Challenging Beauty Ideals

Harnaam Kaur just made fashion history by being the first female model to walk down the runway with a full beard. She made her debut on the catwalk by opening the Marianna Harutunian Royal Fashion Day show last week while wearing her traditional Sikh turban, a navy dress and black heels and the designer's jewelry.

Harnaam has polycystic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal condition that can cause excess hair growth. In her case, she started growing facial hair at 11 and waxed up to three times a week to try to hide her condition from the relentless bullying that made her feel ashamed of how she looked. But at 16, she had a change a heart and made the decision to accept her body as it was — facial hair and all.

Now 25, she's fulfilled her dream of being a model, something that she thought would never be within her reach. I commend her for having the courage to rock a full beard when most women try everything from lasers to electrolysis to eliminate hair from every surface of their bodies except for their heads. And it's also nice to know that there are men like Harnaam's husband who do not subscribe to prevailing beauty ideals. Bravo!

Credit: Harnaam Kaur Instagram