Despite the fact that we are now in 2018, females across the world are still expected to be hairless. Regardless of the rapid rise in body-positivity and self-love, women who display their body hair on social media platforms such as Instagram, still receive an unfair amount of criticism and hatred.

However, Olivia Qualls is looking to change that.

Olivia was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome when she was just 10-years-old and has had thick, visible hair on her face and body for years.

Due to the fact that she only ever saw women with facial hair in circus acts, Olivia felt insecure and unfeminine, with her deciding to shave away any hair that was deemed "unacceptable."

But Olivia says that she is done with that now and has stopped shaving her face and underarms. Now, instead, Olivia shares photos of her hair on Instagram in order to inspire other women to not feel self-conscious about their appearance.

"When I was a kid the only other woman I saw with facial hair were circus and sideshow acts," says Olivia.

"I felt like a freak, I was made to feel like I was less of a girl or not even a girl because of it.

"I started sharing my journey with hirsutism because if one young girl saw my posts and got something positive out of it, it would be worth it to expose myself in that way.

"We have to be the people we needed when we were younger.

"I was diagnosed when I was around 10 years old. I was having severe lower abdominal pain during my periods, I was even passing out from how badly it hurt. I started developing body hair shortly after.

"It has been a difficult journey. I hid it for a long time.

"The opinions of others and myself were extremely influenced by the beauty standards of the 90s. It was hard to deal with.

"I will sometimes still remove my leg hair. But it’s been a year since the last time I’ve done that. It’s been about five years since I’ve shaved my underarms."

Olivia also still shaves her face occasionally so that her hair doesn’t cause any issues with work, but she says that she has now learned to accept her body hair rather than letting it define her.

"My face I shave pretty regularly," she explains. ‘Living in rural Appalachia means I have to sort of conform to work in the public, unfortunately".

"I love myself. I know that my hair is not a thing that determines my beauty, ability, or worth. I know that I am loved and supported.

"There are still bad days, and that’s always going to happen, but we just have to learn to be gentler with ourselves."

Unsurprisingly, sharing images of herself online has led to unpleasant comments from trolls who don't agree with Olivia's appearance. However, she claims to have found a community that is also supportive of the way she looks.

"I’ve definitely had some aggression toward me because of my body hair,’ says Olivia.

"Specifically, my face. ‘Men are accusatory of me, saying that they think I am a man trying to trick them, and some derogatory terms based around sexuality and gender.

"For the most part, my family and friends are very supportive.

"There are a few people who think it’s dirty or unbecoming of a lady. But they can decide how their body looks and I can decide how mine does.

"If someone says they are your friend and aren’t supportive of your choices then they likely aren’t really your friend."

Olivia hopes that, through sharing her experience, she will empower other women who also suffer from PCOS.

"I just want girls to know that this isn’t as rare as people make it out to be,’ she says. "One in ten women have PCOS. That is a huge amount.

"The beauty standards placed upon women by the media are not only unrealistic but toxic.

"I want girls to know that they are worth more than the opinions of weak minded people. That they are strong, brave, capable and worthy of love.

"You are more than the hair on your body. You are more than what some idiot thinks of you. Their opinions are irrelevant.

"There are so many incredibly strong women in the world who are living their lives with hirsutism, shedding light on something that has been kept in the dark for far too long.

"We deserve happiness, comfort, and inclusion."

At the end of the day, Olivia owns her body and it's her's to do what she wants with. If people have a problem with it, it says more about them than it does about her.

Despite the fact that we are now in 2018, females across the world are still expected to be hairless. Regardless of the rapid rise in body-positivity and self-love, women who display their body hair on social media platforms such as Instagram, still receive an unfair amount of criticism and hatred.

However, Olivia Qualls is looking to change that.

Olivia was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome when she was just 10-years-old and has had thick, visible hair on her face and body for years.

Due to the fact that she only ever saw women with facial hair in circus acts, Olivia felt insecure and unfeminine, with her deciding to shave away any hair that was deemed "unacceptable."

But Olivia says that she is done with that now and has stopped shaving her face and underarms. Now, instead, Olivia shares photos of her hair on Instagram in order to inspire other women to not feel self-conscious about their appearance.

"When I was a kid the only other woman I saw with facial hair were circus and sideshow acts," says Olivia.

"I felt like a freak, I was made to feel like I was less of a girl or not even a girl because of it.

"I started sharing my journey with hirsutism because if one young girl saw my posts and got something positive out of it, it would be worth it to expose myself in that way.

"We have to be the people we needed when we were younger.

"I was diagnosed when I was around 10 years old. I was having severe lower abdominal pain during my periods, I was even passing out from how badly it hurt. I started developing body hair shortly after.

"It has been a difficult journey. I hid it for a long time.

"The opinions of others and myself were extremely influenced by the beauty standards of the 90s. It was hard to deal with.

"I will sometimes still remove my leg hair. But it’s been a year since the last time I’ve done that. It’s been about five years since I’ve shaved my underarms."

Olivia also still shaves her face occasionally so that her hair doesn’t cause any issues with work, but she says that she has now learned to accept her body hair rather than letting it define her.

"My face I shave pretty regularly," she explains. ‘Living in rural Appalachia means I have to sort of conform to work in the public, unfortunately".

"I love myself. I know that my hair is not a thing that determines my beauty, ability, or worth. I know that I am loved and supported.

"There are still bad days, and that’s always going to happen, but we just have to learn to be gentler with ourselves."

Unsurprisingly, sharing images of herself online has led to unpleasant comments from trolls who don't agree with Olivia's appearance. However, she claims to have found a community that is also supportive of the way she looks.

"I’ve definitely had some aggression toward me because of my body hair,’ says Olivia.

"Specifically, my face. ‘Men are accusatory of me, saying that they think I am a man trying to trick them, and some derogatory terms based around sexuality and gender.

"For the most part, my family and friends are very supportive.

"There are a few people who think it’s dirty or unbecoming of a lady. But they can decide how their body looks and I can decide how mine does.

"If someone says they are your friend and aren’t supportive of your choices then they likely aren’t really your friend."

Olivia hopes that, through sharing her experience, she will empower other women who also suffer from PCOS.

"I just want girls to know that this isn’t as rare as people make it out to be,’ she says. "One in ten women have PCOS. That is a huge amount.

"The beauty standards placed upon women by the media are not only unrealistic but toxic.

"I want girls to know that they are worth more than the opinions of weak minded people. That they are strong, brave, capable and worthy of love.

"You are more than the hair on your body. You are more than what some idiot thinks of you. Their opinions are irrelevant.

"There are so many incredibly strong women in the world who are living their lives with hirsutism, shedding light on something that has been kept in the dark for far too long.

"We deserve happiness, comfort, and inclusion."

At the end of the day, Olivia owns her body and it's her's to do what she wants with. If people have a problem with it, it says more about them than it does about her.