It's all too easy to be hyper-critical of your appearance, cursing the dark circles under your eyes or wishing away the flush of rosacea on your cheeks. Sometimes, maybe you just want to just swipe on some concealer and make it all disappear. But Ferrin Roy, a mental health counsellor, is making a case for learning to love what makes you different.
Born with a 4-inch-wide birthmark under her eye that covers the entire right side of her face, Roy has received countless negative comments and stares on account of this "imperfection," but refused to conceal it — even on her wedding day. In fact, she revealed to The Daily Mail that she will never be ashamed of her birthmark or cover it with makeup. Talk about some kick-ass confidence.
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“I completely embrace my birthmark — I never covered it and never will,” she told the website. That's not to say she hasn't been challenged by society's narrow-minded perception of beauty. On the contrary, the mother of two has been so moved to spread her message of self-love that she's written a book titled, The Mark She Kept: A Woman's Journey to Living Her Purpose Courageously.
Her reason for speaking out wasn't due to her own insecurities, either, but the negativity and judgement others placed on her appearance. “My birthmark is not only raising awareness but it's helping others embrace their uniqueness,” she said. “I've always felt confident while gazing into a mirror. It was the opinion of others that I allowed to linger on for too long. Surprisingly, the second I became free of insecurities, questions from others stopped.”
It's a lesson in self-love we all need to hear, especially considering how easy it is to nitpick every little imperfection. As the clichéd saying goes, beauty is more than skin-deep — and Roy is the perfect example.
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