Plenty of men participate in "Movember," where they let their facial hair grow out during the month of November in order to raise awareness about men's health issues.
But dudes aren't the only ones who are getting on board with this craze. A woman from the U.K. is growing a mustache and beard this month too.
And when I first heard about it, I was all, "What the hell? Why on earth would any woman in her right mind want visible facial hair?"
But then I saw Sarah O'Neill's video explaining why she's participating in Movember, and I totally changed my tune.
Check it out.
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
How awesome is this chick? I'm sure that there are plenty of other women out there who suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome who also struggle with what to do about their facial hair. It's so great to see Sarah accept it for what it is instead of hiding from it.
It's not going to be easy for her to walk around with hair on her face, especially given how many strange looks she's probably going to get from the general public. But there's such an important lesson to be learned here -- because so many of us get way too wrapped up in what other people think of our appearances. (I know I do.) Why can't we all be like Sarah and be comfortable in our own skin, even if it happens to have a little extra hair on it?!?
The next time you find yourself standing in front the mirror criticizing yourself for that zit on your chin, the bags under your eyes, or the crows' feet that came out of nowhere -- think about Sarah for a second and what she's going to have to deal with this month. If that doesn't put things into perspective for you, then odds are good nothing ever will.
Would you be brave enough to do something like this?
Image via tina briggs/YouTube