No, most people don't.

"Body Issues" is a personal essay series about obsessions with our own shape.

My mother is a beautiful redhead with tons of freckles. As I equate my mom with all things that are good and right in this world, I can not dislike freckles.
Besides, my youngest son also has a ton of them.

I love freckles and heavily freckled redheads.
But that article was 'WAAAAHHH people hate me for my freckles! But WAAAAHHH people like me for my freckles!'

propasaurus: I love freckles and heavily freckled redheads.
But that article was 'WAAAAHHH people hate me for my freckles! But WAAAAHHH people like me for my freckles!'

It's one of those "Crazy shiat I obsess about" articles that some women like to read.

I have no idea why this woudl be a problem.

Oh, here's the pic . . .

I could think of something to hold against her freckles:



Yes, that's Faye Regan.  Phwoar.

That woman has issues. Drinking vinegar? Wtf?

Faye Reason... FAP.

And obviously I can't spell while under the effects of NyQuil.

Freckle smeckin', frackle rackin'. Lieutenant Mumbly, the Shirley Ennis of cursing under one's breath.

I have one on my lip. I dont care about anywhere else, but that drives me farking bonkers.

Earpj: My mother is a beautiful redhead with tons of freckles. As I equate my mom with all things that are good and right in this world, I can not dislike freckles.
Besides, my youngest son also has a ton of them.

I know right. Your mom has the cutest little cluster right behind her thigh,,,, I've said too much

If you happen to go see Les Miserables, it is filmed in such an up-close, personal manner that you can count Eddie Redmayne's freckles

/yowza

You rang?

cman: I have one on my lip. I dont care about anywhere else, but that drives me farking bonkers.

Check to make sure you don't have a matching one on your genitalia. It might not be a freckle!

Lot of potential in this thread.

God that was a poorly written whiny piece of crap. Are people greenlighting their own articles again?

I can't find any freckles on this redhead, HALP!

I have a sprinkling of them.  My sister is covered basically head to toe (she has dark auburn hair).  As I've always thought she was much prettier than I, I can't say I've ever had anything against freckles.

Far better than my chronic acne, that's for sure.

We used to make fun of my best friend because of his freckles. Not that we didn't like him or have anything against freckles, we just were mean. Then when we got bored, for fun we used to beat on the kid who carried a briefcase around. No harm no foul.

deamonbutterfly: "The Goths" made me giggle.. at 33, you get over a lables and just 'be' .

finding myself wanting that alabaster skin. yep. been there. still am. I am learning to embrace my abundance of freckles as I get older. Yes, I am a natural ginger, yes I dye my hair. Yes, I have curly hair, and yes I straighten it. We are taught from an early age to never like ourselves. We need to be like this girl, or that girl.. People blame the media for suicides of young, impressionable kids. To an extent maybe, I think they don't help at all, but it all comes back to parenting. Setting a good example for your daughter, teaching her to love herself and who she is on the outside and in. The culture of Vogue, and Elle may seep in, but if she was taught from an early age (by exampe too, not just words) that we are all beautifully different, it might not seep into the darkest of places.

or we can all just off ourselves. yah. seems more logical.

That whole comment kind of goes to sh*t with the understanding that you continue to dye and straighten your hair.

I know that supposedly it's been "bad" to have freckles when you're a Southern woman. But I've always loved my freckles. I don't think there has ever been a time where someone made a mean spirited or uncomplimentary remark about them either. I always get "Freckles are cute" remarks :)

DjangoStonereaver: I could think of something to hold against her freckles:

[cdnimg.visualizeus.com image 499x485]

Yes, that's Faye Regan.  Phwoar.

Came for the Faye Reagan and leaving surprised that she modeled for AA. Also, goddamn, she's hot.

/that is all

Aello: I know that supposedly it's been "bad" to have freckles when you're a Southern woman. But I've always loved my freckles. I don't think there has ever been a time where someone made a mean spirited or uncomplimentary remark about them either. I always get "Freckles are cute" remarks :)

Rock it, girl.

I'm heavily freckled, less so on my face. Auburn hair. Blue eyes. I like my freckles.

However I've also had similar experiences, they just never really bothered me too much. I never tried to cover up my freckles. I have one on my lip that I'd rather not have (darker spot when I apply lip gloss) but that's not really a big whoop.

I have had people be extraordinarily nasty about it though, including one college professor I literally got into an argument with. His daughter had freckles, he talked in class about the genetic lottery of freckles...and how AWFUL and UGLY freckles were...as I was in the front row. My arms are fully covered with freckles, and I pushed back my sleeves (was winter, I don't hide them :P) to make sure he saw mine. Then confronted him after class about it. It culminated with him demanding (yelling in my face no less) what he should tell his 8 year old daughter when she sobs about how ugly she is.

I told him he should tell her she's got a shiatty father. (I really did). Among other things. Only F that remains on my academic record (I attempted to withdraw but apparently was too late, he was the only one who taught that specific course, blah blah blah. Never has hurt me either, since the rest are all pretty much As, and then once you enter the real world no one gives a shiat what your scores were. Ever.)

That was by far the nastiest. But there were many such incidences. I can easily recall many, most when I was a child. Fortunately I was a mouthy, know-it-all, Irish brat, so truly it didn't bother me. I liked 'em. My dad is also covered in them, as is one of my brothers.

I also didn't mind the comparisons to Pippi Longstocking (she was cool) but the Annie stuff...well that I did truly hate. ;)

Anyhoo long post shortened, while it didn't bother me as it did the woman in the article, you've really no idea how farking rude and shiatty people can be about it. And how often ADULTS thought it was okay to either make nasty comments, or (and this actually would piss me off) attempt to REASSURE me about my freckles. /rolls eyes

It does seem to trigger 'ew diseased!' reactions in some. I did have a friend confess to me she thought they were creepy the way my arms were covered in spots. They are on my face too, just very faint because I sunblock (for cancer prevention since I'm very very pale, not freckle prevention).

Oh and I also have no soul, but you guys knew that about us right? ;)

Lady Indica: I'm heavily freckled, less so on my face. Auburn hair. Blue eyes. I like my freckles.


I also didn't mind the comparisons to Pippi Longstocking (she was cool) but the Annie stuff...well that I did truly hate. ;)


HAHA! Your parents died in a fire!

So if freckles are so great, then why do Janeane Garofalo, Carrot Top, and Lindsay Lohan all try to cover their freckles with gobs of foundation? I have the stupid kind that are everywhere, but are all spaced apart. I think they're also known as stupid moles. Not a fan of them, not one bit.

My ex was constantly 'mentioning' to me that they kept coming up with new laser treatments to remove freckles and oh you know you can get them removed and etc etc etc.

Why yes, there IS a reason he's my 'ex'.

I always figured it was just makeup companies trying to sell women crap to cover up something that doesn't need covering.

Earpj: My mother is a beautiful redhead with tons of freckles. As I equate my mom with all things that are good and right in this world, I can not dislike freckles.
Besides, my youngest son also has a ton of them.

Rock on, Freckle Family. Rock on.

/ love me some cute good folks with freckles

cgraves67: My wife has freckles on her shoulders. I love them so much. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big impact.

Need pics. But seriously, you are right. Love is a big sheet that covers the whole bed.

Aello: I know that supposedly it's been "bad" to have freckles when you're a Southern woman. But I've always loved my freckles. I don't think there has ever been a time where someone made a mean spirited or uncomplimentary remark about them either. I always get "Freckles are cute" remarks :)

What does being a Southern woman have to do with freckles being bad?

deamonbutterfly: kwame: That whole comment kind of goes to sh*t with the understanding that you continue to dye and straighten your hair.

not really, cause i like to dye my hair. i play with different colours. it's not because i don't like my hair. i love my hair. I'm not obssesing over having freckles either, nor did I as a child. :)

So do as I say not as I do? Then why the comment about setting examples?

Southern women use to do whatever they could to rid themselves of freckles. Well, high society women anyways. Freckles were a sign of "low class" and "those dreadful women who had to *gasp* work outside". Milk baths, lemon juice were among some of the most popular treatments I think.

Louisiana_Sitar_Club: magicgoo: Janeane Garofalo, Carrot Top, and Lindsay Lohan

[hunternuttall.com image 472x349]

Who are....three people that one should, under no circumstances, emulate.

Hehe, yeah. Awesome answer. I formally rescind my stupid question.

HairBolus and rka, Thanks for the back up:) I've lived in South Louisiana all my life and fortunately I've never come across rude and demeaning remarks about my freckles. Sadly, it looks like the ones across the bridge of my nose and cheeks have faded. I don't spend as much time on the water as I use to :(

Women basically have a problem with anything that makes them different from whichever famous photoshopped 19 year old they most recently latched onto as an ideal beauty.

rka: kwame: Aello: I know that supposedly it's been "bad" to have freckles when you're a Southern woman. But I've always loved my freckles. I don't think there has ever been a time where someone made a mean spirited or uncomplimentary remark about them either. I always get "Freckles are cute" remarks :)

What does being a Southern woman have to do with freckles being bad?

Freckles become more prominent with sun exposure. Only people who have to work in manual labor are out in the sun in the south. ergo, if you're a women who has freckles that means you are poor and have to work for a living.

It's a sign of low-class. Or so the story goes.

So is having a tan.

Yes, having a tan was bad too....but the subject at hand is freckles. I have freckles, I do not have a tan. So, YAY freckles!

HairBolus: Aello: I know that supposedly it's been "bad" to have freckles when you're a Southern woman.

Yup good ol southern classism and racism.

Classism - freckles can appear or darken with sun exposure. It used to be that a proper women was one who never stooped to doing farm work or other manual labor and showing signs of sun exposure marked your low class status.

Racism - light skinned blacks often have freckles which some explain as their black showing through. If you are white looking but have freckles then maybe you are really a half breed.

[2.bp.blogspot.com image 284x400]

Finally, something relevant to my interests.

Aello: HairBolus and rka, Thanks for the back up:) I've lived in South Louisiana all my life and fortunately I've never come across rude and demeaning remarks about my freckles. Sadly, it looks like the ones across the bridge of my nose and cheeks have faded. I don't spend as much time on the water as I use to :(

I still don't get the connection. 42 years across every state in the South, and I've never heard such a thing. And you say you haven't either.

I said _I've_ never gotten any rude or demeaning remarks about mine. I grew up in New Orleans and Baton Rouge in working class neighborhoods and that may be a reason why. But, I have heard stories of higher class women using lemon juice and milk to get rid of freckles.

Aello: I said _I've_ never gotten any rude or demeaning remarks about mine. I grew up in New Orleans and Baton Rouge in working class neighborhoods and that may be a reason why. But, I have heard stories of higher class women using lemon juice and milk to get rid of freckles.

Now that makes me wonder if you could convince a really dumb rich broad that a daily semen facial will fade her freckles, and how long she'd let you blast her in the face before figuring out the truth...

Lot of butthurt in that article.  Lack of coping skills from early on.

Beanlet: kwame: So do as I say not as I do? Then why the comment about setting examples?

I was horribly abused as a child. I also have freckles and it was one of the things my tormenters used to make me feel extremely ugly and worthless. If you have never been in that place, maybe you can't understand how someone could want to make the world a better place for their child, rather than creating a situation where the child feels just as worthless. Setting a good example doesn't mean you have to actually feel inside the way you want your child to feel about themselves. It isn't that easy.

My child, a 15 year old girl, has high self-esteem. Why? Because I never fail to tell her how beautiful she is as a person. She used to have a friend who was demeaning and I helped her see that this person was destroying her slowly. She walked away from that abusive relationship when she realized the truth. She has confidence, is secure in who she is and honestly likes herself. She told me a few weeks ago that she is the person she hoped she would become from an early age.

Me? I still self-loathe, it is something I will probably never fully get rid of. But I don't do it in front of her, I don't tell her how ugly I feel, I only tell her how wonderful she is and how she can work hard and acheive whatever she wants to.

So yes.. do as I say, not as I do can be highly recommended in some cases.

Sorry to hear that, but it's way off point. I just asked why someone who straightened and dyed her hair would say we should help people accept who they are by setting an example.

oakleym82: gweilo8888:

[www.sarahtomlinson.com image 528x792]

Oh my god it's a frecklish nightmare. Kill it with freckle-fighting fire!

/made-up story is made-up
//hot like yo' mama

This.

I read the article and I really felt for her. It reminded me of my angsty adolescent days. So, like you, I looked around for pictures of this Sarah Tomlinson, and while I didn't come up with one that was a good as yours (nice find btw), I did find these:

[www.simonandschuster.com image 166x250]

[nogoodforme.filmstills.org image 500x418]

[sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net image 360x472]

not seeing these "freckles" that look anything like seagull shiat. she's actually pretty hot, and i think more freckles would make her hotter.

The good part is, she seems to have really low self esteem, so you could probably bang her like a screen door in a hurricane for the price of a couple drinks and a couple lame compliments.

I've always had chestnut brown hair and freckles -- more when I was young than now, but I still have them.  Not sure if they show up in my profile pic here ... maybe a little?

It was clear to me early on that some people (my mom, that cute boy I met at a garden party when I was 5 or 6 years old, my husband) love freckles and find them attractive... and some people, for whatever reason, find them odd or unattractive.  I've always liked them, personally, and thought they were cute.  Some of us wear them better than others (e.g. I don't find them flattering on actress Maya Rudolph).

By the time I was in high school, I decided I had more important things to worry about than my freckles and whether or not this person or that person found them appealing...perhaps because something in me understood that anyone who is going to decide whether or not to like me based on a feature of my skin was probably not someone whose good opinion was much worth having.

It is probably for this reason that I have little patience for the type of navel-gazing the author engages in here.  There are people out there with REAL problems -- cerebral palsy, cancer, etc. -- and they're transcending those challenges and making a positive contribution against much greater odds.  And I'm going to whine about my farking freckles?  Sistah please...

ExperianScaresCthulhu: kwame: deamonbutterfly: "The Goths" made me giggle.. at 33, you get over a lables and just 'be' .

finding myself wanting that alabaster skin. yep. been there. still am. I am learning to embrace my abundance of freckles as I get older. Yes, I am a natural ginger, yes I dye my hair. Yes, I have curly hair, and yes I straighten it. We are taught from an early age to never like ourselves. We need to be like this girl, or that girl.. People blame the media for suicides of young, impressionable kids. To an extent maybe, I think they don't help at all, but it all comes back to parenting. Setting a good example for your daughter, teaching her to love herself and who she is on the outside and in. The culture of Vogue, and Elle may seep in, but if she was taught from an early age (by exampe too, not just words) that we are all beautifully different, it might not seep into the darkest of places.

or we can all just off ourselves. yah. seems more logical.

That whole comment kind of goes to sh*t with the understanding that you continue to dye and straighten your hair.

if black women can get away with the hypocrisy, so can she.

Troll someone else, sh*t-for-brains.

Oh, and I am extremely indebted to HairBolus introducing me to a fetish I didn't know existed... black chicks with freckles.

I had never even considered that before. You do good works, sir or madame.

ChipNASA: [www.fuelyourmotionography.com image 600x927]

You do know that you can go fark yourself, don't you?

/that's as good a bookmark as any

trappedspirit: One day a grizzled lobsterman, still in hip waders, came toward me down the stone steps of King Ro Market, our village's general store, which kept an enormous block of hard cheese on the counter, to be sold by the slice, as well as motor oil, Wonder Bread, and my objective whenever I escaped the carob and kale of my childhood home: Swedish fish and other penny candy.

Did freckles write that sentence?

Totally. I'm sure the author leaned back, reread that, and thought she was a goddamned Sherwood Anderson.

I love freckles. Especially matched with contrasting dark hair like people from some parts of Scotland. They're like secret redheads.

Aello: HairBolus and rka, Thanks for the back up:) I've lived in South Louisiana all my life and fortunately I've never come across rude and demeaning remarks about my freckles. Sadly, it looks like the ones across the bridge of my nose and cheeks have faded. I don't spend as much time on the water as I use to :(

One of my Birth-sisters grew up in Lafayette. We're irish redheads, so I'll have to ask her about her experiences as a spotted ginger in the south.

RedT: I'm a ginger with a few freckles. Never had anyone ever make any comments about my freckles even though I was a nerd in school and did get bullied some {shrugs}. Only one person ever even made of my hair color (Danny Partridge jokes) and did it in a very harassing manner, but he was a dick and even I could see that in Jr High.

Of course being an introverted nerd, I didn't even hear the bullying most of the time so who the heck knows what anyone was saying, if anything.

CSB: In college I met a gal who graduated a year before me at the same high school and we became friends. She once told me she felt so sorry for me when all the guys would make fun me when I walked through the cafeteria (apparently commenting on my breasts). Funny thing? I never, not once, ever, heard anyone make any comments when walking through the high school cafeteria although I have no reason to doubt her.
Being an introverted nerd, why would I assume anyone was talking about me?

/ah, the benefits of being an introverted nerd in high school

Were you a nerd as a kid? Were you introverted?

RedT: I'm a ginger with a few freckles. Never had anyone ever make any comments about my freckles even though I was a nerd in school and did get bullied some {shrugs}. Only one person ever even made of my hair color (Danny Partridge jokes) and did it in a very harassing manner, but he was a dick and even I could see that in Jr High.

Of course being an introverted nerd, I didn't even hear the bullying most of the time so who the heck knows what anyone was saying, if anything.

CSB: In college I met a gal who graduated a year before me at the same high school and we became friends. She once told me she felt so sorry for me when all the guys would make fun me when I walked through the cafeteria (apparently commenting on my breasts). Funny thing? I never, not once, ever, heard anyone make any comments when walking through the high school cafeteria although I have no reason to doubt her.
Being an introverted nerd, why would I assume anyone was talking about me?

/ah, the benefits of being an introverted nerd in high school

No one made fun of you. Your "friend" was criticizing you in an indirect manner. She's somehow jealous of your breasts. Either way, you were still right to ignore any and all comments.
/nothing in my profile

RedT: I'm a ginger with a few freckles. Never had anyone ever make any comments about my freckles even though I was a nerd in school and did get bullied some {shrugs}. Only one person ever even made of my hair color (Danny Partridge jokes) and did it in a very harassing manner, but he was a dick and even I could see that in Jr High.

Of course being an introverted nerd, I didn't even hear the bullying most of the time so who the heck knows what anyone was saying, if anything.

CSB: In college I met a gal who graduated a year before me at the same high school and we became friends. She once told me she felt so sorry for me when all the guys would make fun me when I walked through the cafeteria (apparently commenting on my breasts). Funny thing? I never, not once, ever, heard anyone make any comments when walking through the high school cafeteria although I have no reason to doubt her.
Being an introverted nerd, why would I assume anyone was talking about me?

/ah, the benefits of being an introverted nerd in high school

(checks profile) I will be your protector! ;)

Dahnkster: [www.koanicsoul.com image 800x600]

0.0

She got a name? Not that I care, but it makes it easier to GIS her.

Beanlet: kwame: So do as I say not as I do? Then why the comment about setting examples?

I was horribly abused as a child. I also have freckles and it was one of the things my tormenters used to make me feel extremely ugly and worthless. If you have never been in that place, maybe you can't understand how someone could want to make the world a better place for their child, rather than creating a situation where the child feels just as worthless. Setting a good example doesn't mean you have to actually feel inside the way you want your child to feel about themselves. It isn't that easy.

My child, a 15 year old girl, has high self-esteem. Why? Because I never fail to tell her how beautiful she is as a person. She used to have a friend who was demeaning and I helped her see that this person was destroying her slowly. She walked away from that abusive relationship when she realized the truth. She has confidence, is secure in who she is and honestly likes herself. She told me a few weeks ago that she is the person she hoped she would become from an early age.

Me? I still self-loathe, it is something I will probably never fully get rid of. But I don't do it in front of her, I don't tell her how ugly I feel, I only tell her how wonderful she is and how she can work hard and acheive whatever she wants to.

So yes.. do as I say, not as I do can be highly recommended in some cases.

I'd be happy to spend the day kissing each and every one of your freckles

as a red head I say this, freckles in moderation are just fine. When there are too many though, that is when things go wrong. My best friend, also a red head, had a lot of freckles and was constantly given shiat about it and it really messed with his head. I got off lucky, being a red head with light freckles... I only got shiat about my red hair. Kids can be mean little bastards.

RedT: Crewmannumber6: I will be your protector! ;)

Thnx Crewmannumber6.

My pleasure, just don't tell my wife

Came for hot chicks.

Thank you. Happy... Whatever day it is...disorientated.

I have dark hair and light eyes and only get freckles in the summer. Lame.

/want freckles all year

Rabid Turnip: Rabid TurnipRedT: Crewmannumber6: I will be your protector! ;)

Thnx Crewmannumber6.

Some protector. Everyone knows it's just a matter of time before Crewmannumber6 gets killed by some alien.

/do you wear a red shirt CMN6 ?

No, but I don't think I have a last name

Louisiana_Sitar_Club: magicgoo: Janeane Garofalo, Carrot Top, and Lindsay Lohan



Who are....three people that one should, under no circumstances, emulate.

What's wrong with Jeanine Garofalo?

dopekitty74: Louisiana_Sitar_Club: magicgoo: Janeane Garofalo, Carrot Top, and Lindsay Lohan

Who are....three people that one should, under no circumstances, emulate.

What's wrong with Jeanine Garofalo?

Besides her personality?

The author of the article is apparently one of those preppy girls who hung around with a crowd that picked on people with freckles. Most normal folks don't have a problem with freckles, and as evidenced by this thread, many are attracted to them. However, the image-conscious twits in the preppy cliques would certainly be the ones to drive this poor, somewhat vapid girl to attempt to cover up her freckles.

It wasn't about her freckles or her looks, though. It was about the company she kept.

If she were hanging around with a different crowd, she probably wouldn't have been made to feel like freckles were something to hide.

Salon's articles frequently seem to come from people who appear to be a touch on the shallow side. Honestly-- The whole article is one big "boo hoo I lacked the confidence to be myself until I got older" whine, when I betcha anything this girl was right there with her biatchy friends picking on the fat girls, the plain-looking girls, the nerdy girls, and the others who didn't "fit in" with the beauty standard they imposed on each other.

Maybe I have her all wrong... But the way the article reads, it sure sounds like she was living under the influence of some bullshiat beauty standards and went to extremes because of it.

I'm Freckled and proud of it.

/so much win in this thread.

kendelrio: "A face without freckles is like the night sky without stars"
-Mark Twain

/smart fellow that Mark Twain

He never said that.

HempHead: magicgoo: So if freckles are so great, then why do Janeane Garofalo, Carrot Top, and Lindsay Lohan all try to cover their freckles with gobs of foundation? I have the stupid kind that are everywhere, but are all spaced apart. I think they're also known as stupid moles. Not a fan of them, not one bit.

Well those are definitely three Nobel scholars. You should definitely follow thier examples.

BarkingUnicorn: kendelrio: "A face without freckles is like the night sky without stars"
-Mark Twain

/smart fellow that Mark Twain

He never said that.

"Red Bull gives you wings." - Aristotle