A red stain
My birthmark is a reminder of the danger of being seen as 'a certain kind of woman'—and of hiding essential parts of ourselves.
There’s a birthmark on my neck, a red stain.
It starts with a thumbprint-like smudge above my right clavicle and wraps around the back of my neck. Seen from the side, it almost looks like a handprint. When I was little, I wondered if it was left behind by the doctor who pulled me from the incision in my mom’s belly—a permanent brui…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to TCF Emails to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.