A YOUNG woman was left with her “face down” and “shaking” walking back to her car after a fun shopping trip turned into a nightmare.
Amba Smith, a self-taught makeup artist and content creator who is open about her and birth mark on her face, could not believe what a staff member said to her while she was picking up some essentials recently.
A young woman in tears on TikTok this week as she opened up about being judged while shopping recentlyCredit: tiktok/@_amba_smith_
Amba was stunned after a Boots staff member asked if she drew dots on her face, but its her birthmarkCredit: tiktok/@_amba_smith_
The 24-year-old was horrified when the woman asked if she was wearing Halloween makeup as she noticed her Sturge Weber Syndrome birthmark.
It came as Amba went into her local Boots last month for a mooch around and to pick up some and beauty items she needed.
In a video , shared on Amba’s page, she explained: “I said ‘hi, how are you’ she responded ‘I’m OK thank you’ and then proceeded to ask if I was on my way to a Halloween party and if that is the reason I have a Halloween mask on of a burns victim.
“At first I didn’t respond because I was just so gobsmacked that I heard her correctly. I sharply said no.”
“One thing I’ve been trying to work on is saying ‘oh it’s a birthmark’ as I feel like I don’t always have to broadcast my medical history.
“I don’t have to share it with anyone if I don’t want to.”
After responding ‘no’ to the staff member’s question, Amba said the pair were left in an awkward silence.
Baffled, she added: “I was trying to work out in my head what she meant by the comment, obviously I’ve had those comments before from a child but never from an adult.
“I was trying to work out what she meant by Halloween party we were in February and there is still eight months until October.”
Amba’s has a non-inherited, congenital neurological disorder characterized by a facial “port-wine stain” birthmark and abnormal blood vessels on the brain’s surface.
From being 12 weeks old she has undergone many surgeries and procedures due to the added conditions that come with her birthmark, such as glaucoma.
Amba said that when people ask about her face, they trend overapologise for their ignorance when she reveals it’s a birth mark.
But the Boots staff member reportedly asked further questions.
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Amba claimed: “I was almost in a daze until she then she asked me if I’m going to an Easter party and ‘is that why you’ve drawn a load of pink and purple spots on your face’.”
The customer added: “She then asked me why I got 10% student discount and then I grabbed the receipt and left the store.
“I just felt so embarrassed and I felt like this whole interaction was my fault.”
Amba said she “walked with her head down” back to her car as eyes filled her tears.
She explained that she has worse flare ups during the colder months, which can make her skin look more sore.
She said: “I actually walked past my car because I refused to look up – and when I did get back to my car I was physically shaking
“Yes, my skin it was very purple, it was swollen and it looked really really sore.”
Amba, who has raked in over 690,000 views after speaking out about what happened online, added: “Sometimes when I do go into my local Boots store, sometimes I’ll be wearing makeup, sometimes I won’t and no one has ever made a comment.
“No one has ever even battered an eyelid.
“Something like this has never happened to me before and definitely not within an adult setting.”
She insists: “In the UK one in five people identify as having visible differences, myself included.
“Many of us feel pressured to cover our differences with makeup or clothing every single day just to avoid the stares, comments and judgements from others.”
“It’s not acceptable,” she added.
A Boots manager commented on the post and said: “As a manager at Boots I’m so sorry this happened to you.
“Please contact the store or write a complaint. As a customer, no one deserves to be spoken to like that.”
A Spokesperson confirmed to the Sun that they have been in touch with Amba regarding this incident.
Boots said: “We are deeply sorry about this customer’s experience, which falls short of our values of respect and inclusivity.
“We are investigating this incident with our store team as a priority and have been in touch with the customer directly to express our unreserved apologies.”
Amba, who has worked with numerous skin care and , hopes to create awareness of birthmarks and diversity within the make-up industry.
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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