The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan Was More Hopeful Than You Thought

The classic rock of the 1990s wasn’t always the most bright and sunshiny form of music. Despite this, The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan sent his fans an upbeat message about his own body, specifically his birthmarks, and your body. He revealed that many people think that his birthmark is somehow contagious.

The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan loves himself and wants you to love yourself

In a 2024 Instagram post, the “1979” singer reacted to an image of model Carlotta Bertotti showing off her highly visible facial birthmark. “I’m a fan of body positivity movements because at the end of the day it is about celebrating what makes us ‘us,'” he said. “So as you see, here is a beautiful young woman (@carlotta_bertotti) with a birthmark who has embraced her ‘difference’ with grace.”

Corgan discussed his own body. “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,” he said. “So much so that people who have known me for a decade are shocked when they finally ‘see it,'” he said. “And 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.” Corgan revealed that people often randomly ask him if his birthmark hurts, if it’s contagious, or if it’s a burn.

“So positive message for the day,” Corgan concluded. “Whoever you are, I hope you find peace with who you are because: I would like to know that person and no one else.” 

Billy Corgan is using the rhetoric of a big social movement

Body positivity has rapidly become one of the most influential social movements of our era. It has helped a lot of people embrace aspects of their appearance that society doesn’t always celebrate. It’s also one of the biggest topics of discussion on social media.

The ways that body positivity has affected us are myriad. For example, it used to be much more socially acceptable to mock others for their appearance. More and more people are adopting a less judgemental attitude toward others, regardless of weight, height, birthmarks, etc.

Is this really what anyone would expect from The Smashing Pumpkins?

Corgan’s message of self-acceptance might be a tad surprising to fans. When people think of The Smashing Pumpkins, they think of a downbeat era in rock ‘n’ roll that began when Nirvana put out the dark and angry song “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The Smashing Pumpkins embodied a lot of the same angst, like when they put out an album called Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Perhaps the most famous lyric from the band’s career was “Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage” from “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”

However, Corgan didn’t necessarily see his band as dark. During a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, he said that what set The Smashing Pumpkins apart from other group is that they had a hopeful attitude and felt that they could change the world. He said that hope wasn’t something that could be easily recreated.

Corgan hasn’t always performed the most uplifting songs, but he wants you to feel good about yourself.