Harnaam Kaur
“I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries at the age of 12. Which means I have more male sex hormone in my body than female sex hormone. And that has allowed me to grow this gorgeous beard.
"At first, adjusting to the changes was hard. I was being horrendously bullied. I was skiving school a lot. But when I turned 16, when I hit my lowest point, I thought, 'Why am I being punished? When my body is naturally growing like this, when I’ve done nothing wrong.'
"I made a stand that I was going to keep my beard and embrace her and celebrate her. I decided to call my beard ‘her’ and I gave her a name as well, Sundari, which means beautiful. Because if you truly love someone you don’t call them ‘it’ or ‘that’. You wouldn’t say ‘it’ to your mum or ‘that’ to your best friend, so why would I turn around and call my beard ‘it’? Nah…
"And, you know, there are amazing positives to having a beard. Other than looking buff with it. Thanks to her, I’m a lot more confident, a lot more resilient, a lot stronger. I can use my story to help those going through their trials. They can find inspiration in my voice and my stance in life. I’m here to challenge stereotypes, break down barriers in society. That’s why I was born this way. Fuck it if I don’t fit into society, I’m happy. And people should see that."
- @harnaamkaur
Naomi
“As the only mixed‐race kid in class, I was always the ‘different girl’ – the one with the black skin, dreadlocks and thick thighs.
"Even now, I get people judging me because of the way I look. The other day I posted a video and I got a DM from this guy which said, 'You should try to lose some weight'. There were comments like, 'That fat girl can’t dance' and stuff like that. They were so rude.
"But I look at myself and I just don’t think I’m fat. It’s not that deep. I’m half Jamaican and I was raised the Rasta way. We’re really open about our bodies. Anyone with any type of figure will rock crop tops and short shorts and no one will look at you funny. They don’t care about that. It’s about being happy. It’s just freedom. That’s my way of life.
"So, when I get disrespectful or hurtful comments I just brush them off. I don’t let them get to me. Because what’s it going to do to me? I love my figure. When I hear a beat, I move my waist, shake my bottom, flick my bum. It looks nice. When I go out, I put on an outfit that shows my shape and I stand out, people notice me. They say I look nice. It feels good to feel good in your skin."
- @_naomimt
Rochelle
“When I started secondary school, my family and I [had] just moved to a new town. I didn’t have any friends there, I had a different accent, I was one of the only black kids around. It was a difficult time. And on top of that, having vitiligo, it all made me kind of stand out.
"Vitiligo is a non‐contagious condition that creates light patches on my skin. It’s not a big deal technically, but I remember nobody wanted to hold my hand in PE. Kids used to call me 'panda' or 'cow'. It was all very distressing.
"Thankfully I had sessions with an amazing counsellor and the support of great friends and caring family to help me through this. I was starting to have a different frame of mind and be a bit more grown up. Then I met @winnieharlow two years ago at a meet and greet in Stratford. That was pretty life‐changing. I thought, 'If she can do it, I can do it'. Vitiligo isn’t affecting my health or anything like that so I won’t let it stop me. It took me years, nearly 15 to be exact, but once I realised that, I realised my power.
"My vitiligo is my strength, it is helping me reach my full potential and I wear it proud. It makes me, me. I’m different, I’m unique. There isn’t anybody like me. Other people have vitiligo but nobody – in the 1% population that has vitiligo – nobody will ever have the same vitiligo pattern as me, which is special and truly needs to be celebrated."
- @msroch88
Genna AlTai (that’s me!)
“When I hit puberty, my hips suddenly grew out of nowhere. It was so rude. I was given no notice, no heads up, zero warning. And with them came really big stretch marks. Everywhere. And jeez, did I hate them.
"When you look at the girls in the magazines, they all look absolutely flawless – no stretch marks, no scars, no body hairs, no nothing. My stretch marks made me feel damaged. Like my body was different, imperfect and ugly.
"But as time went on, I realised I wasn't the only girl in the world with stretch marks. My super beautiful best friend had them. My gorgeous mum had them. Fellow tall girl @chrissyteigen had them (and even photographed them for Instagram). At that point, I started to completely accept and even love my stretchies! Because I've realised marks on your body – whether they're scars, stretch marks or whatever else – don't make you broken. They show how strong a woman you are. A woman who has grown and experienced life. A woman who’s fierce and fearless. A woman who has faced the world.
"I am so proud of these badges of honour time has left on my body. I call them my natural tattoos. And to be absolutely honest, now I can’t even imagine my body without them. I embrace them completely. I find comfort in them. They’re the signs of my journey on this earth."