A 38-year-old woman from US' Michigan has broken the world record for the longest beard on a living female. Notably, Erin Honeycutt has been growing her 11.8-inch (29.9 cm) beard for about two years, according to a press release from Guinness World Records.
The previous record of 25.5 cm belonged to 75-year-old Vivian Wheeler from the US.
The excessive growth on her face is the result of polycystic ovarian syndrome, a condition that causes hormonal imbalance and irregular menstruation, weight gain, and infertility.
''Erin Honeycutt used to have to shave three times a day. Now, she's proud of her record-breaking beard,'' a video shared on X by GWR reads.
Watch the video here:
Her beard started growing after she turned 13. The condition made her self-conscious and she began shaving, waxing, and using hair-removal products to get rid of the excess hair.
''I was probably shaving at least three times a day,'' she revealed, adding that she continued doing this throughout her teen years and into her adult life.
However, after losing part of her vision due to an eye stroke triggered by high blood pressure, she decided to stop shaving and let her beard grow out during the Covid-lockdown, encouraged by her wife, Jen.
"It really gave me a chance to build my confidence in growing a beard. Wearing masks really helped with building my confidence in going out in public,'' she said.
Ms. Honeycutt said life with such a long beard is a mixed blessing. While it hides her ''double chin”, it ''gets stuck in everything''.
“I never thought that I would be able to attain or achieve a goal that would let me be in a book, and it's just kind of a nice thing to be recognized for, even though it's just something that happens naturally for me,” she added.
Many women related to her journey and called her an inspiration. One user wrote, ''I honestly respect her for being able to accept herself like that. I think it's a testament to her spirit and her positive mindset. I can only imagine how liberated she feels now.'''
Another commented, ''Now this is a true world record.''
