The agony of Kenyan women with beards and hairy bodies

From attracting unwanted glances to being dumped by a suitor, it is a struggle and only the afflicted know the anguish it causes.

There is a group of women who are suffering in silence in the name of keeping a sensitive secret. Many hide the secret even from friends and lovers. They also spend a lot of time and money looking for a solution. These women have beards and excess body hair, like men, on their hands, legs, nostrils and other parts of their bodies. This makes them uncomfortable, forcing them to regularly shave.

“This unwanted excess hair is a source of deep anxiety and has put many a damsel in distress. To ignore them is to jeopardise one’s reputation or even their dignity. Some men claim this hair makes us scary,” opens up Charity*, who lives with this condition.