What's so beautiful about a beauty mark?

What indeed? Seems to us that at times, people's reactions have been akin to making a mountain out of a mole hill. Our first reaction was to go ask our good friend, Mole, of Riverside bank, Wind in the Willows, but he, Ratty and Badger were chasing weasels out of Toad Hall at the time.

A shame but we did find from another source the following:

A beauty mark or beauty spot is a dark facial mole, so named because such moles have at times been considered an attractive feature. For a mole to be considered a "beauty mark" it is generally less than a centimeter across and not protuberant or polypoid. Medically, such "beauty marks" are generally melanocytic nevus, more specifically the compound variant. Moles of this type may also be located elsewhere on the body, and may also be considered beauty marks if located on the shoulder, neck or breast.

False beauty marks are sometimes applied to the face as a form of make-up. Beauty marks were particularly highly regarded during the eighteenth century and creating false ones became common, often in fanciful shapes such as hearts or stars. They could be purchased as silk or velvet patches known as "mouches" (flies).

In the twentieth century Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark generated a new vogue. Musician Prince is iconic for several of his beauty marks, and helped make it common for men in the twentieth century. In recent years, fashion model Cindy Crawford's prominent mole has helped revive the fashion.

They also say that moles on the front of body denote good fortune, on the back indicate burden.

Hey look there's Mole. "What do you think of all this?" we say. Mole blinks a bit, opens his mouth and just LOLs at us.

Hmph, he's no Prince Charming! Goes to show folks, beauty is only skin deep.

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1 comment:

Richard Lynn said...

In the right place a beuty spot can bring contrast to the face and can be very attractive. Marilyn Monroe was gorgeous and she had 1!

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