Entertainment / Sikh Woman Rocks Her Beard With Pride

Sikh Woman Rocks Her Beard With Pride

Entertainment Feb 21, 2014

by Anokhi Admin

Harnaam Kaur proves that feeling feminine is all about confidence, not a uniform.

Any woman can tell you that feeling sexy is an empowering state. Feeling fabulous is all about how a woman comes to terms with her own femininity. Some girls have it easier while others have it harder than most. As the saying goes being seen as attractive is all in the eye of the beholder.

Meet 23-year-old primary school teaching assistant Harnaam Kaur of Slough, Berkshire. The Sikh young woman has a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes thick hair growth on both the face and body. If hitting puberty isn’t tough enough, a girl who starts growing a beard at the age of 11 is an easy target for bullying. As you can imagine, Harnaam became the target of jokes and abuse which nearly drove her to suicide.

Harnaam at age 11 and 14 (beard waxed off)/ Barcroft Media/Matt Writtle

Harnaam told Buzzfeed.com, “I can laugh about it now but back then it affected me so badly that I began to self-harm because it felt better than all the abuse I was getting.”

Getting called “beardo”, “shemale” and “sheman” at school was harsh, but people would (and still do) call her derogatory names in the street.

She admitted to hiding out at home mostly, except for when it was schooltime. “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.”

But they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and if anything, today Harnaam is a beautiful force to be reckoned with, beard and all.

At the age of 16, (at first against her family’s will) Harnaam converted to Sikhism, which dictates that the body should be left in its natural state, meaning that body hair must also remain untouched by scissors or razor.

Today, she hasn’t just embraced her condition, but with the full beard she now sports, she feels more feminine than ever. Her confidence has engaged the global community, and she receives letters of support from men and women around the world- even a proposal of marriage!

Kaur shared her story on YouTube, but while she still gets death threats, she’s not worried.

“I would never ever go back now and remove my facial hair because it’s the way God made me and I’m happy with the way I am. I feel more feminine, more sexy and I think I look it too.”

She’s got a good sense of humor too, even pretending to be a cross-dressing guy when unsuspecting women think she’s in the wrong public restroom. These scenes usually end with laughter and good feelings all around, with the other women impressed by her confidence.

“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’ve learned to love myself for who I am. Nothing can shake me now.”

And nothing should! Kudos to Harnaam for embracing her natural beauty and being a source of inspiration to all women.

_{Image Courtesy of Barcroft Media/ Buzzfeed.com}

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Sikh Woman Rocks Her Beard With Pride

by Anokhi Admin

Harnaam Kaur proves that feeling feminine is all about confidence, not a uniform.

COMMENTS

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