A woman who started growing facial hair as a teenager has revealed how she came to love and embrace her ‘delicious’ beard.
Gennevieve Vaillancourt, 40, from Georgian Bay, Ontario, noticed thick sideburns and a mustache at age 14, and later discovered that PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) was responsible.
As her facial hair continued to develop into a beard, she says she was “severely” bullied and called “weird and disgusting,” and was harassed at her former workplace by customers telling her to shave.
Despite struggling with feelings of self-loathing and shame, Gennevieve has learned to embrace her natural self, fully grow her beard, and share her journey to self-acceptance on social media.
“I have often felt ashamed of my facial hair in the past and tried desperately to hide it and hide myself,” Gennevieve said.
Gennevieve Vaillancourt, 40, from Ontario, grew thick sideburns and a mustache due to PCOS
‘I’ve received a lot of negative comments about my facial hair over the years. I was bullied at school, with names like ‘weird’ and ‘disgusting’.
‘When I worked in retail, I was shouted at by angry customers telling me to shave even as I was removing the hair.
‘I have experienced negative comments from family members and strangers, but most of it happened when I was younger and when I removed my facial hair.
‘I’ve had trouble accepting my facial hair for years. I hated it and removed the hair via waxing and shaving to hide it.
‘I experienced a lot of social anxiety and fear that others would notice and make negative or embarrassing comments.
‘I eventually got into the routine of shaving my face every other day because my skin was too sensitive to shave every day.
‘I felt like I was constantly hiding and planning my social life and career around ‘shaving days’. It was exhausting, embarrassing and a lot of work!’
Gennevieve was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 20 and discovered that the condition can cause excessive hair growth.
Despite struggling to accept her beard, she decided to make a change in 2021 at the age of 37.
Gennevieve, a confidence mentor and transformational speaker, said: ‘One day I woke up and realized that the only time I really looked at my face in the mirror was on the days I removed my facial hair.
She was called ‘weird and disgusting’ and customers at her old job even told her to ‘go shave’
In the photo above, Gennevieve is clean shaven, but now she doesn’t feel like she needs to shave
Gennevieve said she eventually started the routine of shaving her face every other day because her skin was too sensitive to shave every day – but has now stopped
‘Despite having a smooth face for a few hours, I felt really terrible about myself, especially on those days.
‘I felt like I wasn’t feminine enough because the stubble and my lack of monthly cycles fueled this negative narrative.
“Those years were very difficult, and I remember thinking that the self-loathing would never end.
“My facial hair and all the societal judgments about it made me feel very vulnerable, and when I started embracing that vulnerability and befriending it, the shame diminished.
‘I started to change my mindset to challenge the traditional beauty standards that we have to follow as girls and women, and started to focus more on what I see as beautiful in people and in the world.
“I changed my entire beauty narrative and instead of including words like ‘hairless’ and ‘thin’, I shifted my definition to words like ‘authentic’, ‘real’ and ‘soft’.”
She decided to open up on social media, sharing her story and photos of her facial hair on Instagram and in online women’s groups.
Gennevieve suffers from PCOS, a hormonal condition that causes enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges. Symptoms often include excess hair
She also started hosting a monthly virtual event, Hairy Ladies Rising, for women on their journey to self-love.
Gennevieve said: “I was shocked by the overwhelming support and encouragement from women all over the world, of all ages.
‘This really encouraged me in the beginning of growing my beard.
‘I started to see my beard as powerful instead of embarrassing and I started challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone by becoming visible online.
‘Suddenly my beard became a way to connect with people and inspire people to love themselves too.
“From that moment on, I knew I had to keep sharing my story, because it’s such a great opportunity to use something that causes so much shame for women and that comes naturally to us, to create acceptance, representation, and transformation in the world. ‘
Since Gennevieve fully embraces her hair, she says she receives less negative attention than before.
She explained: ‘Now that I’ve fully grown my PCOS beard, I get a few looks when I’m out in public, and sometimes a few comments, or people trying to take a picture of me, but I get a lot more then support negativity.
‘As a result, I regularly receive support, love and connection from women.
The Canadian, who has been standing in the snow, continues to receive unwanted attention for her unconventional appearance, but it cannot upset her
Now Gennevieve is embracing her hairiness and isn’t afraid to show off her facial hair to the world
“I think this is a very powerful change in our culture, and it makes a big difference for all of us hairy girls.”
‘In my work with hairy women, I see many women who experience a deep fear of being seen as their whole, hairy selves because of the potential negativity they may experience from others or have experienced in the past.
‘I’m happy to see people changing their judgment to be more considerate of hairy women, because it really impacts many women who feel ashamed and unworthy because of growing facial and body hair.
‘I am now so grateful that I embraced my beard because my confidence, business and life have blossomed since I made that choice for myself.
“I’m so much happier now that I’ve fully embraced myself.”
