Despitethe constant bullying about her excessive facial hair, a 23-year-old Harnaam Kaur embraced her condition and now wears a full beard. Harnaam Kaur has polycystic ovary syndrome which causes thick hair growth, despite her lengthy attempts to shave, wax and bleach it. But now the primary school teaching assistant is so confident and content with her appearance she has even been baptised as a Sikh – a religion where it is forbidden to cut body hair. The excessive hair growth started when she was 11-years-old and kids used to call her cruel names such as “beardo”, “shemale” and “sheman” there were even online death threats. “I’d talk to people with a hand over my face and I wore baggy, tomboy clothes to cover up the hair on my chest and arms. “It got so bad that I just didn’t want to live any more.” Kaur was 16 when she made became baptised – a decision which proved controversial with her own family. Baptised Sikhs follow the so-called “5 Ks,” or five physical symbols that date back to the creation of the faith by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, according to the BBC. Kaur slipped once and shaved off her beard at the age of 17 after pressure from her extended family, but revealed: “All I could do was cry because I didn’t feel like myself without my beard.Since then Kaur’s confidence has soared.

 

She said: “I still get shop assistants calling me ‘sir’ and strange looks from people – they see my beard first and realise I’ve actually got breasts too. It must be confusing for a lot of people. “The funniest reactions I get are from the children at my school. Some ask me what my beard is and I joke it’s a Halloween costume. Some even ask me where I buy it and I just say ‘Asda’. “I can laugh about it now – sometimes I say I’m a man and I put on a deep voice to scare other people because it’s quite funny to see their reaction.” Though she is often mistaken for a man, Harnaam says she feels more feminine than ever – choosing girly tops over baggy, high-necked jumpers. In an attempt to help other women find self-confidence, Kaur has shared her story on YouTube and continues to upload videos despite receiving death threats.

She said: “I’ve had people telling me they’re going to burn me and throw a brick at me – all sorts of things like that. “But I’ve also had a lot of positive messages from women in the same situation as me. “I’ve also had loads of nice comments from men all over the world. One even asked me to marry him. “I haven’t found a potential husband yet. I still get some grief from the men in my community and it does still seem to be a barrier to marriage. “But I’m young and there’s still plenty of time for that.

“All that matters to me at the moment is that I love myself. I love my beard and all my other little quirks – my tattoos, my scars, stretch marks and blemishes.“I want other women to find the strength that I have.

“If I had any message it would be to live the way you want – it’s your journey and it’s your life."

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