Eldina is a young lady from Copenhagen who decided to stop shaving her facial hair. She’s drawn attention to herself by documenting her journey on her social media. While doing so, she has also helped others feel more confident and be true to themselves, instead of trying to please everyone.
We at Bright Side think Eldina’s story can be very inspiring to us all, and decided to get in touch with her for an interview. Here’s what we found out.
It wasn’t something that happened overnight.
© eldina_jaganjac / Instagram
Eldina didn’t decide to stop removing her facial hair out of nowhere, nor was it a sudden decision. It was a gradual process:
“I wouldn’t say it’s something that happened suddenly, but I became increasingly frustrated with having to remove hair for no apparent reason. I see men go outside without removing hair, so why do I have to? I realized that I could spend my time much better. I’m not against shaving or removing hair, but it’s the expectation that every woman should do it all the time that annoys me.”
Others can also relate to how Eldina feels.
© eldina_jaganjac / Instagram
The standards for men and women are different in the society we live in, not only Eldina, but other women who have spoken to her, feel this way: “A lot of women have written me and told me that they also feel pressure to remove all of their body hair, even though they don’t want to. But they feel pressured by society to do so, or have been bullied for having hair on their bodies.”
© eldina_jaganjac / Instagram
“A lot of women have written to me, saying that they felt like they were the only woman with facial hair or with prominent body hair. Where in reality, there are so many, and having body hair as a woman is not an extraordinary thing. I have gotten maybe 100 negative messages from men, and maybe 4-5 from women.
In terms of difference for me, I have gotten a lot of attention for — well, not doing anything, basically. When you think of it, it’s really strange, because a man wouldn’t go viral for having prominent eyebrows, so why would I?”
Who you are is more important than what people think of you.
© eldina_jaganjac / Instagram
Being true to yourself is very important, and there will always be people who love you for who you truly are: “I think my advice would be, that if people don’t like you, you can always find new friends. You can always find other groups of people who will accept and value your thoughts and feelings. And do you really want to be liked for someone you’re not?”
Beauty standards are always changing.
© eldina_jaganjac / Instagram
Following the beauty standards for today’s age might not be for you, and that’s okay. According to Eldina: “I think that the beauty standards are super random. They change all the time. Something that’s very important now could be completely irrelevant in 10 years. So I can’t see why there is such an expectation for people, especially women, to fit into these standards.”
Don’t be afraid to do what you want.
© eldina_jaganjac / Instagram
Lastly, Eldina shared some inspirational words that will make any of us reflect on how we live our lives: “I think it’s always a good idea to reflect on why you’re doing what you’re doing. And is it what you want, or are you doing it because of fear?”
What do you think of Eldina’s story? Do you feel pressured by society’s beauty standards too, like Eldina did? Share your own advice with us.
