Freckle Monster

As a child I grew up absolutely hating my freckles. I will never forget being absolutely devastated when the boy I fancied when I was 15 nicknamed me 'the freckle monster'. Teenage boys can be so cruel! My hope was that one day they would all merge into one giant freckle and I would look as though I had been blessed with the olive skin I had always wanted so much and that all my school friends seemed to have and take for granted. 'Freckles add character' my mother used to say, invoking a parent's favourite euphemism for anything their children detest! I did not want 'character'; I wanted conventional beauty in the form of an all-over caramel tan. My dilemma was such that I had a fringe cut to cover the dreaded freckles on my forehead and even considered having them removed cosmetically.

Thankfully however, I have learned to love these freckles of mine. I have just come back from a week in the sun, which brought out the freckles on my nose, cheeks and shoulders, and it looks like I have given hundreds of tiny kisses by the sun. The best thing is that unlike a tan, freckles can not be faked. As usual, mother you were right, my freckles are now a part of my character and I can't imagine life without them. Someone said once that 'A girl without freckles is like a night without stars'. I think it is one of my new favourite quotes!