Nowadays, most people consider a mole on their face a blemish that they seek to remove. However, in some cultures, a mole was (and still is) thought to be an attractive feature. Icons from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna and Cindy Crawford have all sported trademark ‘beauty spots’, whether they were naturally occurring or created with cosmetic help.
It can seem confusing as to why the humble mole has been so frequently exaggerated, disguised, or removed according to culture and fashion and the preference of the bearer. Here’s a look at the fascinating history of this seemingly inconsequential bundle of cells.
Back in the mediaeval era, prominent facial moles were considered to be a sign of the devil and associated with witchcraft, according to Town & Country magazine. In an era of the horrendously unjust persecution of thousands of innocent people, it was certainly a facial feature that you would try to remove or disguise if possible.
However, in a complete turnabout of the culture, by the 18th century the facial mole had become a fashionable status symbol, and featured in the portraits of various powdered and bewigged beauties of the era. Sometimes, these ‘beauty spots’ were faked with velvet patches to enhance the smooth alabaster quality of the rest of the skin.
It is thought that wearing patches on the skin originally had a more prosaic purpose, to disguise pockmarks or other scars that were the result of common eighteenth century diseases such as smallpox and syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease. In fact, for this reason an artificial facial mole was associated with promiscuity in some circles.
It seems that the beauty spot also retained a lighter and more flirtatious meaning however. It was even thought that the area of the face in which the user chose to display it had a hidden code for those in the know. According to Early Modern Medicine, these were as follows:
“Women who wanted to create the impression of impishness stuck them near the corner of the mouth; those who wanted to flirt chose the cheek; those in love put a beauty spot beside the eye; a spot on the chin indicated roguishness or playfulness, a patch on the nose cheekiness; the lip was preferred by the coquettish lady, and the forehead was reserved for the proud.”
Even the gentlemen of the British Parliament used beauty spots to make a statement, with Tories and Whigs wearing spots on the opposite side of the face to their opponents.
The fashion faded away during the nineteenth century but made a comeback in spectacular fashion in the mid-twentieth century, with the actress and model Marilyn Monroe sporting her famous beauty mark on her cheek. This look has since been embraced by a whole range of celebrities.
However, not everyone feels so comfortable with a prominent mole, and they can be a nisusace if they itch or catch on clothing or jewellery. However there are safe and effective methods to deal with them, including cryopen mole removal.