A bearded lady or bearded woman is a woman who has a visible beard. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule, and more recently, political statement and fashion statementA small number of women are able to grow enough facial hair to have a beard, usually if they use anabolic steroids. Cultural pressure leads most to remove it, as it may be viewed as a social stigma. Notable exceptions were the famous (and usually fake) bearded women of the circus sideshows of the 19th and early 20th centuries, before so-called freak shows became unpopular.Mujer Barbuda copy of Ribera (1631)The current Guinness World Record holder is Vivian Wheeler; in 2000, her beard was 11 inches (28 cm) long.Some contemporary feminist women, wishing to question the boundaries of social norms, have not removed visible facial hair as a political statement.