I’m a woman and I refuse to remove my facial hair – strangers have yelled at me in the streets but I don’t care
A 31-year-old woman who hasn’t plucked her eyebrows or upper lip for two years said the move has helped out her dating life, despite some negative backlash.
Eldina Jaganjac made the decision to stop grooming her facial hair because she was frustrated that it is expected of women.
The viral Instagrammer, who works as a teacher in Copenhagen, Denmark, revealed she has received nasty comments from people on the street over her decision.
“I realized that I could spend my time much better. I’m not against shaving or removing hair, but it’s the expectation that every woman should do it all the time that annoys me,” Eldina said in an interview with Brightside.
However, while Eldina respects someone’s decision to shave or not, she has not been shown the same acceptance.
“I’ve had people come up to me on the street telling me it was cool, and a few yelling at me. That was uncomfortable at first, but if some people have nothing to do other than yell at strangers, then so be it,” she explained to the Daily Mail.
“I don’t want to waste my energy on someone who clearly has too much time on their hands.”
Eldina said her facial hair has helped her “weed out” unsuitable men and that she has received more positive male attention than when she plucked her eyebrows and lip.
Her positive influence has inspired many women to reach out and share their stories of embracing their body hair.
“A lot of women have written to me, saying that they felt like they were the only woman with facial hair or with prominent body hair,” she told Brightside.
Most read in Fabulous
“Where in reality, there are so many, and having body hair as a woman is not an extraordinary thing.”
Speaking about her viral fame, Eldina said: “In terms of a difference for me, I have gotten a lot of attention for — well, not doing anything, basically. When you think of it, it’s really strange, because a man wouldn’t go viral for having prominent eyebrows, so why would I?”