I’ve always had thick eyebrows and they never used to bother me when I was little, but lately I couldn’t even look in the mirror without hating them!

The thing is, I’m 14 and since I started my period and hit puberty, my body went through some serious changes – some that I wasn’t so happy about. I like that I now have small breasts and pubic hair, but I didn’t like that I’d also grown some facial hair and my eyebrows met in the middle like a big hairy caterpillar on my face (that’s what some kids at school said!).

I felt desperate about getting rid of my facial hair and sorting out my eyebrows, so I asked my mum for advice. She was very understanding and explained to me that puberty is a time when your body goes through many physical and emotional changes, and it’s a rollercoaster at times, but you just have to hold on and get through it. She told me what hormones are how they work – they are special chemicals in your body that send messages to control your bodily functions, like hunger and emotions. When girls go through puberty their bodies release a hormone called estrogen, and in boys the hormone is called testosterone.

She also explained that we are all different and react differently to the hormones racing around our bodies – some of us will get pimples, oily hair, experience mood swings, like feeling anxious or sad, or grow facial hair (like me!). She said that doing something dramatic while your body is still growing might be something you regret later on.

We chatted about how I was feeling insecure because of the kids at school teasing me. My mum made me look in the mirror and say out loud, “I’m beautiful just the way I am, inside and outside.” It helped me feel so good about myself. Now I chant this mantra every morning when I’m getting ready for school and it has really helped me understand that I am beautiful just the way I am – my thick eyebrows are gorgeous. Because they’re part of what makes me unique!

I feel so much better about myself now and if anyone was to tease me again I’d just smile and say, “Thank you for noticing how unique and beautiful I am!”