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.
“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.
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.”
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 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.”
