Lifestyle As you traverse the streets of London these days, you may notice a curious phenomenon developing on the epidermis of our fair city. Spot stickers, once solely marketed as a way to conceal and heal stubborn pimples in the privacy of your own home, are suddenly being worn with pride. Over the past month, I have spotted them on the faces of people at work, at festivals, and in the club.
For a while, I thought people had simply forgotten they were wearing them. “Babe,” I wanted to say, “you’ve actually still got your pimple patch on!” Thank god I didn’t, because it turns out this is completely intentional. Gen Z has shunned concealer and taken to wearing spot stickers to school, university, and even on nights out.
Gen Z musical princess PinkPantheress has even become an ambassador for one of the most popular spot sticker brands, Starface. And it’s starting to win over the millennials, too. “I think it’s a cute way of saying ‘I have spots and I’m not embarrassed about it,’” says Evie Stothert, a 29-year-old stylist living in East London.
“And you don’t have to cake them in concealer if you want them covered up. I think it’s very specific to millennial and Gen Z though, as when I wore them to work, my boss was like ‘What the hell have you got on your face?’” Ironically, this process dates back much further than any Gen Z or millennial. According to historians, Romans used to apply leather patches to disguise pockmarks or scars as beau.