US woman breaks record for longest female beard
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Owing to polycystic ovarian syndrome, Erin Honeycutt was able to grow a record-breaking 11.8-inch beard.
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Erin Honeycutt from Michigan, United States. (Screengrab from Guinness World Records video)
Erin Honeycutt, 38, a Michigan biological woman, grew a record-breaking 11.8in beard mostly due to her polycystic ovarian condition, according to Guinness authorities in a news release issued Wednesday.
The illness causes hormonal imbalance, which can result in excessive hair growth, among other problems. In Honeycutt's case, it allowed her to become the living woman with the world's longest beard without using any hormones or supplements.
Honeycutt attempted shaving, waxing, and other hair-removal techniques to keep her beard under control when it began to grow after she turned 13, according to a Guinness World Records press release.
"I was probably shaving at least three times a day," she told Guinness.
Honeycutt continued this way of living throughout her adolescence and adulthood. But, after losing part of her vision, she became "tired of shaving."
She set the record on February 8, 2023, in Caro, Michigan, surpassing 75-year-old Vivian Wheeler, whose beard measured 10.04in.
Honeycutt also had the lower part of one of her legs amputated after contracting a bacterial infection while in the hospital for treatment of a foot injury.
Her leg had grown infected and gangrenous when she opted to have part of it amputated around five years ago, according to Guinness. According to reports, she informed her physicians that she would "deal with it" and go on.
She reported that despite her health troubles, she continued to maintain "a positive outlook on life," citing that partially losing her vision was also a reason she stopped shaving.
She recalled that mask-wearing mandates in some parts of the country during the Covid-19 outbreak helped her build confidence to be seen in public.
“I never thought that I would be able to attain or achieve a goal that would let me be in a book,” Honeycutt expressed. “And it’s just kind of a nice thing to be recognized.”
