One of the best, most positive things about social media is that it can become a platform for people to come together to empower each other.
Which is exactly what happened when Crystal Hodges shared a story about her birthmark on Facebook page Love What Matters.
Crystal was in the post office queuing when a man approached her, saying, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
Instantly, Crystal thought he was going to ask her a question about her birthmark, so bracing herself she smiled and said, “Sure.”
“99.999% of questions from total strangers are about that very topic,” she says.
However, instead of asking her a question, the man surprised her by saying the loveliest, kindest thing.
“My daughter has the same birthmark as you do,” he said. “And actually, so does my niece. I know many people can be unkind with how they react to birthmarks like yours, but just ignore them. You are beautiful.”
And while this story is heart-warming in itself, the reaction is what really blew us away. Almost immediately, photos were proudly shared by in response by people with birthmarks, and by parents whose children had birthmarks.
“I also have a birthmark on my face and many people have made fun of me for it or made rude comments,” said one commenter. “I used to be ashamed but through the years I've grown to love it because it makes us different and sometimes it's better to stand out. We're perfect just the way we are!”
While one mum added: “My daughter has one too. Everything she draws a picture of herself, she colours half her face red. At the age of 5 she is able to accept this is a part of her she is.”
“I love my birthmark and wouldn't change it for anything!” said another commenter. “It actually is almost like a temperature gauge; when I'm sick it gets brighter. Haha!”
And another wouldn’t change her partner’s birthmark for the world: “This man right here is my world, and we've seen it all....... He's asked about having it removed and I say no because it's part of who he is.”
How amazing is this? Why not join the birthmark pride and post your own photos in the comments section? We would love to see them!
