Women with scars, burns, and birthmarks want people to stop acting like their facial differences are 'scary' costumes to replicate on Halloween

Jane RidleyOct 28, 2022, 03:00 IST

Burn survivor Raiche Mederick, left, and Brittany Leigh, who has Bell's palsy, which causes facial paralysis.Raiche Mederick/Brittany Leigh

Four women with facial differences told Insider that they dread Halloween.
They're backing a new TikTok campaign to urge people not to replicate their looks to scare others.

A new TikTok video with hashtags like #GoryMakeup and #HalloweenFX has been posted in the run-up to Halloween. It hopes to make people think twice about putting fake burns and scars on their faces to imitate characters like Freddy Krueger and The Joker.

The video — a collaboration between Face Equality International and Changing Faces UK — shows people with facial differences recounting the taunts they've experienced around Halloween.

One woman recalls the insult, "Is that blood on your face? It would make a great Halloween costume." A man remembers the jibe,"Whoa. Great FX, mate."

The TikTok video's accompanying text reads: "When someone uses makeup or prosthetics to replicate scars or burns, it continues the false narrative that people with visible differences are evil and villainous."

These as-told-to essays are based on conversations with Phyllida Swift, Raiche Mederick, Brittany Leigh, and Debbie Morgan. They have been edited for length and clarity.

Phyllida Swift, 29, of London, was in a car accident in 2015 that left scars on her face.

Swift recovering after her car accident in 2015.Phyllida Swift

Raiche Mederick, 29, of London, sustained burns on more than 70% of her face and body in a house fire when she was 18 months old.

Mederick is fighting discrimination against people with visible differences like her.Raiche Mederick

Brittany Leigh, 25, of Adelaide, Australia, has Bell's palsy. The condition has paralyzed the right side of her face, creating a crooked smile.

Leigh appears in a new TikTok video intended to raise awareness about facial differences.Courtesy of Face Equality International

Debbie Morgan, 35, of Edinburgh, Scotland, was born with a rare birthmark on and above her upper lip.

Morgan's vascular malformation was more apparent when she was a little girl.Courtesy of Debbie Morgan

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Women with scars, burns, and birthmarks want people to stop acting like their facial differences are 'scary' costumes to replicate on Halloween

Phyllida Swift, 29, of London, was in a car accident in 2015 that left scars on her face.

Raiche Mederick, 29, of London, sustained burns on more than 70% of her face and body in a house fire when she was 18 months old.

Brittany Leigh, 25, of Adelaide, Australia, has Bell's palsy. The condition has paralyzed the right side of her face, creating a crooked smile.

Debbie Morgan, 35, of Edinburgh, Scotland, was born with a rare birthmark on and above her upper lip.