A mother has spoken out about the negative comments she has received about photographs of her baby girl.
Katie Crenshaw from Atlanta, Georgia, took to her blog – twelve & six – to address the insensitive remarks she has read from both strangers and family members.
Like many parents, Katie loves showing off six-month-old Charlie on her Instagram account however she didn’t expect that so many people would comment on the tot’s birthmark.
She has a birthmark called capillary hemangioma on the right side of her face. It causes no harm to her and most disappear over time.
In her blog post entitled ‘What’s Wrong With Her Face?’ the mum-of-two said: “I’ve gotten a variety of remarks from family, friends, and strangers. I’ve done some thinking and I want to share our perspective as parents.
“We don’t need to talk about it every time you look at her. We see past the color of her face. Charlie is Charlie and it’s part of who she is. It doesn’t need to be constantly commented on, critiqued, or questioned. While I don’t mind educating curious minds, I don’t need your opinion on how it its progress or the affect it may have on her. It’s a part of her unique beauty. It may never disappear, and guess what? It doesn’t have to. I would much rather chat about her latest milestone achievement, her amazing smile, or how gorgeous her eyes are.
“She isn’t in pain or ill. She simply has an unusual quality about her appearance. The most common sentiments are “I’m praying that it goes away.” Or “Bless her poor little heart.” I’m constantly being asked “When will that go away?” I’ve even heard things as harsh as “turn her to her good side” or “Too bad, she’s so pretty otherwise”.
“I encourage you to, instead of praying it will disappear, pray that she grows into a confident girl who loves herself no matter what she looks like. Pray that constant comments and opinions from friends, family and strangers will end before she’s old enough to overhear them. Pray that she will be a strong person in the in an age where we are bullied for any number of reasons.”
A photo posted by k a t i e • c r e n s h a w (@katiemcrenshaw) on
She finished off by writing: “Just consider that. Consider that you are offering to pray away one of my daughter’s beautiful features that makes her who she is.
“Hold the pity. She’s a healthy baby girl and we are blessed. Her hemangioma is just as insignificant to who she is as a freckle on her arm. You don’t need to mention it, and you don’t need to wish it away.
“She doesn’t have a “good side” that we choose for family pictures. I don’t retouch her hemangioma in photos. Her entire face is my sweet Charlie, and it doesn’t matter what it looks like.”
While we think it is awful that Katie even felt the need to write such a post, we want to congratulate her on responding to the nasty comments and on having a gorgeous baby girl!
Main image: Instagram/Katie Crenshaw
