Little Bear Schwarz

No, nothing will make you less of a woman. But nothing will make me more of one, either.

Kinksters, I am not here to shame you. I am not telling you not get your rocks off. I am simply advocating introspection.

I appear to be someone whose queerness, hairiness, and chubbiness has been wholly embraced and celebrated. I must have the answers! I don't.

If the world told me that I would never land a career, a love life, or happiness as a woman, with a face & body covered in hair, is it not empowering (and to a degree, feminist) for me to flip them the bird, grow it anyway, and prove them wrong?

I’m not brave because I’m shameless, or superior, or strange. I’m brave because I’m afraid.

I can’t just eat in moderation—at least not yet. But I am fine-tuning and honing and perfecting my body with the honor, respect, and love of a hand-crafted sword.

So the result, therefore, is a culture of “fans” considering us Sideshow Freaks — bearded ladies included — to be “neat” and “fun,” but not actually real.

“I actually like women who look like you.” How do I begin to explain what is wrong with that statement?

The building pressure of trying to find security and a future on my own, compounded with my heartbreak, caused me to snap.

At its core, body-autonomy—and feminism itself—is about giving women the benefit of the doubt that they can make up their own minds.