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This picture of Marilyn Monroe by Bottelho shows her beauty mark. mixed media on canvas (2007)

A beauty mark or beauty spot is a dark facial mole, so named because such moles have at times been considered an attractive feature. For a mole to be considered a "beauty mark" it is generally less than a centimetre across and not protuberant or polypoid. Medically, such "beauty marks" are generally melanocytic nevus, more specifically the compound variant. Moles of this may also be located elsewhere on the body, and may also be considered beauty marks if located on the shoulder, neck or breast.

False beauty marks are sometimes applied to the face as a form of make-up. Beauty marks were particularly highly regarded during the eighteenth century and creating false ones became common, often in fanciful shapes such as hearts or stars. They could be purchased as silk or velvet patches known as "mouches" (flies).

In the twentieth century Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark generated a new vogue. Musician Prince is iconic for several of his beauty marks, and helped make it common for men in the twentieth century. In recent years, fashion model Cindy Crawford's prominent mole has helped revive the fashion.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• Mole (skin marking)
• Birthmark
• Monroe piercing
• Freckles
• Facial mole

[edit] References