grandma wears to collect seashells on the shore.

    My birthmark isn't something I think about daily, and it's not like I couldn't undress in a room full of girls because of it. If anything, it seems like something that a lot of people would consider "cute" if they saw it...though I can probably guess that they'd rather not have one themselves.

    Do you have any birthmarks? If so, do you hide them/feel self-conscious about them?

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Comments (72)

  • DessertHer@xanga

    I have two birthmarks side by side that together are about 3/4 inch tall and 1 inch wide on my forearm and a very small one on my lower back. They are dark tan in color. In general I'm a very self conscious person but, I've never felt uncomfortable sporting my birthmarks. Never attempted to cover or hide them. My daughter has one darker birthmark (on her lower back. 1/4 inch tall and 1.5 inches long) and 2 white colored birthmarks (one on her thigh and one on her shoulder. Both smaller than a dime) and there is no reason for her to be embarrassed of them. My son has a very large mongolian spot (blueish-grey) that is square in shape and goes from his spine over to his arm on his upper back. It even extends down the backside of his arm. It is so prodominate that my doc had to make note of it in his medical chart so no physicians in the future think its a severe bruise and call CPS! I hope that simply being a boy will make him less likely to be uncomfortable with having it exposed. He also has a tan colored birthmark about the size of a nickle on his thigh that is the EXACT shape of one of my forearm birthmakrs. I find birthmarks interesting and clever really.
  • OldFashioned@xanga

    they're more like moles... or black dots here and there.. and i dont hide them
  • emilyd_foster@xanga

    I have a birthmark that looks like Texas on my thigh, there was no way of covering that one up unless I wore pants.  Pants year round in Georgia isn't a good idea.  Haha  I don't even think about my birthmark anymore, I think that it looks cool.  There isn't anything bad about a birthmark, just be happy you don't have one on your face.
  • thats_not_my_name@xanga

    I have a strawberry birthmark which is not supposed to last into adulthood (look it up on Wikipedia I'm too lazy to explain) that I'm not real fond of. It's only an issue when I wear a bikini and I don't wear really skimpy ones so it's all good.  lol
  • steph843@xanga

    I have several birthmarks but my biggest is tan coloured and shaped like an oval about 2 inches long and an inch wide on my right shoulderblade. It's like a big light freckle so it's never bothered me, I actually kind of like it.
  • musical_mermaid@xanga

    Yeah, I have a jagged one on my thigh. I actually like my birthmark. I always point it out when I'm with my friends. It's different and I like it.
  • KiyomiTsuki@xanga

    I used to have one rather huuge one on my knee, I've seen them in Baby photo's recently, but now, it's not there, but there is a shadow of where it used to be, the skin is also not the same texture/colour maybe my parents had it lasered off, can it just fade?  I always thought that my knee was burnt in a fire for some odd reason, I was really suprised when I first saw the photo, it was a very large brown patch!
  • prototype_abbeyancyF7@xanga

    I've got an oblong dime on my right thigh. It's pretty high up (by the bikini line!), so it'd only show if I was wearing a swimsuit - kind of like yours (birthmarks only visible when in swimwear/skivvies!).

    I've learned to think of it as more of a "sensual intrigue" for guys than anything else. Weird logic, but this is something that they'd realise is hiding under all my normal clothes ....which leads to the thought process of what else is hiding under there.

    So, odd allure. ;)
  • only_diamonds_are_4eva@xanga

    I have one single on on my thigh. It isn't huge but visible. Honestly I like it, it's kind of unique. My leg would look weird without it.
  • Dargon@xanga

    Birthmarks can be pretty. They break up that boring plastic look that the modeling industry seems to love.

    I have a few. To dark dots on my nose, a quarter sized dark ovalish one on my shoulder, and a few other miscellaneous freckles, not to mention a few oddly placed and shaped scars (not birthmarks, but still interesting).
  • xbbychristinee@xanga

    i have a birthmark under my chest and its about 4 cm long and two cm wide . i have no reason to show it however. but i would feel embarrassed.
  • bonEtuh@xanga

    i have a birthmark on my left calf. it's noticeable so i don't like wearing shorts outside of the house.
  • BoxesOfRoxes@xanga

    I don't have birthmarks but I do have freckles, and there's always been one dark freckle on my thigh that I've always hated.  I refuse to wear shorts that don't cover it up and I'm still pretty self conscious about it.
  • SHiNiNGxSTAr__x3@xanga

    i have one on the left side of my forehead

    its like pinkish and reddish.. doctors said it would go away by the time i grow up but it didntif i put my bangs up i try my best to cover it up with makeupbut yeai was really self conscious about it.. not as much nowbut when i had to put up my hair for band a few years back..some people would ask me "how did you get hurt"i would just play it off like "oh, i fell or someone hit me" or somethingbut when i tell them its my birthmark they freak out and say "omg im so so so sorry"i try not to think about it as much now
  • barlou2@xanga

    A lot of people don't know this but Fantastic spray cleaner removes birthmarks. In fact, it removes just about any sort of mark.
  • xueyo@xanga

    i have a birthmark, but it isn't a patch, it looks dirty kind of birthmark. actually idk how to explain it but i do have it on my upper thigh. it's not that obvious unless i point it out to someone.
  • mizzsamara

    I mean if its a problem hide it , but i like to think of it as beauty marks !
  • Ravioli_Flair@xanga

    I have a birthmark just below my left clavicle and another one on my upper left thigh that looks kind of like the island of Japan only flipped the other way and missing a bit of the bottom. I also have a Mongolian blue spot. (I looked up birthmarks on Wikipedia!) I know huh, a blue birthmark! It's very unusual and I remember my mom telling me a story that people who have those, when they were babies in the womb, they were incredibly slow to get out (in delivery) so a spirit inside kicks the baby out and creates a bruise, and there you go! Blue birthmark! Haha. That's just a story though. The real explanation behind how you get that birthmark is a lot more dull.
  • Elephy@xanga

    you think that's bad? i have a large brown one the length of my pinky and the width of my toe, on the top of my thigh. when i wear a bathing suit it attracts attention to area i definitely dont want people staring at. but i cant cover it up since ive been on swimming for the past so many years, and have had to suffer through the embarrassment
  • TheSpaceBass@xanga

    I have a birthmark on the back of my neck and it seriously looks like a hickey. 
  • Yuki_Sesshoumaru@xanga

    My boyfriend has a large brown birthmark on his right side right under the nipple and I see nothing wrong with it.


    Just something to make him more unique.
  • anonymous

    One. That puppy is so cute! OMG! x]

    Two. I have a heart shaped birth mark on my right arm. :] It's my favorite of my birthmarks. I have 3 others: one on my inner leg, one on my stomach and one right under my armpit. I don't hide my birthmarks. They aren't that much darker than my skin color so they don't bother me.

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