Dora Semanu, a woman with hirsutism, has spoken out about the discrimination and stigma associated with having too much facial hair, stating that she stopped shaving in order to stand out.
In regions like the face, chest, and back where men normally grow hair, women with hirsutism develop excessive, coarse hair.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Semanu claimed that because of her appearance, she is constantly under public scrutiny, with many people staring, whispering, and making hurtful comments whenever they see her.
“Anytime people meet me, they will say, ‘Hey, is she a man or a woman?’ And you will see that I have a big breast. Even with all this, I don’t resemble a man.”
“I saw many people looking at me. Some people will be talking about me anyhow they like. They look down on me like I’m nothing. But me, I don’t care. I am me. I just want to look natural. That’s all.”
“The first time I saw this hair, only one hair like this. We have this kind of thing in our family. They don’t have plenty. It’s only me who has it like this.”
“The reason why I stopped shaving it, I just want to look different.”
“I want to be like this so that if you don’t have anything to say in your house, when you see me at any place, you will have something to talk about. The two of you can raise my topic.
“I met a lady at this place. Oh, she looks like this. Even when you are not fully happy, so far as you raise some topic about me, you can forget some of your problems.”
“The most painful thing that somebody has said to me before was that, the way I look, she didn’t think that any man could approach me.”
“It doesn’t make me shave. I asked myself, that person is judging me because of this thing. But this thing doesn’t change my lifestyle to be a good person or a bad person.”
“Don’t mind anyone. You are on your own. If you listen to people, you can’t keep it.
“And it’s nothing wrong. We are not thieves, we don’t kill, we don’t do anything. We are like you people, so please accept us like this. She said.”
If she is comfortable with her facial hair, then others should respect her choice and let her be. Everyone has the right to make decisions about their own body without judgment or interference. Ultimately, her body, her rules, and her happiness should be what matters most.
Live with Purpose, Love with Passion. Remember to be happy
One ❤️❤️❤️
Rose Ajieh
