In Praise of Hairy Women


Who doesn't love Lettie Lutz, the Bearded Lady character in The Greatest Showman, who sings the iconic anthem, This is Me? Yesterday, my daughter took me to a singalong version of the film for a Mother's Day treat, and we both belted out This is Me at the tops of our voices. Both Lettie and the song have become symbols for anyone who feels marginalised or different.


It so happens that last week I watched another film about a hairy woman, the very beautiful Norwegian coming-of-age film, Løvekvinnen, or The Lion Woman, based on a book by Erik Fosnes Hanson. It tells the story of Eva Arctander, who is born in a small town in the early 20th century and struggles to find her place in the world. Especially, it concerns her relationship with her stationmaster father, widowed at her birth. I loved this film - which I watched on Netflix - and I definitely want to see it again.


One of my best reads of last year was Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch, based on the real-life story of Julia Pastrana (pictured) a Mexican-born "human oddity", who sang and danced on tour across the USA and the world. It's a fascinating and moving story about what it is to be human, and has a wonderful timeslip sub-plot. If you haven't read it, run to the library now!


And finally, for a contemporary, own-voices take on female body hair, please watch BBC3's video Things Not To Say To Hairy Women. This is part of a brilliant series that takes you into the lives of others - and the stupid cliches they encounter. Let's all be more understanding! And let's celebrate human life in all its variety!

 https://youtu.be/bYwfGU2EL48

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