Birthmarks: many of us have them, but do we really even think about their existence?

I have met people with tiny birthmarks, hardly noticeable unless pointed out. Contrariwise, I've met individuals with large and distracting birthmarks. To some, the concept is embarrassing; they are ashamed. I attended elementary school with a child who had a birthmark on his face, and he was consistently bullied even throughout high school. I personally have a strawberry colored birthmark on my right bicep. Since I was young, I have been badgered with questions in regards to it. In middle school, fellow students asked me if it was a hickey. On my arm? Not likely. The amount of times I've been informed that I have "something" on my arm is absurd. Working in a veterinary clinic, I have had coworkers ask me if I was aware that I was bleeding. After frantically searching for the wound and informing them that it is actually, in fact, my birthmark, I am met with embarrassed glances and apologies. I have never taken offense to people acknowledging my birthmark, but I understand why people treat the subject with such sensitivity. In our modern society, people tend to think that any deviation from the norm is the an embarrassment. Why is this the case? Why is there a stigma associated with birthmarks?

I wear my birthmark like a badge of honor. My birthmark is the part of me that is completely unique. Not a single person on this earth displays a music note shaped strawberry pink birthmark on his or her right bicep. That is my mark of individuality. That shape, that color, that positioning, is all mine. To be ashamed of my birthmark would be a slap in the face to nature.

My birthmark on my body is the equivalent to the barcode on an apple at the grocery store. A barcode carries all of the information necessary to identify the object. Likewise, birthmarks carry all of the information necessary to identify a human individual. My birthmark is my barcode. In those discolored pink speckles lies all of the skin cells that make me... well, me.

So, to the men and women who have found themselves ashamed of and attempting to conceal your birthmark: that is your individual tattoo. The artist? Nature. It is the most beautiful piece of art you will ever display on your body. An $800 tattoo by a renowned tattoo artist pales in comparison to the inimitable mark on your body created through natural processes. Your discolored patches of skin are beyond beautiful. Looking for words to describe your birthmark is useless; few combinations of letters can truly express the intricate artistry that is perpetually engraved into your skin.

The stigma surrounding birthmarks will slowly be eliminated. Of course, time will aide this process. More importantly, however, is that the bearers of birthmarks must cease to be ashamed of their individuality. We should all be proud, even though we are deviating from the societal norm of perfect skin and flawless complexion. Stop wearing long sleeves to cover your markings. Stop painting on makeup to mask your natural beauty. Your birthmark is you; your birthmark is your barcode. Your birthmark labels you as you. Your birthmark is a representation of nature at its most successful. I challenge everyone bearing a birthmark to wear it like a badge of honor, to display mother nature's work, and be an example to all of the individuals who still mask their individuality.