Woman with chest hair embraces her appearance and has never felt more confident

A woman who decided to allow body hair to grow on her chest because she hated to shave - has never been more confident.

Esther Calixte-Bea, 25, has had a hairy chest from a very young age, which made her feel insecure and hate her appearance.

Visual artist Esther's insecurities were such intense she stopped swimming because she didn't want to go through the process of shaving or waxing, and having bad ingrown hair.

It was not until 2019 that Esther decided enough was enough, and she stopped shaving after travelling to Haiti.

During her travels, Esther, who goes by the moniker Queen Esie online, realised that beauty standards for women were everchanging and dependent on where you were in the world.

Esther, from Montreal, Canada, said: "I became way less self-conscious when I learned this information and I realised I could choose for myself and couldn't wait for society to validate my body and my appearance."

When she returned home, decided to stop shaving altogether and go public, revealing to her family and friends that she had a hairy chest.

She added: "I created the Lavender Project. I tend to create paintings, but also create what I'm going through. I knew art was the perfect medium to tell people that I have chest hair."

The project was a 'self-photography project', where Esther photographed herself wearing a dress she made, showing her chest hair for the first time, and posted it on Instagram.

Esther has since taken to TikTok to challenge traditional relationships when it comes to beauty standards.

She has been vlogging her way through the video app flaunting her hairy chest where she questions what it means for women to have - and be proud of - their natural body hair.

Esther now runs successful TikTok, YouTube and Instagram accounts, where she regularly posts her thoughts and musings on how to redefine beauty standards for women in the modern era.