I Love My Moustache: An Indian Woman’s Faith

“I’ve never felt that I’m not beautiful because I have it or that it’s something I shouldn’t have. I do what I want. If I had two lives, I’d probably live one for the other, but this is mine.”

“I love my moustache“, is the profile phrase of Shaija from the Indian state of Kerala on her WhatsApp status. She captioned it to her photo.

The 35-year-old, who has never shied away from showing off his moustache, has been praised and criticized online. However, he says he doesn’t care about his facial hair.

“The People She teases me: ‘Men have moustaches, why should a woman have moustaches?'” Shaija told the BBC.

But apart from trolls, there are people who are genuinely interested when they see her photos on Facebook or meet her in person. Why does he grow a moustache?

“I see it dripping, it’s not raining”: a stigma phrase in Argentina

“All I can say is I like it. A lot,” replied Shaija.

For centuries, patriarchy has not only dictated women’s lifestyles but also set unrealistic beauty standards. One of them is having a flawless face without facial hair. Breaking these conventional gender stereotypes, this woman from India proudly wears her moustache.

“I love me and the moustache. I never tried to hide itShaija recently went viral on social media for sporting a fully grown moustache.

While Shaija respectfully maintains her moustache, people always ask her to remove it. “I’ve always had a moustache, but it’s grown thicker in recent years. People advise me to remove my moustache. ‘Not in my face, is it? So, I say: Let it be there’, and that was my answer to those who ridiculed me or wanted to advise me. I have faced negative comments and ridicule throughout my life. But that doesn’t bother me.”He told the Indian Express Malayalam newspaper.

“People can say anything. Today it might be my mustache, tomorrow it might be something else. That’s your problem… human nature“