I’m a Bearded Woman With Hairy Body, People Call Me “a Male”, but I Love Myself

Khosi Nkanyezi Buthelezi, 42, from South Africa, is a woman who has received a lot of criticism from other people. She suffers from excessive hair growth, and she has it on her face, chest, back, arms and legs. Sometimes, she was called “a male”, and now she’s decided to hit back at trolls, who intended to humiliate her, but got a very witty reaction from Khosi.

Khosi noticed she was different when she was a child.

Khosi Nkanyezi Buthelezi has had excessive hair growth since she was a teenager. She paid attention to the hair growth on her face, chest, back, arms and legs. She’s now 42, and she reveals that she has never viewed it as a problem. She was growing up in a family where other women were also hairier than usual. But recently, the woman became curious if that was a serious medical issue, so she went to see a doctor.

Khosi says, “I grew up accustomed to hairy women like my aunts being seen as blessed, strong and strict so I figured it was something I had inherited.”

Even the doctors were at a loss while commenting on Khosi’s condition.

The woman never felt the urge to consult a doctor about her body hair, because she experienced no physical issues. But then she finally visited her GP, and the doctor immediately suggested her to be tested for fertility and PCOS.

But, to the doctor’s surprise, Khosi didn’t have any issues with her health. The woman recalls, “However, they both came back negative. I could have children if I wanted to and there was no need for hormonal treatment, it all seemed fine.”

The doctor told Khosi that she had hirsutism, a condition that causes excess hair to grow on certain parts of the body, mostly affecting women.

At first, Khosi thought that hair removing was an option.

Self-acceptance didn’t come to Khosi instantly. She started fighting with her own natural appearance and wanted to adjust to some beauty standards. The woman tried a plenty of hair removal procedures, because even her job required her to look “presentable”. But none of the techniques she tried, actually worked.

She says, “The more I shaved it, the more it grew. I tried waxing, but it proved to be both costly and painful.” The woman then decided to try laser hair removal, but her excessive hair soon came back with double force. She recalls, “After 10 sessions, the hair became finer and skin was smooth. I was convinced it worked. However, when I stopped for a year the hair started growing back, and I had to go back to razor shaving.”

Self-love turned out to be the only option for a happy life for Khosi.

Khosi suddenly stopped fighting against her facial hair. Instead, the woman decided to embrace it and to love it. She says, “I stopped shaving and instead, started to love myself. I learned that self-acceptance is a crucial aspect of self-care. It is the foundation for our confidence and self-esteem. I’ve had to remember that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms, and I am bringing body hair to the beauty equation.”

However, her journey has never been an easy one, because people started sharing negative comments in public and online. The woman revealed that people often stared at her with “fascination” whenever she went outside, and although she first embraced her looks, she now has to demand the respect she fully deserves.

The woman has a message to all people who can’t accept her unique looks.

Khosi is only learning to deal with negative attitude both online and in real life. She was called “a male” and people can’t really accept her unique looks. But the brave and self-loving woman decided to express her opinion on the public negativity.

She said, “People in public have reacted with shock, fascination, disgust and disapproval of my beard, but I am actively working on unlearning the need for external validation. Unfortunately, people can be judgmental and cruel towards someone who looks different in some way, so, it’s important to remember that their opinions and comments do not define my worth.”

Khosi adds, “Ultimately, it is up to me to decide how I want to present and express myself and whether or not I want to keep the beard. It has become an important part of my identity.”

And here’s yet another motivational story about a woman who was dubbed “Chewbacca” because of her body hair, and her journey to self-acceptance will hardly leave you indifferent.