Kerala woman flaunts moustache, says 'I can't imagine living without it now'

When asked why she sports a moustache, Shyja said, "All I can say is that I just like it. A lot." Image credit: Ajay Laloo Laloo/Facebook)

"I love my moustache," Shyja from Kerala declares in her WhatsApp status status, right below her photo. The 35-year-old, who has never shied away from sporting her moustache, has been both lauded and trolled online. She, however, says that all the attention surrounding her facial hair does not bother her.

"People make fun of me saying, 'it's men who have moustaches, why would a woman have one?'" Shyja told the BBC. "But isn't that about what I like - what to keep and what not to?"

But, apart from the trolls, there are also those who are genuinely curious upon coming across her photos on Facebook or meet her in person--why does she keep a moustache?

"All I can say is that I just like it. A lot," Shyja responded.

The mother of one lives in Kannur district, Kerala, and like many other women, had wisps of facial hair above her lip for years. But while she kept her eyebrows threaded, Shyja said she never felt the need to remove the hair on her upper lip.

"I can't imagine living without it now. When the Covid pandemic started, I disliked wearing a mask all the time because it covered my face," Shyja said. "I've never felt that I'm not beautiful because I have this or that it's something I shouldn't have. I just do what I like. If I had two lives, maybe I'd live one for others."

Some of Shyja's confidence may come from having battled health problems for years. She underwent six surgeries over a decade. Doctors removed a lump in her breast, cysts in her ovary and five years ago, she went through surgery was a hysterectomy to remove her uterus.

"Each time I came out of surgery, I would hope that I never had to go back into an operation theatre again," she told the BBC.

Overcoming multiple health crises only strengthened Shyja's belief that she should live her life in a way that makes her happy.

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