A woman with a beard has shared the trolling she tackles on a daily basis – but says her husband “loves” her look.
Sawo Mginqi has spent the last 10 years feeling self-conscious about her fuzzy face but has grown tired of unhelpful beauty standards.
The 26-year-old is now embracing her facial hair, which travels from her sideburns to her beard and moustache.
READ MORE: Woman, 21, called ‘disgusting’ for refusing to shave body hair hits back at trolls
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People may stare and leave nasty comments but the recent uni graduate insists her partner is a fan of her hairy look.
“He [my husband] actually told me to let my facial hair grow because he said he didn’t see anything weird nor funny about it,” Sawo told What’s The Jam.
![Sawo Mginqi, a woman with a beard, is embracing her facial hair after years of feeling self-conscious. Despite facing trolling and negative comments, her husband supports her choice to let her hair grow, encouraging self-acceptance. Sawo hopes to challenge beauty standards and inspire others to embrace their uniqueness.](https://whatsthejam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/‘Im-a-woman-with-a-BEARD-tash-and-sideburns-–-strangers-stare-but-my-husband-loves-my-furry-face-4-769x1024.jpg)
“In our early stages of marriage, when we had to go out for lunch or dinner he couldn’t surprise me, because he knew if I didn’t shave my beard on that day, then we would definitely be having a take away.
“But he has been an advocate of me loving and accepting myself through and through.
“I’m so used to people saying so much [negative comments] that when I’m with him, I feel normal.
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“He honestly does not feel any type of way.
“People are forever gobsmacked [by my choice to grow my hair out/not shave], some are kind and compliment me on how beautiful and unique I am and some just say revolting comments.
“They definitely stare a lot!”
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Sawo, who is from Johannesburg, South Africa, first noticed her hair growth was different to other women when she was just 16 years old.
![Sawo Mginqi, a woman with a beard, is embracing her facial hair after years of feeling self-conscious. Despite facing trolling and negative comments, her husband supports her choice to let her hair grow, encouraging self-acceptance. Sawo hopes to challenge beauty standards and inspire others to embrace their uniqueness.](https://whatsthejam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/‘Im-a-woman-with-a-BEARD-tash-and-sideburns-–-strangers-stare-but-my-husband-loves-my-furry-face-3-767x1024.jpg)
She said: “I started to notice that the sides of my face had a straight dark line.
“It was very visible because I’m a tad light in complexion.
“When I was 18, that’s when the sideburns, moustache and beard started growing.
“At 21, I had a full-grown beard – not long in length, but it was surely hair all over my face.”
![Sawo Mginqi, a woman with a beard, is embracing her facial hair after years of feeling self-conscious. Despite facing trolling and negative comments, her husband supports her choice to let her hair grow, encouraging self-acceptance. Sawo hopes to challenge beauty standards and inspire others to embrace their uniqueness.](https://whatsthejam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/‘Im-a-woman-with-a-BEARD-tash-and-sideburns-–-strangers-stare-but-my-husband-loves-my-furry-face-2-769x1024.jpg)
In her 20s, Sawo started shaving twice a week but now she lets her hair grow free.
She said: “If I needed to go out a particular day and looking for a super clean chin then I’d apply some shaving cream.
“But my skin is sensitive so I do would get a bit of irritation.
“Therefore, now I just trim my sideburns.
“I don’t shave them, I love them.”
![Sawo Mginqi, a woman with a beard, is embracing her facial hair after years of feeling self-conscious. Despite facing trolling and negative comments, her husband supports her choice to let her hair grow, encouraging self-acceptance. Sawo hopes to challenge beauty standards and inspire others to embrace their uniqueness.](https://whatsthejam.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/‘Im-a-woman-with-a-BEARD-tash-and-sideburns-–-strangers-stare-but-my-husband-loves-my-furry-face-819x1024.jpg)
Sawo is determined to tackle the stigma around women having facial hair.
She said: “I was bullied a bit [when younger]; not by my peers but by adults, which was very perplexing because they were the people who were supposed to protect me.
“So when I finally accepted myself I promised myself that I’d flaunt and embrace my uniqueness every chance that I get.
“I just love hearing people saying “we’ve never seen a person like you before.
“It also gives me a chance to educate people.
“We are all different and should have confidence to those who are like me, reassuring them that they are most definitely beautiful.”