I'M HAIRY NOT SCARY

Khosi is not ashamed of her condition

-  SIPHOKAZI ZAMA

HER confidence surrounds her like an aura. She stands tall, looks us in the eye and flashes a warm smile as she welcomes us into her Soweto home.

She's wearing a floral summer dress and makes no attempt to hide her full dark beard.

Khosi Buthelezi (43) is proud of who she is and proud of the way she looks - but that doesn't mean she hasn't faced challenges over the years.

Her appearance confuses some people, she says, and since she was in her early 20s people have asked if she's a boy or a girl.

Then there've been times when, if she's wearing long pants for instance, people have mistaken her for a man and others have wondered if she's transgender.

But Khosi tries to let it all wash over her because her condition is no issue for her.

"I tend to forget that I have hair on my face until people stare and ask questions," she says. "Other people with my condition have it tougher than me I have a friend whose female colleagues said they don't want her to use the women's toilets.

Khosi's facial hair is caused by hirsutism, a condition caused by an excess in male hormones and resulting in excessive hair growth on a woman's face, chest and back.

She's had the condition her whole life but it became more apparent in her twenties.

"Before that I was just a hairy teenager," she says.

Khosi has a TikTok account where she shares her experiences - but while she's an inspiration to many, she recently went viral when some social media users accused her of not really having a beard and using a filter to alter her appearance.

"My reaction to social media depends on how I'm feeling," she says. "There are days where I'm happy-go-lucky and there'll be days where someone will say something that triggers me."

She's just trying to live her life, Khosi adds, and she just happens to have a beard.