Youngest female with a full beard uses it to spread body positivity
Harnaam Kaur first broke the Guinness World Record for youngest female with a full beard on 7 September 2015, but her life hasn't always been full of achievements and acceptance.
Women with hairy legs, underarms, and upper lips have a lot of stigmas attached to them, as it is believed that it is unattractive, smelly, and gross.
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Contrary to popular belief, women with hair on their bodies are not dirtier than others.
Some women also cannot help excessive hair growth and others just have their own preferences, and all of these should be accepted.
One woman making waves in society for her unconventional and unapologetic look is Harnaam Kaur, who was 24 years and 282 days old when she took the record for the youngest female with a full beard.
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But as expected, Harnaam frequently has to deal with insensitive, intrusive questions and comments about her facial hair.
In a recent interview with Guinness World Records, she said that the most annoying thing she is sick of being asked would have to be, "why do you have a beard?"
Sometimes I wanna be sarcastic and be like 'well, why does your dad have a beard? I wish people asked me more questions about personal development, you know, 'how do I add value? You found your purpose, how can I find my purpose?'
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What many people don't know is that the growth of her facial hair is a symptom of her medical condition - polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
She was diagnosed when she was only 12 and the condition is more common than you might think, as it affects an estimated 1 in 10 women.
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Hirsutism, the excessive growth of hair, is one of the many PCOS symptoms in over 70% of women with this condition. So if it is more common than we think, why is there still so much stigma attached to it and will it ever be 'normal'?
Harnaam is using her beard as inspiration, motivation, and education.
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At the age of 30, she is a freelance model and motivational speaker through which she is hoping to spread a message of self-acceptance and body positivity with her no-nonsense attitude.
Since claiming her spot in the Guinness Book of Records, she's gone on to grace the cover of Cosmopolitan India, featured in Vogue Japan, and she's partnered with global brands like Coca-Cola!
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Just because it seems like Harnaam has it a bit easier now since being a cover star doesn't mean that her journey to self-love has been easy, or that it's over. It's continuous.
I used to wear tracksuits or my brother's clothes so I hid the fact I was a women, and to be honest I still sometimes do that because I don't need to deal with people and the c**p that they give me. A lot of things still trigger me to wanting to go back to that young girl that I was, where I did harm myself and things like that. Back then what I needed was someone to listen to me. It [the beard] does stop me from just doing regular things. Sometimes I can struggle with depression or anxiety and that does stop me from venturing out into the world.
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It has taken Harnaam a long time but she has found that the people she surrounds herself with have played a very important role in her life.
She also says that seeing herself accomplishing these incredible things isn't just a nice personal achievement to have but six years ago she would never see anyone looking like her in these mainstream publications. Now, other women can look at her and see themselves represented.
We can't wait to see what Harnaam does next and hopefully, she'll continue crushing gender stereotypes for many more years!
You can watch the full interview here:
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Main image courtesy of @harnaamkaur/Twitter