As women, we tend to find the mere idea of anyone catching sight of our ‘unwanted’ body hair totally and utterly alarming. Yes, despite the fact that it is entirely natural, society has evolved to find fault with the hair that grows on our legs, arms, armpits and in other more intimate areas.
But because we’re all different and inherit an entirely different genetic makeup from that of our peers, some of us turn out hairier than others.
And while it is very easy to feel that you’ve gotten the short end of the stick, if you happen to be slightly hairier than your fellow woman, it’s probably a fair assumption to make that you’re almost certainly nowhere near as hairy as a certain teenager by the name of Supatra Susuphan.
Indeed, Susuphan is a seventeen-year-old girl who had been dubbed the ‘world’s hairiest girl’ all the way back in 2010.
But it would now appear that even she has succumbed to the hair-free beauty ideals that society has presented us with in spades. Indeed, she has now revealed that she has begun shaving her face. In addition, Susuphan has also married the ‘love of her life’.
Could it be possible the two events are connected?
The teenager, who is from the Thai capital of Bangkok, has recently been showcasing a series of photos featuring herself, her new husband and her even newer hair-free face.
Anyone who is aware of the young woman’s story may know that she suffers from a remarkably rare genetic condition known as Ambras Syndrome, referred to sometimes as Werewolf Syndrome. It is an extreme form of hypertrichosis which leads to excessive growth of body hair.
In 2010, a 10-year-old Susuphan was officially named the hairiest girl on the planet by Guinness World Records. And looking at pictures of the teenager, it’s not hard to see why – her face, arms, legs, and back used to be covered almost entirely in thick, dark hair.
At some point, Susuphan decided to undergo laser treatment in order to remove the unwanted hair once and for all. However, the treatment failed to completely remove the excess hair and she had to resort to shaving almost her entire body instead.
And according to her social media accounts, she is now happily married to a man, who has as of now remained unnamed. Susuphan posts very personal and loving updates on their relationships such as “You’re not just my first love, you’re the love of my life.”
Susuphan’s condition is so rare that she is actually one of only a few dozen documented sufferers since the Middle Ages!
Unfortunately, she and others who suffer from Ambras Syndrome have been subjected to years of emotional abuse and ridicule and are sometimes shunned by their own communities.
Before any real research has been done on the rare disease, sufferers were cruelly referred to as ‘werewolves’ by those who were ignorant about the illness, and some were forced to work in “freak shows” as attractions in order to earn money.
Unfortunately, Susuphan was certainly not immune to receiving abuse from her peers, occasionally being called derogatory names such as ‘Wolf girl’ and ‘Chewbacca’ at school. However, she has, by her own admission, always had the loving support of her friends and family.
Interestingly, despite the obvious difficulties that have come with the disorder, she has always retained a sense of self-confidence.
In fact, she once told the Guinness World Records “I don’t feel any different to anyone else, and I’ve got lots of friends at school… Being hairy makes me special.”
“There were a few people who used to tease me and call me monkey face but they don’t do it anymore,” she continued. “I’m very used to this condition. I can’t feel the hair as it has always been like this. I don’t feel anything.”
“It does sometimes make it difficult to see when it gets long. I hope I will be cured one day.”
Well, Susuphan may not have been given a cure for her rare condition but she is evidently now intent on taking matters into her own hands and removing the excess hair with nothing more than a razor and a bit of shaving foam.
It can’t have been easy growing up with a disorder that distorts your physical appearance in such an apparent manner, but to credit the young woman, she has handled it incredibly.
Hopefully, with the increasing progress that is being made in medicine every single day, a cure will one day be found for Susuphan and other sufferers of Ambras Syndrome.
