Woman living with facial hair opens up on stigma, self-acceptance

A woman living with hirsutism, Dora Semanu, has shared her experience of living with excessive facial hair, revealing that she deliberately stopped shaving because she wanted to embrace her appearance and stand out.

Hirsutism is a condition that causes women to develop excessive, coarse hair in areas where men typically grow hair, including the face, chest and back.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Semanu recounted how her appearance often attracts unwanted attention, with strangers questioning her gender, staring at her in public and making hurtful comments.

“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,” she said.

She said she has grown accustomed to the public scrutiny and no longer allows negative opinions to affect her.

“I see 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,” she added.

Semanu explained that the facial hair first appeared as a few strands before becoming more noticeable over time. She said the condition runs in her family, although hers is more pronounced than that of other relatives.

According to her, she eventually decided to stop shaving because she wanted to embrace her unique appearance.

“The reason why I stopped shaving it, I just want to look different,” she said.

She added that while people often talk about her, she has chosen to see it in a positive light, believing that conversations about her can even distract others from their own worries.

Despite her confidence, Semanu admitted that some remarks have been deeply hurtful, particularly comments suggesting that no man would want to be with her because of her appearance.

“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,” she said.

She maintained that such comments have never made her consider shaving her facial hair, stressing that her appearance has no bearing on her character.

“This thing doesn’t change my lifestyle to be a good person or a bad person,” she said.

Semanu encouraged others living with visible differences not to be discouraged by public opinion but to accept themselves and live confidently.

“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.