Meet Kerala Woman Whose Moustache Is Breaking Patriarchal Beauty Standards In India

In a country where fairness and hair removal creams have made a killing by praying on women's insecurities and setting unachievable beauty standards, a woman from Kerala has thrown a challenge to patriarchy by embracing facial hair. In a photo that has been going viral on social media, 35-year-old Shyja can be seen flaunting her mustache and claiming that she cannot live without her little 'stache. 

A photograph of Shyja sporting a moustache started doing the round of social media a few days ago. When contacted by the media, Shyja said that she had always had the moustache and was proud of it. "I have never tried to hide it," a report in Indian Express quoted her as saying. 

Moustaches are often seen as a symbol of hyper-masculine pride in India, while are depicted in pop culture as fair, soft creatures with no body or facial hair apart from the carefully trimmed mane and eyebrows. Shyja's photo has gone viral with many praising her for standing up to patriarchal beauty standards and sexism. 

Shyja's moustache, however, has not always been received with such warmth. "I have faced negative comments and teasing all throughout my life. But, it doesn’t bother me," she said in an interview to Express. Instead, she states that she loves to flaunt her moustache and is sad that since Covid-19, she has to wear a mask that completely hides the bottom half of her face. 

Shyja adds that though it's not hard to remove facial hair, she has never tried to remove it as its part of her face and identity. 

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. In 2016, Kaur, who frequently posts photos of her full beard on social media replete with feminine outfits and makeup, even made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest woman ever to have a 6-inch-long beard.  

Nevertheless, the growth of facial hair among females is genetically unusual and usually indicates an underlying medical concern such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or other hormonal imbalances, or even tumours within the body. Excessive production of androgens like testosterone (the male hormone) may lead to male-pattern hair growth in females.

Excessive hair or hirsutism, however, is a commonly occurring phenomenon among women. In the UK, nearly one in 14 women have hirsutism or male pattern hair growth. However, instead of embracing the body as it is, pop culture and the beauty industry's push to make women strive to be "perfect" makes a majority of women ashamed to accept or love their own bodies. 

Women like Shyja and Harnaam, however, have been challenging these patriarchal notions and the popularity of Shyja's photo is proof that people have finally started to take note.