This week Match.com were forced to apologise for running an advert on London's underground walls that suggested freckles were blemishes. Come again? From Anne of Green Gables to Lindsay Lohan via Pippy Long Stocking, the freckled face has been immortalised as a thing of wondrous beauty.
Defying overly airbrushed skin, freckles regularly fill our beauty pages and Tumblr feeds as the epitome of outdoorsy, natural beauty – a fascinating concept for us town-dwellers. Kendall and Bella have been instagramming theirs non-stop, St Tropez sprayed them on catwalk models for Preen this season, and you can even now buy a freckle pencil in Topshop.
And the best thing about freckles? Their unexpectedness. They decorate darker tones, litter shoulders and backs, and make a person that extra bit special. From Adwoa Aboah to Bella Hadid, here's a selection of our favourite freckles for you to muse over.
Coral's freckles are exquisite. One of the faces of American Apparel, Coral has a sister who is equally blessed...
@ckwayie
Tanisha. Lucky for us, the two are often photographed together.
@tanishakwayie
Model Nicholas Sinclair's freckles cover most of his blue-eyed face.
@ns100__
Adwoa Aboah, Tyrone Lebon's muse, is one of our favourite faces working in the fashion industry right now. With her bleached brows and shaved head, she's a remarkable and minty-blast of fresh air.
@adwoaaboah
Natalie Westling is another of the most in-demand models and the flame haired beauty came to prominence when she bagged the Spring 2014 Marc Jacobs and Saint Laurent Paris ad campaigns. Boom.
@nataliewestling
Binx is our favourite girl boss on the fashion scene and walks almost every NYFW show.
@binxwalton
Violetta's striking beauty marks cover her entire body.
@violetarecondo
Swedish model Sabina Karlsson is the plus size model who's breaking all the industry standards and winning.
@thesabinakarlsson
Rosie Campbell's minimalist scattering of freckles over the bridge of her nose make her one of the most distinctive faces right now. Beyoncé is a fan too.
@missscampbell
Jade Thompson won Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model in 2011 and signed to Model's 1 immediately.
18-year-old George Hard is a favourite at the men's shows and it's obvious why.
Photo: Getty
Bella Hadid's best friend, emerald-eyed Jesse Jo Stark shows off her holiday freckles.
@jessejostark
Bella captioned this picture "freckles out to play" and 188K people liked it. Amen!
@bellahadid
Half German, half Korean, Jennifer Koch's freckles are seriously cute.
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