LaRae Perkins started growing facial hair when she was around 12-years-old due to PCOS. Now she’s an advocate for self-love and an inspiration to other women with her condition.
Like many women with PCOS, LaRae Perkins struggled with self-esteem due to having facial hair when she was younger.
She had few resources to turn to help her learn about PCOS and Hirsutism, a common symptom of PCOS, which causes facial hair growth.
“The only thing mentioned at the time was that I had a higher percentage of male hormones known as androgen than most women, ” she says in an article with Mirror UK. All women have androgen.”
“I have been experiencing hirsutism my whole life, I didn’t find out it had a name until I was in my 30s, ” she continues.
@myhairisme Proud Of My Facial Hair! #YesImAGirl #Hirsutism #PCOS #MyHairIsMe 100%Woman #NotTrans
PCOS affects 8-13% of women and its disparity affects women of color. Who are often misdiagnosed due to how some symptoms of the condition present themselves differently for Black women.
She is adamant about keeping her facial hair as she now sees it as a part of her natural beauty.
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“I will never shave because I love my face and don’t want to cause more issues than just having a beard,” she says. “my appearance is important to me and having skin that has dark marks, pigmentation, or even razor bumps would make me sad and feel less beautiful.”
Perkins created her “Yes I Am A Girl” clothing brand after spending much of her life confirming to people that she is in fact a woman. After seeing an outpouring of support since uploading pictures for her brand, she has focused on raising awareness about her condition and uplifting women like herself.
“I’m not the only woman out here with facial hair. I want to use my platform to be a voice for us,” says Perkins in her video feature for Truly.