I’ve had freckles for my entire life. The ones on my arms and on the rest of my body are fairly dark and numerous. The ones on my face are light enough that they can be easily covered by makeup but dark enough that they're pretty noticeable when I'm bare-faced. They were a lot darker when I was younger - because I actually used to leave my house and go outside in the sun - so I would put lemon juice on my face because I had read somewhere online that it reduced the appearance of freckles. I didn't hatemy freckles, but I wasn't too fond of them either. I felt like they made me look like a raccoon.

I put lemon juice on my face every day for about three months before I realized that, not only would lemon juice make my freckles lighter, but it would make the rest of my skin lighter as well. If there's one thing that I don't need in this world, it's to be paler than I already am.

So I stopped fighting my freckles and accepted the fact that they’re a part of me.

But even though I finally came to terms with my spotted skin, I never imagined that freckles were a desirable feature to some people. I’ve seen tons of beauty gurus on Instagram and YouTube - Nina Nesbitt, Bretman Rock, James Charles, Karla Jara - who finish off their makeup by adding fake freckles because they like the way it looks.

Could it be that my freckles aren’t the fiends that I’ve always made them out to be?

I don’t really feel one way or another about my freckles now, but people tell me that they’re cute and some even tell me that they wish they had freckles naturally. I guess the lesson here is that the grass is always greener on the other side. We always want what we don’t have, but it’s important to appreciate and love what you do have.

The only real problem that I have with my freckles - that I’m sure everyone with freckles can relate to - is that having freckles means you have fair skin, and having fair skin means that there’s no such thing as “tanning”. You just get burnt every time you go out in the sun, no matter how much sunscreen you put on or how high the SPF is.

Also, if you’re a lowkey hypochondriac like me, having freckles means spending a fair amount of time inspecting them and wondering which ones are normal and which ones could possibly be cancerous.

But, as much as you can change your appearance with diet, exercise, surgery, or makeup, at the end of the day it feels better to love yourself for the way you are. Whether your freckles are few and far between or your freckles are cheetah status, embrace them.