Harnaam Kaur

Harnaam Kaur (born 29 November 1990^[2]) is a British social media personality, postpartum coach, life coach and motivational speaker.

Harnaam Kaur
Kaur in 2015
Born	(1990-11-29) 29 November 1990 (age 33) Slough, Berkshire, England^[1]
Occupation(s)	Social media influencer, model, motivational speaker
Known for	Social media, fitness and motivational speaking

Early life

Kaur was born in Slough on 29 November 1990^[3] in what she describes as "a traditional Punjabi family".^[2] At the age of 12, Kaur was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),^[4] which is due to elevated androgens (male hormones) in females.^[5][6] One of the symptoms of PCOS is hirsutism, or the ability to grow excessive facial and body hair. Kaur is able to grow a full beard as a result of her condition. While Kaur initially attempted to remove her facial hair due to constant bullying, she has grown to embrace her unconventional appearance and has become a spokesperson for the body positivity movement. In an interview with Rock N Roll Bride, Kaur reflects on her decision to keep her beard: "I decided to keep my beard and step forward against society's expectations of what a woman should look like. Today I am not suicidal and I do not self-harm. Today I am happy living as a young beautiful bearded woman. I have realised that this body is mine, I own it, I do not have any other body to live in so I may as well love it unconditionally."^[7]

Career

Kaur worked as a primary school teaching assistant at Khalsa Primary School before coming to media attention in 2014, when she started giving public interviews. After achieving notoriety, Kaur became a full-time public figure and freelance model and motivational speaker.

In March 2015, photographer Mr. Elbank included a photo of Kaur in his exhibit at Somerset House in London, which featured portraits of over 80 individuals with beards.^[8] In June 2015, Kaur modeled for Rock N Roll Bride and was photographed by Louisa Coulthurst of Urban Bridesmaid Photography.^[7] In November 2015, Kaur joined the "Eff Your Beauty Standards" campaign founded by Tess Holliday as a spokesperson and representative.^[9]

In March 2016, Kaur became the first woman with a beard to walk at London Fashion Week. She opened the show for designer Marianna Harutunian.^[10] She is signed to Wanted Models in Paris and continues to be featured in fashion spreads in both online and print magazines.^[11] In May 2016, the conceptual artist Annelies Hofmeyr featured Kaur in her project Trophy Wife Barbie, where Hofmeyr altered a Barbie doll to Kaur's likeness.^[12]

In July 2016, musician Aisha Mizra featured Kaur in the music video for her song "Fuck Me or Destroy Me".^[13]

In September 2016, Kaur was included in the Guinness World Records as the youngest woman in the world to have a full beard. Her record citation read: "Now with a beard measuring as long as six inches [15 cm] in places, she overcame years of bullying to take ownership of her appearance and achieve this record title at the age of 24 years 282 days".^[3]

In March 2017, Kaur was featured in the Teen Vogue article "Instagrammers Challenge Body and Facial Hair Stigma".^[14]

In August 2017, Kaur collaborated with the grooming company Captain Fawcett to create and design a beard oil elixir. Kaur models in the advertisement campaign for the beard oil.^[15]

Activism

In interviews and on social media, Kaur references the abuse and harassment she received as a teenager that led to her self-harm and attempted suicide. In 2017, Kaur contributed to panel discussions in the House of Parliament on topics relating to mental health, body image, cyberbullying, LGBTQIA+ and how social media, businesses, schools and the government can help with the development of positive body images.^[16]

Kaur uses her profiles on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to contribute to numerous body-positive campaigns. She frequently posts content to promote awareness of body shaming, cyberbullying and mental illness. Kaur also aims to challenge gender stereotypes in media. She has said, "I don't think I believe in gender. I want to know who said a vagina is for a woman and a penis is for a man, or pink is for a girl and blue is for a boy. I am sitting here with a vagina and boobs – and a big beautiful beard."^[17]

Personal life

While Kaur has referenced her conversion to Sikhism at age 16 as one of the reasons she stopped removing her facial hair, she now describes herself as spiritual rather than religious.^[17] Traditionally, Sikhism forbids the cutting of hair. She continues to wear her turban or other head coverings, which is a custom of the Khalsa tradition of Sikhism.

Kaur is originally from Slough, England. Her younger brother, Gurdeep Singh Cheema, created the film Happy Ending? The Dangers of Online Grooming to bring awareness to the issue of online child grooming by predators.^[18]

To promote self-love and acceptance, Kaur has stated that she has named her beard Sundri, which means beauty or beautiful, and refers to her beard as "she".^[14]

See also

• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Hirsutism
• Fat feminism

References

1. "Harnaam Kaur | Official Website". Harnaamkaur.com. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
2. Kaur, Harnaam (17 September 2018). "Harnaam Kaur: "How I learned to love my facial hair and use my experience as a force for good in the world"". Glamourmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
3. "Youngest female with a full beard". Guinness World Records. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
4. Windsor, Hillary (12 April 2017). "Model Harnaam Kaur Says Her Beard is a Blessing". Vice. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
5. "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Condition Information". National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
6. "Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) fact sheet". Women's Health. 23 December 2020. from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
7. "Flower Beard Bridals with Harnaam Kaur". Rock N Roll Bride. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
8. "Beard". Somerset House London. 29 December 2016.
9. Bell, Pooma (18 November 2015). "Bearded Lady Harnaam Kaur Joins Instagram's #EffYourBeautyStandards Campaign To Raise Awareness About Body Shaming". Huff Post. Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
10. Tiven, Lucy (2 March 2016). "This Model Just Shattered the Bearded Lady Stigma". Attn. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
11. "Harnaam Kaur T". Wanted Models. Retrieved 17 November 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
12. Nannar, Rumnique (30 May 2016). "Conceptual Artist Creates Harnaam Kaur Barbie Doll". Anokhi Media. Retrieved 17 November 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
13. Mizra, Aisha. "Fuck Me or Destroy Me". Vime.com. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
14. Hickman, Janell (28 March 2017). "Instagrammers Challenge Body and Facial Hair Stigma". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
15. "The Bearded Dame Hair Elixir". Capt Fawcett Limited. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
16. Kaur, Harnaam. "Instagram post". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
17. Khaleeli, Homa (13 September 2016). "The lady with a beard: 'If you've got it, rock it!'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
18. "News". Fixers.org.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2020.