Beauty influencer tattoos freckles on her face, move sparks heated debate online

A beauty influencer in San Diego, California who got freckles tattooed on her face sparked a fevered debate online between people who felt she went too far and fans who said she can do what she liked with her face.

“I’ve always felt like my face was meant to have freckles,” Ms Sierra Cannon, 26, told People magazine after a video she posted on Oct 17 documenting her freckles-filled journey chalked up over 3 million views.

She said she previously tried henna and fake tans to get that sun-kissed look that has been a defining mark of celebrities like Emma Stone, Lindsay Lohan and Saoirse Ronan.

In October, she made the “impulsive” decision to just have freckles tattooed on her face, and get it over and done with.

So, she went to a tattoo artist whose rates range between US$185 (S$241) and US$350.

The photos Ms Cannon posted on social media platform TikTok days after her ink job quickly polarised her followers and casual viewers.

“For the first four to five days, it basically looks like you drew freckles on your face with a brown Sharpie,” she said in her TikTok post. “It’s really a ‘trust the process’ moment.”

“Unnatural and fake-looking,” commented one.

“Why would this ever be a good idea, girl?” asked another.

Yet another said: “That’s not going to age well”.

Someone else described them as “zit scars”.

Most, however, especially those who grew up with freckles, were amused over the fact that the facial imperfections that they’ve tried to hide all their lives are now a beauty trend.

“Mine were free, and I was bullied my whole childhood for them. Crazy how people are getting this done,” said one of Ms Cannon’s followers.

“The reactions were all over the place, some positive, some negative, and some people acting like I’d tattooed a lightning bolt across my forehead,” said Ms Cannon.

Ms Cannon offered an update a week after the procedure, and many of her early critics were surprised that the results appeared remarkably natural.

“Okay, so at first I was scared for you, honestly,” one commenter said. “Then by day four and day five, they already looked so good and natural.”

Others shared similar reactions.

“So cute,” another follower wrote. “I think people were just overwhelmed because they were so dark at first, but now they look amazing.”

Ms Cannon said she was not troubled by naysayers.

The decision to get freckle tattoos, she said, was a personal one – a reflection of self-expression and self-assurance.

“People will always have opinions, whether good or bad,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you should let them dictate your choices. My freckles are a small but meaningful way to express myself, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”