Haarnam Kaur, bearded woman who has risen against all odds!

Haarnam Kaur is the epitome of self-love and confidence. The 24-year-old is a Guiness World Record holder for being the youngest female with a beard, worldwide. She has not only challenged beauty norms, but has also completely redefined the word beauty.

In an interview with Guiness World Record, Harnaam explains that her journey to the confident model she now is, has been characterised by a series of painful experiences.

She began noticing the beard growth at the tender age of 11, after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome- a condition where women of reproductive age have excess male hormone levels. One of the symptoms of this condition is growth of facial and body hair. As expected, Harnaam tried all in her power to control the condition that had become her new reality. “I used to wax it, but that became really painful. So I would just shave it or use different sorts of creams,” She said.

She has endured bullying at school, stares from people on the streets, name calling and even death threats. At her lowest moments, Harnaam admits that she began self-harming and contemplated suicide severally.

She recalls that her life changed at 16 when she got baptized as a sikh, which was a commitment to keep her body as it was given to her by God. “I was literally at the point where I’d had enough of people bullying me, of me feeling down and self-harming, I had had enough,” she says. She finally learnt to accept, embrace and flaunt her beard. Her friend and her brother have been her greatest support through her journey, and to them Harnaam’s beard is her identity.

Harnaam is now a point of reference for many people across the world. She hopes that her story will inspire and empower women about self-love and confidence. She still experiences name calling and stares on the street, but she has found strength in all that. “This is me, it’s my inner beauty, it’s my outer beauty. It’s my oneness, It’s my wholeness,” she says. Harnaam is truly a phenomenon in herself.