This young woman is beautiful inside and out.
What do you imagine when you think of a blushing bride, ready to take a walk down the aisle on her big day? Is it how beautiful her gown is? Her gorgeous face hidden behind a veil? Or "Here Comes the Bride" playing in the background?
It's probably all three of those things, and more, but I doubt you'd imagine a bride with a beard.
Harnaam Kaur is a 24-year-old woman who suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes her to have excess hair growth due to a hormone imbalance from the condition.
As a teen, Kaur was constantly bullied by her peers, with family and society pressuring her to remove her hair. Kaur says she waxed, shaved, and bleached to remove her hair, in hopes that she could live as a normal teenager.
Even though she constantly removed her hair, she became depressed and suicidal, turning to self-harm to hide her pain. I'm sure we can all understand how difficult things must have been for Kaur, as your teenage years are often ones of self-discovery and growth.
But in an interview with Rock n Roll Bride, Kaur explains the moment she decided to turn her life around:
"At the age of 16 I hit my biggest low ... I was hugely depressed. I remember sitting on my bed and thinking about taking my own life. But instead, as I sat there, I started to counsel myself. I told myself, ‘The energy you are putting into ending your life, put all that energy into turning your life around and doing something better.'"
This young woman's bravery and self-acceptance is refreshing. Her courage to speak out against pressure to conform and hide your true self shows true character. And her positivity toward is nothing short of amazing.
She's also an anti-bullying and body confidence advocate, known as "The Bearded Dame," making body-positive posts and encouraging others to accept themselves for who they are.
In an Instagram post, Kaur says, "You may hear that darkness has to be present for the real stars to shine. Be that spark in the darkness around you, be that beacon of light that guides you to greatness. I promise you that you will be just fine. Love your life, love your body, love your soul, spirit, aura and personality because they are the only ones that you have."
Her words of wisdom show that we can rise above any situation, no matter how dark the world may seem. Once you find the strength within yourself to be who you truly are, you can see the light in a society that focuses so much on negativity.
Kaur recently caught the eye of photographer Louisa Coulthurst from Urban Bridesmaid Photography, who had Kaur appear as a model in a bridal shoot.
Check out these beautiful photos from the shoot:
All photos: Rock n Roll Bride
What an amazing woman she is. We can all learn something from her great attitude and her advocacy to helping others feel good about themselves. You go, girl!
This article originally appeared at Your Tango.
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