A woman living with hirsutism, Dora Semanu, has shared her experience of living with excessive facial hair, revealing that she deliberately stopped shaving because she wanted to embrace her natural appearance and stand out from the crowd.
Hirsutism is a condition that causes women to grow excessive, coarse hair in areas where men typically have hair growth, such as the face, chest and back.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Semanu recounted how her appearance has often attracted unwanted attention, saying she regularly faces stares, whispers and intrusive comments from strangers.
“Anytime people meet me, they will say, ‘Hey, is she a man or a woman?’ And you will see that I have a big breast. Even with all this, I don’t resemble a man,” she said.
Despite the constant judgement, Semanu said she has learned to ignore negative opinions and remain comfortable in her own skin.
“I saw many people looking at me. Some people will be talking about me anyhow they like. They look down on me like I’m nothing. But me, I don’t care. I am me. I just want to look natural. That’s all.”
She explained that the facial hair first appeared as a single strand before gradually becoming more noticeable over time.
According to her, the condition runs in her family, although she has experienced it more severely than other relatives.
“The first time I saw this hair, only one hair like this. We have this kind of thing in our family. They don’t have plenty. It’s only me who has it like this,” she said.
Instead of continuing to remove the hair, Semanu decided to embrace it as part of her identity.
“The reason why I stopped shaving it, I just want to look different,” she said.
She added that she has come to see her appearance as something that sparks conversations and leaves a lasting impression on people.
“I want to be like this so that if you don’t have anything to say in your house, when you see me at any place, you will have something to talk about. The two of you can raise my topic.
“I met a lady at this place. Oh, she looks like this. Even when you are not fully happy, so far as you raise some topic about me, you can forget some of your problems.”
Although she now embraces her appearance with confidence, Semanu admitted that some remarks have been particularly painful, especially suggestions that her looks would prevent her from finding love.
“The most painful thing that somebody has said to me before was that, the way I look, she didn’t think that any man could approach me,” she said.
She insisted, however, that such comments have never made her consider shaving her facial hair or changing who she is.
“It doesn’t make me shave. I asked myself, that person is judging me because of this thing. But this thing doesn’t change my lifestyle to be a good person or a bad person.”
Semanu also encouraged others living with visible differences to reject societal pressure and accept themselves without fear of criticism.
“Don’t mind anyone. You are on your own. If you listen to people, you can’t keep it.
“And it’s nothing wrong. We are not thieves, we don’t kill, we don’t do anything. We are like you people, so please accept us like this,” she said.
