Freckles Are Trendy Now?

As long as I can remember, I've had freckles. From the very first moment I looked in the mirror and recognized my own face, it was already sprinkled with little brown flecks. In my early childhood, I didn't give them much thought. I was too busy playing outside and bothering my brothers to worry about how I looked. But as I got older, I began to notice that not everyone around me had freckles. Slowly, I realized I looked different.

Middle school is an awkward time for everyone. You become hyperaware of your appearance and, inevitably, start scrutinizing every part of yourself. For me, the focus was my freckles. While my friends had smooth tan skin (aside from the occasional pimple because, well, puberty), I couldn’t stop obsessing over how textured and uneven my face looked because of the speckles. I felt insecure. There was nothing I could do to change it, so instead, I quietly wished I had the clear, freckle-free skin of my friends.

My mom has freckles. I got my fair, freckled skin from her. This delicate trait was passed down like a family heirloom. She's the most beautiful person I know, so why did I grow up feeling embarrassed by the very thing that linked us? The truth is, she didn't always love her freckles either. When I would complain about my skin, calling it ugly or uneven, she never dismissed my feelings. Instead, she listened, related, and shared that she had once felt the same way. In those moments, I felt seen, but now, looking back, I feel a pang of sadness. Sad that I ever saw something so unique as a flaw. And sadder still that my words, however unintentional, may have deepened her own insecurities. It’s a strange kind of guilt, realizing that the very person who comforted me may have been quietly carrying the same weight all along.

It’s even stranger when I consider how much the world around us has changed. Now, looking back, it’s almost funny how much time I spent wishing my freckles away. What once felt like a flaw is now something people go out of their way to recreate. Freckles have somehow become trendy, penciled on with makeup, dotted across noses and cheeks to give that “natural” sun-kissed look. I’ve seen influencers spend entire tutorials carefully adding fake freckles, trying to mimic what I used to desperately wish I didn’t have.

This shift made me realize how much beauty standards change and how little power they should have over how we feel about ourselves. The very thing that made me feel different and insecure is now seen as desirable, unique, and even beautiful. My freckles connect me to my younger self; when I look at childhood photos, I see the same freckles I still have today. And when I look in the mirror now, I see glimpses of my mother when she was younger, her freckles, just like mine. They're a part of me, and I've come to realize I wouldn't want to see a version of myself without them. What used to set me apart in a way that felt isolating now brings a quiet, natural confidence. And the best part is I didn’t need makeup to get them, I was just ahead of the trend.