Leah Jorgensen, 33, has spent years shaving her entire body because she felt like a ‘freak’ for her body and facial hair. She has polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes her to have male-pattern hair growth on her chest, her chin, and her stomach.
From the age of 14, Leah was bullied for the way she looked and chose to cover up in full-sleeved, high-necked shirts and trousers. In her twenties, she began shaving, spending hours removing the hair from her chin, cheeks, upper lip, chest, stomach, arms, legs, and back. Leah’s insecurity stopped her from getting close to people – she didn’t have her first kiss until age 27 and avoided the dentist for twelve years.
I had never seen women who looked like me,’ says Leah. ‘I was so ashamed that I didn’t want to talk about it. ‘My way of coping with that shame and embarrassment was to hide. My daily goal for a long time was to just get through the day without anyone noticing how hairy I was.
‘Because I have so much of it, it was very difficult to hide it. I developed a terrible case of anxiety and it really took a toll on my mental health. ‘I had a bad experience with my doctor. She had never seen such an extreme case of hirsutism and she was startled and made a facial expression. ‘She had a figure on a piece of paper and she drew where the hair was. I was so sensitive that it really upset me and made me feel like a freak.
‘In junior high school a classmate noticed the hair on my face and there was this group of girls that would tease me about it and call me a man. ‘I felt ashamed, embarrassed and scared, like I was somehow less of a woman.
‘I covered up with clothes and shaved my face, and if I was going to be showing any part of my body I would shave it. It gets hot and humid here in the summer and I would wear hoodies year round so I would be drowning in sweat. ‘People would ask me, “Why are you wearing that?” and I was just like, “Leave me alone.”
‘I was really convinced I would lose my friends and my family would disown me and I wouldn’t be able to get a job or a boyfriend, I would just live a miserable life alone.’
Everything changed in 2015 when Leah was hit by a car. She had to be taken to hospital by ambulance, and then had her clothes cut off by paramedics to undergo surgery.
This meant people saw the extent of Leah’s hair growth – but to her surprise, they weren’t at all bothered. ‘I realised no one cared what I looked like,’ she explains, ‘they just saw me as a person. It really helped me to get over it.’
From that moment onwards she decided to stop shaving and hiding away her hair. Leah now embraces her hair, wearing low-cut, sleeveless tops and skirts with bare legs out in public without worrying about what people think.
A common side effect of polycystic ovary syndrome is the speedy growth of thick, dark hair on your face and body. It’s not something we often see – hair anywhere below the eyebrows remains a taboo – and so those with more hair than the norm can feel like pressured to shave, wax, or epilate. That can be time-consuming and painful, not to mention the general unpleasantness of feeling like you’re weird and unattractive for something entirely natural. That’s why it’s important when someone does showcase their body hair, as a reminder to others that they’re not alone in having a little extra fur.
Source: METRO UK
Also Read: Things That Change When You’re In The Right Relationship
Post Your Comments