Jacob shows off his imaginary world map (Picture: Mneneon/Imgur)

Instead of trying to cover up his birthmark, this guy has turned his into a beautiful work of art.

Reddit user Mneneon, a New York college student called Jacob, has transformed the birthmark, which covers his right hand and arm, into a map of an imaginary world.

Instead of covering up the red patches (which resemble little islands and large continents), he likes to draw round them with pen to create borders.

Last week, he posted pictures of what he calls his ‘birthmap’ on Reddit with the comment: ‘I was born with a map of places that do not exist upon my arm and hand. Outlined with pen for your convenience.’


The images have been shared thousands of times.



Jacob says he’s always seen his birthmark as a map – he believes the red skin is land and the white is ocean (at least on his hand).

It takes around an hour and a half to draw the whole map.

When asked if he’s ever considered turning his artwork into a permanent tattoo, he said he has, but he’s not sure he wants to:

‘Yep! But I always found [the birthmarks] a cool thing on its own, and I wanted no one to doubt that it was something I was born with and accepted, rather than decided upon later,’ he replied.

As for any advice he has for those with birthmarks like him, he says: ‘Your birthmark doesn’t define you any more than you let it.’

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