Please read the above article before reading any further. Read it and then maybe you'll understand a little more about me. Not because I'm Sikh or brave enough to ever stand up for myself like she did, but because I'm hirsute.
hir·sute
[hur-soot, hur-soot] Show IPA
adjective
1.
hairy; shaggy.
2.
Botany, Zoology . covered with long, rather stiff hairs.
3.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of hair.
If I could change one thing about myself, this would be it. I can deal with being overweight, because if I really buckle down and put my mind to it, I can lose weight, but the excess hair is a huge embarassment that I have no way of getting rid of. OK, that's not entirely true, it would probably get better if I lost weight. OR if I wanted to go through lots of painful laser hair removal treatments or have lots and lots of expensive tests run by my doctor. But, the problem with doing those things is, I never, ever, talk about this, as in I would rather DIE than talk about it to anyone, ever.
Even now, just writing this out, thinking that anyone could read this, is giving me anxiety, but if that girl can rock her full beard, mustache and sideburns, and then defend herself when the picture has gone viral, then I can come out of the closet and talk about my excess body hair. I've thought about writing about this a million times, I know I'm not the only girl with excess hair, but to say it out loud, write it on the internet where anyone can read it, makes me want to puke.
OK, OK, that's being really overdramatic. I have talked about it and I didn't die. I talked to my doctor about it, years ago, had tests done, there was nothing conclusive and we tried birth control, but that didn't work. I had laser hair removal treatments, 7 of them, VERY painful and reduced my hair, but I still have too much, in my opinion. I have talked to a few close friends/family members about it and even a boyfriend or two (which by the way, is the WORST conversation ever! No guy wants to know his girlfriend shaves as often, if not more often than he does). The point is, I don't want to talk about it, I want to push it under the rug and hide from it and never, ever, not EVER talk about it, but what does that accomplish? Nothing.
So, I read that article today and decided it's time. One of the reasons I started writing this blog was to help people, I'm sure I'm not the only woman who is desperately searching for her happily ever after. If I can help even one person, then I feel like I've done good and added some positive points to my Karma bank.
If you want to read this and laugh at me, because I am a freak and belong in the side show as a bearded lady, knock yourself out. That doesn't make me any less of a person, but I can't say the same for you. If you read this and you know someone who is hirsute, PLEASE share it. We are NOT alone! Do a search on Google or even Pinterest for Hirsutism and a million links come up. We shouldn't have to hide, but we do, because society says that women should be hair free. We shouldn't have to torture ourselves finding different ways to remove the hair that nature put there for a reason.
Personally, I know I'll never feel comfortable enough to leave the house without shaving. I wish I had half the self confidence of Balpreet Kaur, she is my new hero. Balpreet, if you read this, Thank you. Thank you for every girl that suffers from hirsutism and is afraid to show anyone who she really is. Thank you for standing up for yourself and giving me the kick in the ass to stand up and say something. You are amazing and I wish you lots of good health and happiness.
