Busting gender stereotypes, this Kerala woman flaunts moustache with pride

Hyderabad: Both men and women have natural facial hair. However, there’s a lot of stigma attached around women growing facial hair as the society has certain check-boxes for women and expects them to adhere to their perceptions and definitions.

Shattering all the norms, a thirty-five-year-old woman, Shyja, from Kerala is breaking gender stereotypes by flaunting her moustache with pride.

While facial hair in a woman is traditionally considered undesirable in a woman, she says that she adores her moustache and considers it the most attractive part about her. “I love my moustache,” Shyja declares in her WhatsApp status section, below a photo of herself, according to the BBC.

As per reports, Shyja used to get her brows threaded on a regular basis, but she never felt the need to have the hair on her upper lip removed. Shyja’s hair thickened around 5 years ago, and she chose to keep it that way.

“I can’t imagine living without it now. When the Covid pandemic started, I disliked wearing a mask all the time because it covered my face. I’ve never felt that I’m not beautiful because I have a moustache or that it’s something I shouldn’t have,” she said.

Shyja said that she has faced many trolls for her moustache, but she says that it’s for her to decide “what to keep and what not to”. While she has been questioned and trolled by many, Shyja’s friends and family have remained supportive of her.