Who knew that with childbirth could come not only a few stretch marks, but a mean Issac Hayes beard for some? Okay, so I’m over-exaggerating by using Hayes, but seriously, a woman who calls herself Miriam, from Germany, says after giving birth to her son 28 years ago, facial hair started growing on her at an extreme pace. However, after being bullied over it for years and even having her family say things to her about it, she says she feels more confident and sexier than she ever has before.

According to the Daily Mail, Miriam, 49, appeared on the UK’s ITV and said that she’s taken numerous tests to make sure she doesn’t have a serious health condition that’s causing the hair to grow. Why? Because she says she has done electrolysis three times and even plucked and shaved her face every day, only to find that the hair would grow back thicker. It was especially confusing for her since she says she had no facial hair before giving birth to her son. For 10 years, she would try and maintain it, including tweezing her face daily, but she couldn’t hold back five o’ clock shadows and fuzz. Plus, it only made things worse according to Miriam.

“My chin got really red and inflamed from all the plucking, and some of the hairs were ingrown, so it always looked like I’d fallen on my chin. But when people asked what had happened and I told them they couldn’t believe it.”

So by 2008, Miriam, was over it and decided she would just let the beard grow just to see how it looked and what would happen (if you were wondering, she had no job at this time), and she even wrote a blog about her journey. However, the reaction she got from people wasn’t the nicest on her blog, and even her mother was and still is appalled by her facial hair. “‘My mum said “do you have to shock people like this”. Then she got used to it and thought that one day I’d finish it, and was patient, but now she’s getting nervous and wants me to stop and become “normal.”‘

However, Miriam hasn’t let the negative reactions get her down. She says she has become more confident and after being single for a decade, she wants to get out there and start dating again. She’s not worried about how the beard will affect that now.

“I know myself more now,’ she said. ‘There are always people with a who might only be attracted by the beard, but that is the same with lots of things, even if I were a blonde woman…now I’m happy with it.”

Well…that’s good for her. I guess. But according to the Daily Mail, if you find yourself with an influx of facial hair that seems to come out of nowhere, it could have something to do with too many androgen hormones, possible hypertrichosis, tumors or it could come from the use of steroids. Yet and still, Miriam’s doctors didn’t find these things to be to be the reasoning behind her sudden furriness, so she’s been forced to either shave or deal with it, and she’s chosen the latter. And she’s happy! But I have to be honest and saying that if it were me, I might just have to put up with the excessive shaving and tweezing, because Lord knows that beard just wouldn’t look good on me…

What do you think?

Dear Goatee,

I’ve been clocking your style for a while now. It started with a subconscious glance, a double look and finally I allowed myself to drink you in completely. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are beautiful.

And not only are you beautiful all by yourself, I truly appreciate the fact that your beauty allows others to shine. You’re not like the other facial hair. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve failed to notice a man with a simple mustache or a scruffy beard; but give that same man a goatee, and I’m intrigued. As a woman who considers herself a lip connoisseur, I value you the fact that you bring me to the lips. I find myself following your lead and your lines to the suppleness of his lips (top and bottom), the strength of his jawline and the spread of his smile. (And every girl/woman knows that a smile hampered by bad teeth, is almost always a deal breaker.) I actually owe you quite a bit, in fact.

There was that time you showed me, with clarity, that a potential beau was a bit lacking in the lip department. They were thin and small. But other things seemed to be aligned, so I proceeded, ignoring the warning. It wasn’t until our first kiss, that I realized that you, goatee, did not lie. In the middle of it, I remember wondering, eyes darting open in alarm, “Where are his lips?” They just weren’t there. And I had to be onto the next one. There was no way that was going to work. You tried to warn me, goatee, but I just didn’t want to listen. But now, I’ll never ignore you again. I can’t afford to waste anymore time.

So I’m writing this letter in celebration of your beauty, the beauty you’ve highlighted in others and the lessons you’ve taught me along the way.

Sincerely,

Veronica

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From StyleBlazer.com

Honey, honey, honeeey! Settle in for a moment and get all the way into this. We all have our preferences—to each her own (we won’t judge)—but this one’s for those of us who love a man who can take his fineness to new levels with some facial hair.

Lined up or let go to grow wild and free, the right beard can promote him from “worthy of a double take” to “makes our legs shake”. We can’t list them all but, we’ve got eight bearded blessings who make us rock and hum old negro spirituals.

Check out these bearded beauties at StyleBlazer.com.

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• Vogue Italia’s Haute Mess And The High Theft Of Black Culture”

Listening to Miguel’s “Quickie” had me feeling some type of sultry this morning, so I decided to take advantage of one of this morning’s Twitter trending topics. It’s nothing serious like Paula Deen’s diabetes or the threats of the Congress limiting the blessed Internet, no I’m talking about a trending topic from ATL, Georgia called “that’s [swexy] as hell.” Since Miguel was sending me messages, I started to thinking of some very simplistic things men can do to fully capitalize on their swexy. Ladies, check the list and let me know if you feel me.

Being attentive to your children

There are plenty of fathers who provide for their children but don’t know anything about them or what’s going on in their little lives. One of the most appealing things a man can do is be there for his child, both physically and emotionally. If you’ve ever seen TLC’s “A Baby Story,” you know the mothers consistently gush about how seeing their husbands (baby daddies) with their newborn makes him attractive on an entirely different level. But single men with children, don’t be discouraged. By now, perhaps you’ve noticed that even women who aren’t the biological mother of your child will melt at the sight of you being attentive to your babies. It’s so endearing, so nurturing, that selfishly, we can’t help but think that you might be this way with the women in your life as well. Granted you should already be all up in your child’s life, but this fact of life should serve as an additional incentive.

As much as we try to hide it, being a woman isn’t as glamorous as we’d like to make people believe. We’re human and sometimes that means dealing with life’s little nasties. While we often point to men as being dirty there are some common, womanly issues that we’d rather men not know about. Check out the short list and if you’re honest with yourself, you might just get a good chuckle out of them.

You never want your man to see:

1…you leaning in the bathroom mirror ferociously plucking your chin, nose, or upper lip hairs.

2…you bent over the bathroom sink washing remnants of the red dragon out of your drawers.

3…all the dry skin that comes off your feet when you finally do get that pedicure.

4…you looking after you wipe.

5…masturbating. (Most guys would get off on this but if you don’t intend for him to see you, it’s all bad.)

6…peeing on yourself.

7…picking your nose. (You may say you don’t but we know you do.)

8…removing your Diana Ross weave to reveal your Amber Rose cut

9…what a yeast infection really looks like. *shivers*

10…you in the tightest of fetal positions receiving a colonoscopy.

Ewwwwwww! What disgusting, potentially embarrassing things would you add to this list?