Coral Sanchez, now 29 years old, developed facial hair at the age of nine and started shaving her face every day for 16 years to avoid being bullied. However, she has recently decided to abandon the razor and embrace her “beautiful” beard, which she first noticed 20 years ago on her chin.
In an attempt to conceal her facial hair caused by hirsutism, Coral Sanchez used to shave her face every day, even resorting to applying heavy foundation to hide any regrowth. She had managed to keep her beard a secret from her ex-partner for four years.
However, due to her struggles with homelessness, Coral was unable to maintain her daily shaving routine, which led her to question the reason behind her actions. Her current partner of almost four years supported her decision and encouraged her to embrace her natural self, reassuring her that she was beautiful.
Coral, who resides in Seattle, Washington, initially started shaving her beard because she believed it was expected of her. In March 2022, she finally put down the razor and embraced her natural appearance. She even predicted that her stubble would reappear by the afternoon, but she no longer felt the need to hide it.
As a child, Coral Sanchez felt ashamed of her hair growth due to polycystic ovarian syndrome, a condition that causes hirsutism. She began waxing her face at the age of 12 before switching to shaving every day until she was 26. She used heavy coverage makeup and wore her hair down to conceal her facial hair.
Coral faced constant ridicule from other children who would make disparaging comments about her bushy sideburns. It was a difficult experience for her to feel ashamed at such a young age. As she grew older, it became increasingly challenging to maintain complete coverage of her facial hair due to work circumstances.
Despite this, Coral kept her condition a secret from a previous partner, who never saw her without makeup on and who she would shave before he woke up. However, as she got older, she began to accept her hair growth and realized that it was a natural part of who she is. Today, when she looks in the mirror, she smiles and feels beautiful.
At the age of 26, Coral was forced to live in her vehicle for a period of time without access to shower or restroom to shave, which led to a change in her attitude towards her beard.
After meeting Illais on a dating app in July 2019, Coral felt comfortable enough to speak openly with him about her facial hair, unlike in previous relationships. Illais was accepting of her and encouraged her to stop shaving.
Now, Coral proudly sports a four-inch beard and aims to inspire others to embrace themselves. Despite receiving negative looks and stares from some individuals, she acknowledges that it’s just their perception.
Coral has come to realize that a beard does not make one any less attractive or feminine and wants to motivate people to accept their unique appearance to feel truly beautiful.
