Women’s History Month only officially kicked off today, but Harnaam Kaur was pre-gaming hard at Royal Fashion Day in the UK last week. Kaur, a bearded lady and body confidence activist who has always dreamed of modeling, is currently clocking up likes in the thousands after opening a runway show for jewelry designer Marianna Harutunian. She’s the first bearded woman to walk in such as show.
“I grew up watching America’s Next Top Model, and I admired @tyrabanks wholeheartedly,” Kaur, who started growing excess facial hair after developing polycystic ovary syndrome, wrote on Instagram. “I always wanted to be like the pretty models, so I remember copying the way they posed and walked. I grew up being told I was too fat, ugly, and disgusting to even model. I was told I’d never walk the runway… I was laughed at when I said I wanted to model.”
Well, “Joke’s on my bullies,” she revealed. “I was lucky enough to walk for @mariannaharutunian as the first bearded lady to walk for a celebrity jewelery designer. I was humbled to be the first model to walk and open the show for #royalfashionday with the portrait of the legendary #davidbowie looking down on me! Every path is my runway! Walk with your head up high and ooze confidence always! Xx (my life’s quote.) Dreams do come true!”
While race and size diversity are topics of constant conversation in fashion, Kaur’s achievement is pretty awesome considering some people still have problems with armpit hair. We’ll hopefully be a seeing a lot more of her in the future — turban, beard, and all.
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley
Image via Instagram