I Won't Cover My Birthmark For Bullies Anymore

A MUM has learnt to love her port wine birthmark after years of hiding it - with one cruel comment likening it to a 'dead foetus'. Kira McCracken, from Ohio, didn’t really worry about her port wine birthmark until she got to seventh grade. It was then that she asked her mum if she could start wearing makeup to cover it up. Armed with cosmetic products designed to conceal tattoos, and even an airbrush to create a smooth finish, Kira, now aged 24, would spend 45 minutes to an hour putting on her makeup every day. Her birthmark has been described as everything from a blueberry to a dead foetus and over the years Kira has learnt how to respond to the comments and stares she's received. By the time she hit her Freshman year, encouraged by her group of supportive friends, Kira stopped covering up her birthmark. Now a mother, she wants to show her six-year-old daughter and partner, Dominic that it's ok to be herself.