A woman who grew facial hair at age nine and shaved her face everyday for 16 years has finally ditched the razor and embraced her “beautiful” beard.
Coral Sanchez, 29, spotted a hair on her chin aged nine and started shaving it off every morning from aged 12 to avoid bullies.
The content creator said stubble would grow back by early afternoon and she’d “layer” her face in foundation and “wouldn’t let anyone get close” so they couldn’t see her growing beard.
She spent years hiding her facial hair – caused by a condition known as hirsutism – and even managed to keep it a secret from an ex she dated for four years.
But after battling homelessness at aged 26, Coral was unable to keep shaving everyday and it started to make her question why she was doing it in the first place.
Her now partner of nearly four year, Illias Clark, 25, a writer and artist, supported her and reassured her she was “beautiful” and that it her body was “doing this naturally”.
Coral finally set down the razor in March 2022 and has now been growing her beard out for a year and says she feels “truly beautiful.
Coral, who lives in Seattle, Washington, US, said: “I think I started shaving because it like that was what I was meant to do.
“It encouraged me to hide.
“I would notice other kids making comments about my bushy side burns.
“They got really recoiled from you and disgusted by you.
“That sucks as a nine year old to feel that shame.
“I would shave every morning when I woke up and by 2pm in the afternoon I had stubble growing on my face.
“I would layer on full coverage foundation and put my hair down around my face.
“It took my a really long time to really embrace my hair growth.
“Now I look in the mirror and smile and feel genuinely beautiful.”
Coral first waxed her face before turning to shaving aged 12 – which she continued to do everyday until she was 26.
She has polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that affects how the ovaries work, and causes her hirsutism – the excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern.
Coral said: “The older I got the harder it was to reapply full coverage to hide the hair growth because of work settings.
“People would stare but wouldn’t say anything.”
Coral even kept her condition a secret from a previous long term partner.
She said: “He never once saw my without make-up on.
“I would get up before him to shave every day.
“I felt hidden.”
Coral lived in her car for a period when she was 26 and wasn’t able to have access to a shower or bathroom to shave every day.
She said: “I would do what I could shaving in the car.
“I was getting defiant about shaving.
“It was painful.”
Coral met her partner Illais in July 2019 through a dating app and felt instantly “comfortable” around him.
Unlike her previous relationships she felt at ease to open up to him about her facial growth.
She said: “It took me a couple of months but it was really hard to hide things.
“It felt natural to tell him.
“He said ‘it doesn’t bother me. You’re beautiful and you’re body does this naturally’.”
Coral credits Illais’ support to helping her embrace her natural beauty.
She said: “He kept saying ‘why don’t you let it grow?’
“I worried and thought – ‘you’re not going to love me anymore.”
“But he really encouraged me to stop shaving.
“It kind of hit me. I don’t want to hide anymore. Why am I allowing other people to take control in my life?”
Coral finally stopped shaving for good in March 2022 and was “surprised” at how well her beard suited her.
She said: “It was shocking seeing my face and that I was still able to feel feminine.
“I was really surprised at how much I liked it.
“It felt like it fit on my face.
“My partner likes to run his fingers through it.
“He admires my beard.”
Coral has now grown a 4-inch beard and want to help other embrace themselves.
She still faces looks of “disgust” and stares but knows “it’s just their opinion”.
Coral said: “You can still be beautiful and feminine with a beard.
“I want to help others embrace how they look.
“I feel truly beautiful.”