Hirsute Teen

Hirsute Teen
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As in, with a beard and breast hair
This article was written by Alexa Tsoulis-Reay and repurposed with permission from Science of Us .
For hirsute women, the appearance of thick, dark hair on places not usually deemed “feminine” kicks in during puberty, and it affects five to 10 percent of American females. While conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome can cause the growth of such unruly hair, idiopathic hirsutism usually has no underlying cause, other than a higher-than-usual prevalence of androgens (i.e., testosterone).
Women with the condition tend to grow thick, dark hairs on their back, upper-lip, breasts, chin, chest, or tummy, and battling the fuzz as well as the stubble and ingrown hairs associated with removal may lead to frustration and insecurity. While there are treatments available, like a drug called Spironolactone, which blocks androgen receptors and reduces testosterone, or creams like Vaniqa, many are costly. In addition to cost concerns, taboos about feminine hair growth, or just sheer embarrassment, can prevent women from seeking treatment (let alone spreading their legs at a waxing salon or presenting their beard to a professional for laser hair removal).
There are, of course, those who chose to embrace it, like 23-year-old Harnaam Kaur, who was the only woman to pose for a recent photography exhibition celebrating facial hair (she’d been growing her whiskers since she was 16), or performer and Pratt professor Jennifer Miller , a modern-day bearded lady who proudly subverts the nineteenth century “freak show” staple and used to declare in her sideshow act that “hair is a symbol of power.”
Science of Us recently spoke with Renae M. Gylbert, a 32-year-old program analyst from Virginia who is living life with a full beard caused by idiopathic hirsutism (Gylbert has a blog and YouTube channel dedicated to the subject).
When did you first notice that you had more body hair than other girls?
When I was about 11, I noticed my first chin hair. My sister and I laughed about it, and I shaved it off and just went about my business. Later, when I was about 15, I found myself with a freaking beard. I’ve contended with that, and excessive body hair, ever since.
How much facial hair are we talking?
Without any maintenance, it’s clearly a beard. The hair is thick and dark and it goes from my sideburns to my neck and my chin. The hairs around my mustache area are softer, but I’d have whiskers and I could definitely grow a goatee. I’m African-American, so my hair is naturally thick and curly, but it’s extra coarse, like a man’s.
And what about the rest of your body?
I grew hair on my chest and breasts, and my pubes and bikini line are Amazonian—there’s a lot going on down there, from a happy trail right down to my mid-thigh.
How did you know it wasn’t the same amount of hair most other girls develop during puberty?
When I looked at the women in my family, I knew I was different. They were hairy, but not like me. In the locker room, when we were changing into leotards, I saw that other girls didn’t have noticeable hair on their “lady parts.” When I started to get interested in boys, I wanted to show off my legs, but I looked like a beast. It wasn’t sexy. I had no idea where it came from. I thought I was cursed. I was the only woman I knew who had to shave her face every day. I’d get stubble within 12 hours.
Did you tell your family?
I told my mom, who just said, “Tweeze it, the hair will go away.” I love my mom to death, but that was the worst advice. Since she was my mother, I listened and I tweezed and tweezed and tweezed praying to God that it would disappear, but it never did.
You’d pluck your entire face?
Yes. From the top of my sideburns to the bottom of my neck, and it would take about two or three hours. I’d do one side and then get tired and think, "Oh my God, this shit sucks." But then I looked completely ridiculous, so I’d have to tweeze the other side. It was hell, and I did that every four days. I was constantly thinking about it. It was a nightmare. I fixated on my beard for about 20 years.
How did you control the rest of your body hair?
The hair on my arms and legs didn’t bother me too much. I can get away with about two days between leg shaves. But I’d lather up my nipples real good and very carefully shave everything off. There was also some in between my breasts, but they were finer than usual and not as dark as the ones on my face.
What other sorts of hair-removal methods did you dabble in?
I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t tried. I’ve used epilator devices, creams, waxing, painful self-threading, and in-home laser removal. When I started working and earning money, I tried some “professional” laser hair removal, which was successful at getting rid of some of the hair, but I couldn’t afford to keep it up. I was stupid, and didn’t get good treatment or read the fine print. It cost me $3,000.
I imagine ingrown hairs are a real pain?
I could probably write a book about them.

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Now Reading Photos Celebrating Natural Pubic Hair (NSFW)
It had its heyday in the '60s and '70s, but natural female pubic hair has since fallen out of favor. So much so that, apparently, there are now sexually-active hetero men who say they've never seen it . To celebrate the neglected bush, artist Marilyn Minter spent six months photographing it, asking "all kinds of women, [with] different hair colours, different textures, different skin colours" to grow out their natural hair down there and bare it for her camera. The photographs Minter took are collected in her first book, Plush .
"Over the last decade, pubic hair has all but disappeared in popular culture (which is fine)," Minter explains to us, "but I became interested in showing beautiful images of pubes as an alternative perspective. I suspect the no-fur trend might be a fashion, so I wanted to remind younger generations that fashion is fleeting, but laser is forever. Do whatever you want — just don't laser!"
The 70 full-colour images in Plush , released in a limited run by Fulton Ryder Press to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach, make an eloquent visual argument against lasering — and maybe even against shaving. Sensuous and unabashed, they're perhaps the most powerful interpretation of "Long hair, don't care" we've ever seen. In Minter's words, "Bush is beautiful. Bring it back!" Click through for 18 of the most striking photographs from the book.
And if you're inspired here's how to grow out your pubic hair.
Natural Pubic Hair Unshaven Women Photos
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For years, the trendiest pubic hair style was a trimmed or bald bush. But we've noticed a recent uptick in the number of women who've tossed out their razors and waxing kits in favor of letting things go au natural down below. Anecdotally speaking, lady lawns seem to be coming back into style—and it might be because more women are discovering the surprising health benefits.

“From a health standpoint, removing pubic hair can lead to irritation of the hair follicle, and open wounds or nicks, which may increase the risk for STI transmission,” says Maureen Whelihan , MD, an ob-gyn at the Elite GYN Care of the Palm Beaches in Florida. It's not clear if less hair means a higher risk of STIs, but one study did link pubic hair removal to increased transmission of herpes and HPV.

Curious about some of the other wellness benefits, we asked six women who love their hairy pubes to tell us how it's boosted their physical, mental, and sexual health. Here's why they've sworn off grooming for good.

“I always kept my bush because I never liked the way [my vagina] looked or felt without hair. For years I felt ashamed about that, especially in my teens and early 20s—when it seemed like everyone was totally bald. But by honoring my hair preferences, I knew I was a lot more confident in the bedroom than if I'd shaved. I also learned that if a partner didn’t like it, they weren’t the partner for me.” —Danny, 26

“Why am I bush-positive? Because ingrown hairs suck. And I don’t have to worry about getting them if I don’t shave or wax. When I did, I'd try to find shaving cream, post-wax oil, or some other soothing product that could prevent them. So I finally decided to leave my hair be. I'm glad there are plenty of people and potential partners who appreciate a full bush and think it's sexy.” —Ellen, 32

“Having pubic hair is like giving the finger to that prepubescent look that porn made so popular. My bush makes me feel powerful, and womanly, and 100% sexy. For me, it’s all about feeling confident and body positive in my natural state. My advice to any woman who is growing out her pubes for the first time is to own it. Strut your stuff. Embrace your natural body state.” —Meghan, 24

“My ex-boyfriend expressed a preference for hair, so I stopped shaving to see if I’d like it, too. I'd started removing my pubic hair as soon as it began appearing, so I’d never seen myself with a bush. Turns out, I loved it! Zero irritation, no razor bumps, no weird chafing from my spandex shorts or underwear. He and I have since broken up, but I still sport a bush. I recommend that any woman who has never seen or felt her lady bits with pubes grow it out at least once. You could find you love it as much as I do." —Elizabeth, 25

“Creams and at-home waxing kits made me break out, shaving left me with painful bumps, and plucking was a pain. Professional waxing was not only expensive and time consuming, but it hurt. After 15 or 20 years of this, I decided to finally listen to my body. Now I have a 1970s-style porn bush, and I love it. I can wear way sexier lace underwear without dealing with irritation because my hair protects me from nasty rub.” —Alexa, 35

“One day I was in the shower using a razor on my nether regions and I thought to myself, How much time could I save if I just stopped grooming? At first, not shaving was an experiment: save 10 minutes two to three times a week. But the longer I stopped shaving, the more having hair grew on me, and I ended up enjoying the look of it. By not shaving, I save 20 minutes a week, which is almost seven hours a year. LOL.” —Carly, 27

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