Class 10 Topper Was Trolled For Her Facial Hair

Rihana · May 29, 2024

A few weeks back, Prachi Nigam, a girl who topped Uttar Pradesh's Class 10 exams was trolled for her facial hair.

The heartbreaking story of UP topper Prachi Nigam and the taboo around facial hair

“I wish I had not topped”… The heartbreaking words were uttered by Prachi Nigam who secured 98.5 per cent in the Class 10 Uttar Pradesh board exams. The school student gained limelight on social media after her marks and her pictures surfaced on social media.

Such shaming, trolling or bullying any boy, girl or adult for their looks is wrong, there is no doubt about that. No debate around that.

This thread is about the role of parents in such cases where a child's appearance is much different than others.
What should parents do? Help child to feel confident in spite of the different looks? What else?

Rihana · May 29, 2024

My opinion won't be a popular one, but that's what I've been thinking since I first read the news in April.

Parents should always inculcate in children the ability and confidence to be proud of who they are, as they are. In addition, parents also owe it to the child to make their life easier whenever possible. In this case, IMO, it is the parent's job to find affordable and reversible ways of controlling the facial hair growth. Teen years are difficult as it is, no need to maintain an extra challenge in the kid's life.

Maybe I am influenced by a childhood experience that I started to recall and process properly only after seeing a therapist. To save money, I used to wear boy's black shoes school. I had to explain to many teachers why these met the rules, and had to face derisive questions from many adults at school, leave alone the teasing from classmates. I stood up for myself, my parents appreciated that, praised me for following their instructions, but it left scars I wouldn't wish on any child. There are ways to make a child strong and to build character, resilience without putting them through avoidable suffering.

akshayaramkumar · Jun 14, 2024

Rihana said: ↑

My opinion won't be a popular one, but that's what I've been thinking since I first read the news in April.

Parents should always inculcate in children the ability and confidence to be proud of who they are, as they are. In addition, parents also owe it to the child to make their life easier whenever possible. In this case, IMO, it is the parent's job to find affordable and reversible ways of controlling the facial hair growth. Teen years are difficult as it is, no need to maintain an extra challenge in the kid's life.

Maybe I am influenced by a childhood experience that I started to recall and process properly only after seeing a therapist. To save money, I used to wear boy's black shoes school. I had to explain to many teachers why these met the rules, and had to face derisive questions from many adults at school, leave alone the teasing from classmates. I stood up for myself, my parents appreciated that, praised me for following their instructions, but it left scars I wouldn't wish on any child. There are ways to make a child strong and to build character, resilience without putting them through avoidable suffering.
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Not only fellow classmates, even the adults charges with questions as they are very curious to find the problem one is going through in their life. If adults learn to mind their business eventually their child would also stop bullying or harassing others.
That girl must be having PCOS hence such a facial hair growth. I'm also suffering from PCOS and trying to balance the hormones. None of my classmates has ever teased me or raised a question about my condition. It is only those nosy aunties who keep asking questions.

Even I have thick facial hair like her on my upper lip as well as chin. Weekly once I have to do waxing to remove the hair. Lifestyle should be changed to keep the hormones in control but it is easier said than to follow.

gamma50g · Jun 15, 2024

I also subscribe to the unpopular opinion that no matter what reason she has to have facial hair, every child has a basic right to be groomed and it's up to the parents to teach the child how to groom themselves. This is not for beauty, looking good or fitting in. However just that basic grooming gives so much more confidence not just to kids but even to people at any age. If it's something that cannot be fixed, of course nothing can be done about it. But if it's something as simple as facial hair and the parents have not even made hair removal accessible to a 10th grade girl, it is sad.

This girl later on has gained so much popularity that she was featured by a popular Instagram influencer on his page

Prachi Nigam features in a powerful ‘glow-up’ video; shares ‘never try to fix something that was never broken’

And now from the girl who said she wished she never topped her exam and that she doesn't want to be beautiful, she has moved on to saying Dear women, don't try to fix something that was never broken.