A woman who was dumped by her husband after she suddenly grew a moustache and beard has opened up about how her facial hair is now her best feature.
Mandeep Kaur had never experienced facial hair before marrying her ex-husband in 2012. However, a few years into her marriage, things suddenly changed when she developed hair on her face and chin.
Sadly, it led to her husband wanting to get a divorce, which plummeted Mandeep into depression.
In order to deal with her mental health, accept her new features and cope with her recent rejection, Mandeep started attending a Gurdwara - a place of worship amongst Sikhs.
Since then, she has been blessed by Guru Sahib. Thanks to its teachings, Mandeep learnt to accept her hair, after spending years beating herself up about it.
Coming to terms with her looks, Mandeep has since refused to shave her hair off.
Instead, she had grown a full beard, which she wears with a turban. Adding to her new trademark look, Mandeep now drives a motorbike.
It has led to others to mistake her for a man until she starts speaking. However, Mandeep has completely embraced her new look.
Mandeep, from Punjab, India, has turned her hand to farming, working alongside her brothers.
Mandeep isn’t the only woman who has accepted her facial hair. Harnaam Kaur, from Slough, has previously opened up about how she learned to embrace facial hair that started growing when she was 11 years old.
After being diagnosed with PCOS at age 12, Harnaam had twice weekly waxing sessions for four years, before making the decision to grow out her beard.
Speaking to The Mirror, she said: “One day, shortly after my GCSEs, I made a decision.
It took a lot of strength but I thought, ‘I can either keep trying to fit in or I can be me.’"
Since then, Harnaam has become well-known on social media and has featured in Vogue Japan , Teen Vogue and Cosmo India, and has even given a TED Talk.
Another British woman, Morgan Coleman, also opened up about her facial hair, telling PlymouthLive about her experiences.
She first noticed she was developing hair on her cheeks, chin and neck when she was aged 11.
Morgan said: "I struggled every day for 15 years with hirsutism, and after spending a lot of time in hospital recently, I decided it’s time.
"I do struggle with self-confidence - after many years of bullying, it does have an impact on your self-confidence, but I am definitely feeling much more confident since I’ve decided to embrace my natural face.
"I am really at peace with it now. It’s difficult to explain, but I feel free - I wake up and that’s now the last thing I think about, it’s wonderful!"
