In a country where fairness and hair removal creams have made a killing by preying on women’s insecurities and setting unachievable beauty standards, a woman from Kerala has thrown a challenge to patriarchy by embracing facial hair.
While a woman’s facial hair are generally considered unattractive, Shyja (35) loves her moustache.
35-year-old Shyja from Kannur District of Kerala is breaking the internet with a photo of her’s with moustache. It has gone viral on social media and has led to a discussion about toxic beauty standards for women.
Shyja embraces her moustache with pride though people have always asked her to get rid of it. “I have always had a moustache but it has grown thicker in the past few years. People have advised me to remove the moustache. ‘Isn’t it on my face? So, let it be there’, is her reply to them. “I have faced negative comments and teasing all throughout my life. But, it doesn’t bother me,” adds Shyja.
The Kerala woman is not the only Indian woman to have embraced facial hair on a public forum. UK-based Indian origin influencer and model Harnaam Kaur is famous for her lush beard and turban.
Shyja’s family and friends have been supportive of her moustache and her daughter tells her that it looks good on her.