Woman Misses Her Freckles So She Paints Them On, Gets Called Out For ‘Cultural Appropriation’
Cultural appropriation in beauty and fashion is nothing new. But today, it seems impossible that white models could walk a runway in dreadlocks, tribal and Native American dress, or geisha makeup and kimonos. Appropriation happens when consumers or companies use and manufacture products that either promote cultural stereotypes or take inspiration from that culture without respect for its history.
But where do we draw the line? Can painting on freckles when you don’t naturally have any be considered appropriation? Because this woman got called out by her friend for doing exactly that. Wanting to know whether her friend was right, the woman asked the Internet: are fake freckles cultural appropriation?
This woman wanted a sun-kissed look without the sun damage, so she decided to paint some faux freckles on her face
Image credits: Chermiti Mohamed / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
But she got called out by her friend for cultural appropriation
Image credits: Rosa Rafael / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Moths2Flamez
The woman gave more information in the comments
Image credits: Chermiti Mohamed / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
People used to make fun of freckled faces, but now it’s part of the ‘natural look’ trend
Just like the friend in this story, many naturally freckled people feel insecure about the spots. It can be hard to understand why something they were relentlessly made fun of and bullied for in middle and high school is now a beauty trend.
They say that back then, it was considered a flaw. As one freckled person writes, freckles used to be something you wanted to get rid of: “I remember asking my cousin at 5 years old if I could surgically remove my freckles and crying when she broke [it] to me that I’d be stuck with what she called giraffe spots my whole life.”
Historically, people covered up freckles with white makeup because they meant a person spent a considerable amount of time in the sun. A pale face signified that a person was from the upper class. Freckles, in turn, betrayed that the individual worked outside in the sun. In the 17th century, people even considered freckles to be the mark of the devil.
Now, it seems that people did a complete 180 on freckles. Fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell told The New York Times that in the late 20th century, freckles came to be associated with youth and leisure. In the 1960s, it was pop culture icons like Twiggy and Jane Birkin who popularized freckles. In the 2010s, it was Meghan Markle, who appeared with a freckled face during her wedding to Prince Harry.
Makeup artist Jenna Kristina told The Washington Post how celebrities like Lucy Liu and Alicia Keys popularized freckles, too. According to her, a lot of freckled models have been in high demand since the mid-2010s, as marketers opted for a clean, pleasant, direct-to-consumer aesthetic.
“I have friends that are models and when they were younger, they couldn’t get booked to save their lives,” Kristina told The Post. “Everybody would be like, ‘Can you cover their freckles?'”
Image credits: Lina Verovaya / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Fake freckles have their haters and lovers
Putting fake freckles on has become a trend in the last couple of years. Some, like the woman in this story, use freckle pens to put temporary freckles on their face. Others choose to tattoo semi-permanent freckles.
When it comes to opinions on the topic, people are divided into two camps: those who think it’s insensitive and offensive to sport freckles when you don’t naturally have them and those who are happy to see that this feature is finally celebrated as beautiful.
Freckles appear naturally when a person has had too much exposure to the sun. Dr. Priyanka Reddy, founder, MD, and chief dermatologist at DNA Skin Clinic, told Elle India that they’re not harmless: “Continuous sun exposure leads to an increase in freckles and the chances of melanoma as well.”
She tries to look at both sides of the argument: “The good part about this trend is that it is harmless and fun (to people who enjoy doing this) and questionably promotes skin positivity. The sad part about it is faking a skin condition that you don’t have and working hard to look natural.”
Those who are for faking freckles claim that freckle pens and semi-permanent tattoos are about celebrating physical flaws and unique attributes. For some people, it might even be about hiding scars or other skin imperfections.
It seems that people tend to want freckles only when they look aesthetically pleasing: just a smattering of tiny sun spots around one’s nose. And natural freckles often cover people’s entire faces, shoulders, and arms. Undoubtedly, it’s a good idea to keep both points of view in mind when considering sporting fake freckles.
Most people agreed that if the woman wants freckles, she should be able to have them
The last commenter could be friends with the offended part "l have freckles all over and l find it irritating that they paint them only on the right places" Well, l have grey hairs all over and l'm not offended that people get a flattering grey streak at the hairdressers 🤣 Get over yourselves, people.
I'm short-sighted, do I get offended when people wear glasses just a s a fashion statement? Of course not, why should I care? and freckles are not a "culture". Man, people are stupid sometimes
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What culture is being appropriated? How ridiculous. Most cultures have a lot of cross over and when you live in a melting pot it bleeds. But freckles are just genetic skin conditions. Boo hoo, kids suck. No one is appropriating your trauma.
The only way this is culture appropriation is if she dyed her hair bright orange, wore a green leprecan hat and walked around with a Guiness in her hand.
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I have dark hair, so if any of you plan to dye your hair dark it won't sit well in my soul. Think on THAT!!
I have red hair and therefore no soul so you can appropriate my haircolour... Also, my culture is dandruff-based; whenever any child uses glitter I feel it is an offensive imitation of my culture.
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Freckles are "cultural" now? Putting on fake freckles is "cultural appropriation"? O_O
Cultural appropriation? Another term that has been overused to the point of losing meaning. Freckles aren't a culture. They're a natural skin condition, that can happen to just about anyone, although those with lighter skin are more likely to have them.
Also, calling "appropriation" for something that is to be shared by definition always sounded weird to me. I've mostly heard it from intolerant people who want to give social right to wear, eat or listen to specific music only according to their ethnicity. The very definition of racism, BTW. So yes, you can do whatever you want and become part of any culture as long as you do it with respect. F*** the bastards would say you can't because of your birth.
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Cultural appropriation is just bs. Trying to gatekeep other people's cultures for them without asking them. I have a mixed background and I teach western people my culture and expect them to learn to wear the clothes and adopt part of the mentality. At least in my dojo.
The difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation is respect dor the culture and people it comes from.
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Next straight or curly hair is cultural appropriation.... This is getting ridiculous. Freckles are a thing that almost anybody can get/has.
What do mean 'next?' That is one of the biggest issues when cultural appropriation is discussed, usually it's 'black women appropriating white culture by straightening their hair.'
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Omg. I have thick, luscious lips that some have been jealous of. Do I get to claim cultural appropriation to anyone who gets injections/fillers to make their lips larger? NO. Because everyone has lips and no distinct culture has only large lips. No distinct culture are the only ones with freckles. Just like nobody can claim it for dyed hair, or pierced ears. It did seem weird that OP didn't give the whole reason for doing it ("I used to have freckles, too"). Especially after the way her friend reacted.
I'm jealous of your lips. My lips are so non-existant that mouth looks like somebody drew a downward curving line with a pencil. (It looks like I have no mouth on my driver's license!) ❤️ much love from a lipless fellow human!
Load More Replies...
That "cultural appropriaion" thing is being pushed to the limit, veering toward the absurd. Freckles, FFS!
I can only assume the freckle bullying thing is to do with how many and where. I am very freckly but olive skinned but they are mainly across the middle of my face. I am in my 50s and have never been bullied about them. If my friends turned up with painted on freckles I would have just taken the p*ss out of them.
I'm as pale as you can get and still be breathing, covered in freckles on my face and arms. (At least on my arms, the skin on my face has long since been any color other than painfully red.) I was bullied in school for: my naturally oily hair/skin, my weight, my (lack of) height, my hairy arms, my thick eyebrows, and my large behind. But never my freckles. How DOES one get bullied for freckles? I'm honestly curious. (I'm not a big fan if painted-on freckles, only because most people can't get them to look real.)
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What? How dare you appropriate the culture of us natural baldies!!!
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This cultural apropriation thing is so overused. Who even came up with it? 99% of the storys are always about white people whining about other people who do things that don‘t even concern those whining white people.
People who get offended by other people's life that has absolutely no impact they do not create themselves are trying to push their own issues onto others. Yes it's bad you got bullied. But get over it. No one but the bully has anything to do with it and it is still your responsibility to deal with the resulting insecurity. Saying that as a freckled, bullied redhead myself. Such people are despicable.
The whole cultural appropriation thing is just b******t. All cultures are the result of mixing and contact with other cultures. Anyone who has studied how different cultures have been generated can confirm this. All this arises from NGOs that consider that this cultural exchange should be economically compensated. A real nonsense
The term "cultural appropriation" is valid if a corporation is making money. Say, for example, that Mongolian-style dresses are sent down a fashion runway at $6,000 a go, but are all sewn in Bangladesh or Cambodia. That's cultural appropriation. Wearing something that is related to beliefs or status in a other culture is also iffy ( native american headdresses, bindis, etc). Other than that, it's all a load of virtue-signalling designed to appeal to the outrage culture.
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Given the variety of people who have freckles (Meghan Markle, Kesha, Rashida Jones, Cillian Murphy ), fake freckles don't fit the definition of "cultural appropriation". The OP's friend may have been making an analogy to explain her feelings: that a previously negative physical trait (such as tightly curled hair or thick lips) is now adopted by those without the trait as a fashion statement. In the end, the OP chose not to wear freckles when meeting the friend - not worth the hassle.
People have way too much time on their hands these days, including me who took the time to read this shite hahaha
There is no such thing as cultural appropriation. The only thing these idiots should understand is that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
What is it with these overly sensitive, make up any rubbish just to complain about it eejits. I'm so sick of this idea that someone has a made up issue and the whole world has to bend to accommodate it. Grow the hell up people!
Cultural appropriation is not appropriate, not in this context - nor anywhere else - but there is no "culture" that has freckles. It appears to be wrong for white people to have dreadlocks, but okay for black people (mostly women) to dye their hair blonde? As with so many causes, people push these things too far until they become ridiculous. Let's call it "cultural appreciation" and accept it as a flattering homage, not an insult, then everyone will be much happier and there will be less stress in the world. Be pleased that they want to look like you, not offended. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
So tired of the bullsh!t with cultural appropriation. Have people never heard that imitation is the best form of flattery? And there is not a SINGLE culture that owns freckles. OP doesn't have a friend but an ignorant fool who misuses terminology.
People with fake grey hair "doesn't sit right in my soul" and I'm offended! I'm naturally grey (and I totally won the going grey naturally lottery, I love how it looks!) and this is clearly age appropriation! /jk 🤣🤣
Lol freckles are neither sun damage, nor cultural appropriation. People genetically predisposed to freckling ARE more susceptible to skin cancers and skin damage from the sun, but the freckles are not the damage.
So 'her soul will be hurt' if you dye your hair the same color as well? OMG some people...
How can freckles be pinned to one culture? Preposterous. Also, there are a lot of trends now I see that I had done when I was a kid and teen that I got bullied for. I don't hold any kind of animosity about it. Times change. People change. What was once social suicide is now popular. Whatever.
"What was once social suicide is now popular." 7/8-jeans with socks😃As a kid they were called highwater-jeans and were soooo uncool.
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Kids get made fun of. If OP's idiot friend hadn't had freckles they'd have made fun of her for her hair, or her nose, or her clothes. Being made fun of is not a culture, it's just part of being a kid surrounded by other little monster kids and idiot adults who won't do anything to stop it.
Cultural appropriation? Sounds like a sub branch of someone who holds the title "Professionally Offended"...
i have black, wavy hair, nobody else should style it like that, its cultural appropriation! /s
Translation: One person gets upset and media blows it way out of proportion.
well, it's better than those idiots who were tattooing on extremely unnatural looking freckles, that's for sure...
I had freckles as a child and also red hair. Until about 7 years old when my hair changed to brown and I also lost a lot of my freckles. Don't ask me how that happened. It's also strange that I was the only one in my family to have freckles as a child. My hair color was also not like the rest of my family. I actually think it's a shame that I hardly have any freckles anymore. Although they come back when I go on long bike rides during my summer leave, it is not quite the same as in my childhood and I get much less of them in my face, but mainly on my arms and legs. I don't remember ever being bullied or made fun of because of my freckles. It's something from my childhood that I would like to have back. If something like that is not acceptable, then it is very sad for society (in my humble opinion).
Have you seen the. Models of today? Freckles, wide spaced teeth, vitiligo, androgynous, trans, anything goes to show we are all beautiful. My-lanta find something to get worked up about.
What is wrong with people today? Let people live their lives as they see fit as long as they aren't out raping, murdering or committing treason, who cares? Work on your own issues, instead of ragging on others. This would be a much better country, without all the Ken's and Karens and buttinski's.
OP's friend sounds like a TikTok crusader crying cultural appropriation over the tiniest of things.
Cultural appropriation is a made up BS term used by whining people who wishes to get "virtue points", ESPECIALLY online.
I try to comment somewhat intelligently but all of I've got for this is - Oh FFS!
Well some of you had better not get eczema because that just won't- you know... and no black T shirts either!
I could not give a flying f**k less about "Freckle Appropriation". I've got them. Usually forget they exist, until someone says they're cute. My best lady doesn't naturally have navy blue eyeliner, but it looks great on her. Same thing: aesthetics. If you're trying to present as a different culture/ethnicity... You're a toolbox, and should be called out.
I just saw the film Vengeance in which BJ Novak's character says to another white character, "You calling something 'cultural appropriation' is cultural appropriation". Seems apt here.
if anything exists, it's to be used by anyone, it's not assigned to/owned by any "culture" or group, no one is going to tell me or anyone else what kind of hairdo or clothes anyone's going to wear... probably the next step will be gatekeeping learning foreign languages, because e.g. a Pole learning French is trying to steal from the French ... there's already a story on teh interwebz someone with good eyesight started getting threats for learning Braille for some personal reason... all those gatekeepers can just stfu and gtfo
This post should get the award for the stupidest thing ever posted on BP.
The last commenter could be friends with the offended part "l have freckles all over and l find it irritating that they paint them only on the right places" Well, l have grey hairs all over and l'm not offended that people get a flattering grey streak at the hairdressers 🤣 Get over yourselves, people.
I'm short-sighted, do I get offended when people wear glasses just a s a fashion statement? Of course not, why should I care? and freckles are not a "culture". Man, people are stupid sometimes
Load More Replies... What culture is being appropriated? How ridiculous. Most cultures have a lot of cross over and when you live in a melting pot it bleeds. But freckles are just genetic skin conditions. Boo hoo, kids suck. No one is appropriating your trauma.
The only way this is culture appropriation is if she dyed her hair bright orange, wore a green leprecan hat and walked around with a Guiness in her hand.
Load More Replies... I have dark hair, so if any of you plan to dye your hair dark it won't sit well in my soul. Think on THAT!!
I have red hair and therefore no soul so you can appropriate my haircolour... Also, my culture is dandruff-based; whenever any child uses glitter I feel it is an offensive imitation of my culture.
Load More Replies... Freckles are "cultural" now? Putting on fake freckles is "cultural appropriation"? O_O
Cultural appropriation? Another term that has been overused to the point of losing meaning. Freckles aren't a culture. They're a natural skin condition, that can happen to just about anyone, although those with lighter skin are more likely to have them.
Also, calling "appropriation" for something that is to be shared by definition always sounded weird to me. I've mostly heard it from intolerant people who want to give social right to wear, eat or listen to specific music only according to their ethnicity. The very definition of racism, BTW. So yes, you can do whatever you want and become part of any culture as long as you do it with respect. F*** the bastards would say you can't because of your birth.
Load More Replies... Cultural appropriation is just bs. Trying to gatekeep other people's cultures for them without asking them. I have a mixed background and I teach western people my culture and expect them to learn to wear the clothes and adopt part of the mentality. At least in my dojo.
The difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation is respect dor the culture and people it comes from.
Load More Replies... Next straight or curly hair is cultural appropriation.... This is getting ridiculous. Freckles are a thing that almost anybody can get/has.
What do mean 'next?' That is one of the biggest issues when cultural appropriation is discussed, usually it's 'black women appropriating white culture by straightening their hair.'
Load More Replies... Omg. I have thick, luscious lips that some have been jealous of. Do I get to claim cultural appropriation to anyone who gets injections/fillers to make their lips larger? NO. Because everyone has lips and no distinct culture has only large lips. No distinct culture are the only ones with freckles. Just like nobody can claim it for dyed hair, or pierced ears. It did seem weird that OP didn't give the whole reason for doing it ("I used to have freckles, too"). Especially after the way her friend reacted.
I'm jealous of your lips. My lips are so non-existant that mouth looks like somebody drew a downward curving line with a pencil. (It looks like I have no mouth on my driver's license!) ❤️ much love from a lipless fellow human!
Load More Replies... That "cultural appropriaion" thing is being pushed to the limit, veering toward the absurd. Freckles, FFS!
I can only assume the freckle bullying thing is to do with how many and where. I am very freckly but olive skinned but they are mainly across the middle of my face. I am in my 50s and have never been bullied about them. If my friends turned up with painted on freckles I would have just taken the p*ss out of them.
I'm as pale as you can get and still be breathing, covered in freckles on my face and arms. (At least on my arms, the skin on my face has long since been any color other than painfully red.) I was bullied in school for: my naturally oily hair/skin, my weight, my (lack of) height, my hairy arms, my thick eyebrows, and my large behind. But never my freckles. How DOES one get bullied for freckles? I'm honestly curious. (I'm not a big fan if painted-on freckles, only because most people can't get them to look real.)
Load More Replies... What? How dare you appropriate the culture of us natural baldies!!!
Load More Replies... This cultural apropriation thing is so overused. Who even came up with it? 99% of the storys are always about white people whining about other people who do things that don‘t even concern those whining white people.
People who get offended by other people's life that has absolutely no impact they do not create themselves are trying to push their own issues onto others. Yes it's bad you got bullied. But get over it. No one but the bully has anything to do with it and it is still your responsibility to deal with the resulting insecurity. Saying that as a freckled, bullied redhead myself. Such people are despicable.
The whole cultural appropriation thing is just b******t. All cultures are the result of mixing and contact with other cultures. Anyone who has studied how different cultures have been generated can confirm this. All this arises from NGOs that consider that this cultural exchange should be economically compensated. A real nonsense
The term "cultural appropriation" is valid if a corporation is making money. Say, for example, that Mongolian-style dresses are sent down a fashion runway at $6,000 a go, but are all sewn in Bangladesh or Cambodia. That's cultural appropriation. Wearing something that is related to beliefs or status in a other culture is also iffy ( native american headdresses, bindis, etc). Other than that, it's all a load of virtue-signalling designed to appeal to the outrage culture.
Load More Replies... Given the variety of people who have freckles (Meghan Markle, Kesha, Rashida Jones, Cillian Murphy ), fake freckles don't fit the definition of "cultural appropriation". The OP's friend may have been making an analogy to explain her feelings: that a previously negative physical trait (such as tightly curled hair or thick lips) is now adopted by those without the trait as a fashion statement. In the end, the OP chose not to wear freckles when meeting the friend - not worth the hassle.
People have way too much time on their hands these days, including me who took the time to read this shite hahaha
There is no such thing as cultural appropriation. The only thing these idiots should understand is that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
What is it with these overly sensitive, make up any rubbish just to complain about it eejits. I'm so sick of this idea that someone has a made up issue and the whole world has to bend to accommodate it. Grow the hell up people!
Cultural appropriation is not appropriate, not in this context - nor anywhere else - but there is no "culture" that has freckles. It appears to be wrong for white people to have dreadlocks, but okay for black people (mostly women) to dye their hair blonde? As with so many causes, people push these things too far until they become ridiculous. Let's call it "cultural appreciation" and accept it as a flattering homage, not an insult, then everyone will be much happier and there will be less stress in the world. Be pleased that they want to look like you, not offended. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
So tired of the bullsh!t with cultural appropriation. Have people never heard that imitation is the best form of flattery? And there is not a SINGLE culture that owns freckles. OP doesn't have a friend but an ignorant fool who misuses terminology.
People with fake grey hair "doesn't sit right in my soul" and I'm offended! I'm naturally grey (and I totally won the going grey naturally lottery, I love how it looks!) and this is clearly age appropriation! /jk 🤣🤣
Lol freckles are neither sun damage, nor cultural appropriation. People genetically predisposed to freckling ARE more susceptible to skin cancers and skin damage from the sun, but the freckles are not the damage.
So 'her soul will be hurt' if you dye your hair the same color as well? OMG some people...
How can freckles be pinned to one culture? Preposterous. Also, there are a lot of trends now I see that I had done when I was a kid and teen that I got bullied for. I don't hold any kind of animosity about it. Times change. People change. What was once social suicide is now popular. Whatever.
"What was once social suicide is now popular." 7/8-jeans with socks😃As a kid they were called highwater-jeans and were soooo uncool.
Load More Replies... Kids get made fun of. If OP's idiot friend hadn't had freckles they'd have made fun of her for her hair, or her nose, or her clothes. Being made fun of is not a culture, it's just part of being a kid surrounded by other little monster kids and idiot adults who won't do anything to stop it.
Cultural appropriation? Sounds like a sub branch of someone who holds the title "Professionally Offended"...
i have black, wavy hair, nobody else should style it like that, its cultural appropriation! /s
Translation: One person gets upset and media blows it way out of proportion.
well, it's better than those idiots who were tattooing on extremely unnatural looking freckles, that's for sure...
I had freckles as a child and also red hair. Until about 7 years old when my hair changed to brown and I also lost a lot of my freckles. Don't ask me how that happened. It's also strange that I was the only one in my family to have freckles as a child. My hair color was also not like the rest of my family. I actually think it's a shame that I hardly have any freckles anymore. Although they come back when I go on long bike rides during my summer leave, it is not quite the same as in my childhood and I get much less of them in my face, but mainly on my arms and legs. I don't remember ever being bullied or made fun of because of my freckles. It's something from my childhood that I would like to have back. If something like that is not acceptable, then it is very sad for society (in my humble opinion).
Have you seen the. Models of today? Freckles, wide spaced teeth, vitiligo, androgynous, trans, anything goes to show we are all beautiful. My-lanta find something to get worked up about.
What is wrong with people today? Let people live their lives as they see fit as long as they aren't out raping, murdering or committing treason, who cares? Work on your own issues, instead of ragging on others. This would be a much better country, without all the Ken's and Karens and buttinski's.
OP's friend sounds like a TikTok crusader crying cultural appropriation over the tiniest of things.
Cultural appropriation is a made up BS term used by whining people who wishes to get "virtue points", ESPECIALLY online.
I try to comment somewhat intelligently but all of I've got for this is - Oh FFS!
Well some of you had better not get eczema because that just won't- you know... and no black T shirts either!
I could not give a flying f**k less about "Freckle Appropriation". I've got them. Usually forget they exist, until someone says they're cute. My best lady doesn't naturally have navy blue eyeliner, but it looks great on her. Same thing: aesthetics. If you're trying to present as a different culture/ethnicity... You're a toolbox, and should be called out.
I just saw the film Vengeance in which BJ Novak's character says to another white character, "You calling something 'cultural appropriation' is cultural appropriation". Seems apt here.
if anything exists, it's to be used by anyone, it's not assigned to/owned by any "culture" or group, no one is going to tell me or anyone else what kind of hairdo or clothes anyone's going to wear... probably the next step will be gatekeeping learning foreign languages, because e.g. a Pole learning French is trying to steal from the French ... there's already a story on teh interwebz someone with good eyesight started getting threats for learning Braille for some personal reason... all those gatekeepers can just stfu and gtfo
This post should get the award for the stupidest thing ever posted on BP.
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