00:00 When people see my beard, they say a mixture of things.
00:04 Some people are impressed by how much actually grows.
00:08 Others are very disgusted and are very vocal about being disgusted.
00:21 My name is Coral Rene.
00:24 I kind of experienced quite a bit of a difficult past.
00:27 When I was nine, I ended up growing very heavy sideburns.
00:32 By age 12, I started having to shave my face fully.
00:36 I wasn't sure what was going on, but by the age of 16, I was diagnosed with PCOS, which
00:42 is polycystic ovarian syndrome.
00:45 For me personally, it creates higher levels of testosterone in my body, which is causing
00:51 my hirsutism, which is what is excessive hair growth.
00:55 Finally, when I was about 26 or so, I ended up becoming homeless after COVID.
01:06 I tried my best to keep up with the shaving in the car, and it just was not working.
01:11 So I decided that I could not do it anymore.
01:15 I did not want to hide anymore.
01:17 I was so tired of not existing or showing up as myself.
01:21 I started growing out my beard and my facial hair and sharing my journey online ever since.
01:29 The facial hair definitely affected my relationships in a number of ways.
01:39 The first serious relationship that I was in where we actually lived together, it meant
01:44 me waking up every morning before him and shaving my face, putting on makeup.
01:49 He never once saw me without makeup.
01:51 I literally was sleeping in my makeup because I did not want any trace of stubble to be
01:57 noticed.
01:58 I feel like it really didn't allow me to have a true relationship, just because I knew that
02:02 there was always this thing that was being hidden.
02:05 Before I could accept myself, having facial hair as a woman made me feel like a monster.
02:18 That was really hard to reconcile, that my body was so wrong, and yet this was the thing
02:25 that was my most valuable asset to the world.
02:28 It is definitely an eye-catcher.
02:31 It's hard to leave the house without having reactions, but it has also allowed me to find
02:36 a community, and it has allowed me to find people who are truly loving and accepting
02:42 of others.
02:43 I don't ever consider shaving anymore.
02:46 Honestly, I get scared that if I do shave, my beard won't come back as full as it is.
02:51 I genuinely love my face with my beard.
02:54 I hope that my impact is that some others realize that they don't have to hide anymore.
03:00 It is so much more freeing to be able to live as you are comfortable, instead of living
03:05 for the people around you.
03:07 [laughs]
03:08 [music]
03:09 [music fades]
03:10 (upbeat music)
03:13 (upbeat music)
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