Credit: SWNS / Coral Sanchez
A woman who grew facial hair aged NINE and shaved her face everyday for 16 years has finally ditched the razor and embraced her “beautiful” beard.
Coral Sanchez, 29, spotted a hair on her chin aged nine and started shaving it off every morning from aged 12 to avoid bullies.
The content creator said stubble would grow back by early afternoon and she’d “layer” her face in foundation and “wouldn’t let anyone get close” so they couldn’t see her growing beard.
She spent years hiding her facial hair – caused by a condition known as hirsutism – and even managed to keep it a secret from an ex she dated for four years.
But after battling homelessness at aged 26, Coral was unable to keep shaving everyday and it started to make her question why she was doing it in the first place.
A woman who grew facial hair aged NINE and shaved her face everyday for 16 years has finally ditched the razor and embraced her “beautiful” beard.
Coral Sanchez, 29, spotted a hair on her chin aged nine and started shaving it off every morning from aged 12 to avoid bullies.
The content creator said stubble would grow back by early afternoon and she’d “layer” her face in foundation and “wouldn’t let anyone get close” so they couldn’t see her growing beard.
She spent years hiding her facial hair – caused by a condition known as hirsutism – and even managed to keep it a secret from an ex she dated for four years.
But after battling homelessness at aged 26, Coral was unable to keep shaving everyday and it started to make her question why she was doing it in the first place.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 When people see my beard, they say a mixture of things.
00:02 Some people are impressed by how much actually grows.
00:07 Others are very disgusted and are very vocal about being disgusted.
00:12 My name is Coral Rene.
00:22 I kind of experienced quite a bit of a difficult past.
00:27 Around nine, I ended up growing very heavy sideburns.
00:31 By age 12, I started having to shave my face fully.
00:36 I wasn't sure what was going on, but by the age of 16, I was diagnosed with PCOS,
00:42 which is polycystic ovarian syndrome.
00:45 For me personally, it has like creates higher levels of testosterone in my body,
00:50 which is causing my hirsutism, which is what is excessive hair growth.
00:54 [MUSIC]
01:01 Finally, when I was in about 26 or so, I ended up becoming homeless after COVID.
01:06 I tried my best to keep up with the shaving in the car, and it just was not working.
01:11 So I decided that I could not do it anymore.
01:15 I did not want to hide anymore.
01:17 I was so tired of not existing or showing up as myself.
01:21 I started growing out my beard and my facial hair and sharing my journey online ever since.
01:28 [MUSIC]
01:36 The facial hair definitely affected my relationships in a number of ways.
01:39 The first serious relationship that I was in where we actually lived together,
01:43 it meant me waking up every morning before him and shaving my face, putting on makeup.
01:49 He never once saw me without makeup.
01:51 I literally was sleeping in my makeup because I did not want any trace of stubble to be noticed.
01:58 I feel like it really didn't allow me to have a true relationship,
02:01 just because I knew that there was always this thing that was being hidden.
02:04 [MUSIC]
02:12 Before I could accept myself, having facial hair as a woman made me feel like a monster.
02:18 So that was really hard to reconcile that my body was so wrong,
02:22 and yet this was the thing that was like my most valuable asset to the world.
02:27 It is definitely an eye catcher.
02:31 It's hard to leave the house without having reactions,
02:34 but it has also allowed me to find a community,
02:37 and it has allowed me to find people who are truly loving and accepting of others.
02:42 I don't ever consider shaving anymore.
02:46 Honestly, I get scared that if I do shave, my beard won't come back as full as it is.
02:51 I genuinely love my face with my beard.
02:53 I hope that my impact is that some others realize that they don't have to hide anymore.
03:00 It is so much more freeing to be able to live as you are comfortable,
03:04 instead of living for the people around you.
03:07 [MUSIC]