Women with beards have never been in style, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist – and that they don't rock. In fact, the story behind the longest female beard in the world is incredibly inspiring.

Beards are all the rage nowadays.

Study after study shows that men with varying degrees of facial hair appear more attractive and dominant.

But did you know that beards are not an exclusively masculine phenomenon?

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Hormonal imbalances allow some women to grow long, luscious facial hair if they choose to do so. Such cases even became famous in the 19th century, with Annie Jones Elliot becoming a household name in the US.

So who holds the world record for longest female beard in the world? How long did their brushing bristles get, and why? Let's take a look.

Erin Honeycutt is the proud owner of the longest female beard ever grown and recorded, according to Guinness World Records. A 38-year-old who resides in Michigan, USA, her chin locks now total almost 12 inches in length and have been left to grow for more than two years at this point.

The previous record was held by a woman named Vivian Wheeler who had a beard ten inches in length, making Honeycutt's remarkable facial hair significantly longer than her closest rival's. This is even more impressive when you consider that she has never used any hormones or supplements to get it to this point.

Her extraordinary beard started growing when she was only 13 years old. At the time, she tried to fight it, shaving and waxing as much as possible to keep it under control. It wasn't until she complained to her wife Jen that she was "tired of shaving" that she decided to let it grow about two years ago.

It's understandable that she made this decision because Erin's facial grew fast even when compared to the average man's beard, causing her to need a shave at least two or three times a day. Remarkable, right? But what caused this?

In a short documentary that she filmed with Guinness World Records, Honeycutt shared that her facial hair was the result of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The rare condition causes severe hormonal imbalance and can result in significant facial hair growth as well as symptoms that include irregular menstruation, weight gain, and infertility.

While this explains her extraordinary beard, it's not the only health challenge that Honeycutt has had to face. Following an accident in 2018 she developed necrotizing fasciitis in her leg, resulting in the need to have it amputated from the knee down. On top of that, high blood pressure caused Erin to have an eye stroke – consequently, she is partially blind.

None of these challenges stopped Erin from becoming what she calls the "most positive person in the entire world". With the support of her loving wife Jen, she managed to push forward in life, doing away with shaving and accepting herself for who she is.

"I never thought that I would be able to attain or achieve a goal that would let me be in a book," she told Guinness World Records. "It's just kind of a nice thing to be recognized for, even though it's just something that happens naturally for me."

It's easy to make light of a topic like this, but behind the beard is an amazing story that's worth telling. Erin Honeycutt has gone through a lot in her life, but has overcome challenge after challenge.

Her beard may be big, but her heart is even bigger!