Women's Health Women

Bearded woman Wikipedia

The bearded woman has been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule and more recently political statement.

A small number of woman|women are able to grow what may appear to be a moustache|Beard. This is usually not truly beard growth, but simply dark body hair. Cultural pressure leads most to remove it, as it may be viewed as a social stigma. Notable exceptions were the famous (and usually fake) bearded women of the circus sideshows of the 19th century|19th and early 20th century|20th centuries, before so-called freak shows became unpopular.

Some contemporary feminist women, wishing to question the boundaries of social norms, have not removed visible facial hair as a political statement. Most notable was the artist Frida Kahlo.

In some rare cases, female beard growth is the result of an hormonal imbalance known as hirsutism, or an even rarer genetic disorder known as hypertrichosis.

Last Modified:   2005-12-19