Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Billy Corgan Shows Off His 'Port Wine' Birthmarks To Highlight Body Positivity In Powerful Post

Billy Corgan
Timothy Norris/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman showed off the birthmarks on his arm and hand on Instagram on Monday with a powerful message of body positivity and embracing your differences.

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan shared a photo of the birthmarks on his arm in an effort to embrace the uniqueness that makes each of us special in a powerful Instagram post embracing body positivity.

The 57-year-old singer and songwriter, a member of the Smashing Pumpkins since 1988, posted a photo of him proudly displaying his "port wine" birthmarks on his left forearm.


"I’m a fan of body positivity movements because at the end of the day it is about celebrating what makes us ‘us,' " he wrote.


@billycorgan/Instagram


In the post's second slide, Corgan shared a screenshot of model Carlotta Bertotti, who overcame her appearance insecurities to embrace the blue-grey spot on the side of her face marked by a benign skin condition called the Nevus of Ota.

Since sharing her story with the world, Bertotti has amassed a devoted social media following, inspiring them to celebrate their "flaws" as their uniqueness.

Corgan continued:

"So as you see, here is a beautiful young woman (@carlotta_bertotti ) with a birthmark who has embraced her ‘difference’ with grace."

Like Bertotti, who used to try concealing the mark on her face with elaborate makeup routines to fit in before embracing her perceived imperfection, Corgan opened up about his early insecurity.

He said:

"My point being that my whole life I’ve endeavoured to hide my ‘port wine’ birthmarks because as you can imagine I was teased unmercifully about them as a child."
"So much so that people who have known me for a decade are shocked when they finally ‘see it’.'"

Corgan said his birthmarks still cause concern.

"Even now strangers will stop me on the street not because they recognize me but because they think something is wrong with me that requires medical attention," he said.

Some of the questions he's been asked about his skin discoloration were:

"Is that a burn?"
"Are you sick?"
"Is it contagious?"
"Does it hurt?"

He concluded his post with a "positive message for the day," which was:

"Whoever you are, I hope you find peace with who you are because: I would like to know that person and no one else."

Corgan's post was met with overwhelming support.

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

@billycorgan/Instagram

People with birthmarks often are subjected to whispers and being stared at in public, which can negatively impact self-esteem and emotional well-being.

As a result, those affected often experience social anxiety, as they are constantly worried about what people may be thinking about them, as Corgan mentioned in his post.

His message is powerful because, in addition to smashing pumpkins on stage, he's destroying the stigma and discrimination associated with birthmarks, and we're totally here for it.

More from Entertainment/music

Jeff Ross
Mike Coppola/Variety via Getty Images

Comedian Jeff Ross Shares Photos Of Puffed Up Lip After Allergic Reaction To Ice Cream

Insult comic Jeff Ross revealed he had a medical emergency after a show Saturday night that resulted in a trip to the ER. However, he assured fans the show must go on despite "looking like Mickey Rourke at the end of The Wrestler."

Ross recounted the ordeal on Instagram, showing his swollen lip taking over his face from eating burrata ice cream after his Take a Banana for the Ride show in Mill Valley, California, near San Francisco.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Jesse Watters on Fox News
Fox News

Jesse Watters Offers Mind-Numbing New Claim About Masculinity—And Is Instantly Dragged

Problematic Fox News MAGA pundit Jesse Watters has made another bizarre claim about masculinity.

Having already taken exception with eating ice cream, drinking milkshakes, and taking bubble baths, Watters is now targeting tech jobs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump with the Dodgers
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Leaves Everyone Confused With Hilariously Bizarre Word Salad Tribute To The Dodgers

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he welcomed the 2024 World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House on Monday with a bizarre, tangential, and rambling speech.

The team arrived at the White House on Monday morning, where Trump, in his remarks, praised two-way star Shohei Ohtani and infielder Mookie Betts. The Dodgers had defeated the New York Yankees in five games to clinch their second World Series title in five seasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Roasted After Giving Clunky New Nickname To People Criticizing His Tariffs

President Donald Trump was criticized after he pushed back against critics of his tariffs, coming up with a new nickname for the "weak and stupid" people who oppose them.

The Trump administration’s newly imposed tariffs on imports from various countries have unsettled consumers, triggered a trade war, disrupted global markets, and sparked widespread fears of a potential recession in the U.S. and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less

Childhood Experiences People Thought Were 'Normal' But Weren't At All

Content Warning: Child neglect, child abuse, narcissism, gaslighting, people-pleasing, and other traumatic childhood experiences

It's important for us to work on ourselves, to continue bettering ourselves throughout our limited time on this earth, and a key way of doing that is acknowledging what we do not know, and working on that.

Keep ReadingShow less