Mariana Mendes doesn't want to hide her striking birthmark, thank you very much.
By Lindsey Lanquist, Self
Mariana Mendes has a striking facial birthmark, and she absolutely loves it.
[post_ads]When
Mendes was born with a large birthmark stretching over her nose, right
cheek, and forehead, her mother worried she would get bullied as she
grew older. And when Mendes was 5 years old, her mother looked into
laser procedures to remove the birthmark.
After attending just three laser sessions, Mendes decided to stop the
procedures. Now, Mendes, 24, tells SELF she can't imagine herself
without her birthmark. "[I] wouldn't be the same."
Mendes says she's never felt insecure
about her facial birthmark. Sure, she's gotten stares and weird looks
from passersby. She's faced Instagram trolls who've told her that her
birthmark is ugly or strange. She's even had to explain to people that
her birthmark is, in fact, real—it isn't tattooed on or applied with
makeup. But Mendes really doesn't mind. "You have to be the person you
love most in life, [so] I've always accepted myself as I am," she says.
"Your opinion of you is what should be important."
Mendes
explains that she's become kind of immune to criticism over the years.
She's spent so much time dealing with what other people think about her
appearance, that at a certain point, she just stopped caring. She loves
her birthmark, and if someone has something to say about it, that's
their problem—not hers. And she hopes to help others feel as confident
when it comes to their own so-called "imperfections."
That's why she's always uploading new pictures of herself to
Instagram—she wants to help her followers see that their unique
characteristics are what make them truly beautiful. "Everyone should
feel happy," she says.
[post_ads_2]
Mendes (follow her at @melzitahh)
uploads a new photo every day for her 10,700 Instagram followers. In
each one, she's modeling her birthmark or otherwise enjoying life. "I
want to encourage people not to criticize anyone," she says. "No
physical characteristic should be criticized, because we're all
different...The moment everyone is feeling good, we'll have a society
with more happiness and love."
See some of Mariana Mendes' Instagrams below.
[post_ads_2]
Related:
- This Woman Is Creatively Capturing Her Birthmark To Challenge How We See Flaws
- This Model Spent Years Trying To Remove Her Birthmark—Now, She's Embracing It
- This Mom Wants People To Stop Pitying Her Baby Because Of Her Birthmark
