Bearded Woman Who Looks Like A Man Ditches Shaving After 26 Years; Says She's Proud Of Her Beards & Feels Sexy

39-year-old bearded Rose Geil, has ditched her razor to let her facial hair grow free - and says she's never felt sexier. She started shaving her hair at the age of 13 after noticing her excess body hair. The devastated teenager, from Oregon, quickly realised she would have to shave every day to keep the stubble at bay. But after years of shaving, plucking and expensive laser removal procedures, Rose has now decided to accept her bizarre condition - and couldn't be happier.

She said: "Growing my beard has made me more confident. I feel pretty with my beard, and I never felt pretty before. It feels amazing being me. I was a little bit of an outcast at my school, I didn't fit in, I didn't wear the right clothes and makeup. "My friends did not know, I hid it very well. It was exhausting trying to keep it hidden. I didn't realise the emotional impact until I was older. I just thought it was regular teen angst when I was young."

While Rose hasn't officially gone to the doctors for a proper diagnosis - she believes her hairiness is due to a combination of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and genetics. Throughout her teenage years up until her twenties, Rose was so ashamed of her hair she wore long sleeves and high turtlenecks to hide her chest and arms. Even worse, expensive laser hair removal procedures didn't do much - they were ineffective and painful. 

On Her Dating Life: She said: "Revealing my body hair in any relationship was of course very scary and difficult and I was lucky enough and had some understanding partners in my early twenties. It was more of an issue for me just being self conscious and worrying about revealing myself and facing rejection." 

"I was emotionally drained from trying to hide my beard every day and feeling like I was failing miserably. Growing my beard was an incredible experience. It was very difficult, daily emotionally and physically in the beginning because it was very uncomfortable, itchy and crawly. I had to fight the urge to shave."

On Love & Support, she said: "All of my friends and family are incredibly supportive - they really had no idea how much I struggled and how much it was affecting me. People on the street do look at me and do a double take, but their reactions are either positive or neutral. "I have had people approach me in public and wanted to meet me and shake my hand and tell me I'm brave and courageous and even an inspiration."  

But the strongest reaction is online, where Rose's Instagram account is filled with hundreds of male admirers. Rose said: "Some of them get a little carried away, marriage proposals, offering plane tickets to come visit, inappropriate pictures you name it. I have no shame with my body, I appreciate my decorations and it feels nice to make people feel good.

 "I definitely feel womanly, sexy and sensuous. I feel more feminine and it has very little to do with my appearance it comes from my attitude and giving myself the freedom to be who I am. I've finally accepted the real me."