Erin Honeycutt: US woman sets Guinness World Record for longest beard on a living female

A Michigan woman has grown the world's longest female beard after ditching her routine of shaving three times a day. This not-so-weird beard has been grown by a 38-year-old Erin Honeycutt. As per Guinness World Records, she managed to cultivate an astonishing 11.8-inch (30cm) beard.

While talking about her beard, Honeycutt said that she has taken it as a mixed blessing, "It hides her “double chin” but “gets stuck in everything”.  She added that it was satisfying to earn a world record for something that she was once ashamed of.

“I never thought that I would be able to attain or achieve a goal that would let me be in a book,” said Honeycutt. “And it’s just kind of a nice thing to be recognized.”

Honeycutt was able to grow such a long beard because of her current health condition of polycystic ovarian syndrome. This syndrome causes a hormonal imbalance and among other things could lead to excess hair growth. However, now she owns the title of a living woman with the world’s longest beard without taking any hormones or supplements.

US woman achieves longest female beard title: GWR

In the process of attaining this title, she has come a long way. While sharing her journey of growing a long beard, Honeycutt said, "Shaving, waxing and using hair-removal products were all ways that Honeycutt tried to keep her beard tamed when it started growing after she turned 13." 

Honeycutt was maintaining that lifestyle throughout her teens and adulthood. However, gradually she started feeling “tired of shaving”, so she began growing her beard out at the suggestion of her wife, Jen. According to the Guinness World Record, during the process, Honeycutt was also curious to know how she would like with a fully grown beard, and she believed she could probably get a pretty “decent” one going.

The decision to grow the beard was taken after getting her partner Jen’s blessing and was successful due to the restricted activities across the US early in the COVID-19 pandemic. She even said that the protective face masks that were mandatory in some parts of the country during that time gave her the chance to build her “confidence in growing a beard”. 

“Wearing masks really helped with building my confidence in going out in public,” too, she said. 

Taking to Twitter, the Guinness World Record wrote, "Erin Honeycutt used to have to shave three times a day. Now, she's proud of her record-breaking beard!" 

Erin Honeycutt used to have to shave three times a day. Now, she's proud of her record-breaking beard!

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) August 9, 2023