5 minute read
Hairy? Yes We Are… and We Like It
from Awakening
Hairy?
Advertisement
WRITING Maxine An
MODELING
Maxine An Kimmy Curry Emily Greenberg
PHOTOGRAPHY
Olivia Robbins
DESIGN
Lila Hathaway
Yes We Are... and We Like It
Emily Ratajkowski, Miley Cyrus, and Bella Thorne are just a few celebrities who have come to embrace their own body hair, posting images of themselves on social media for the world to see. We are in an era of body positivity and acceptance, and that includes much more than simply our body size and shape — our body hair matters too.
As women, we are taught at a young age what it means to look presentable in public, and that includes the strenuous work of shaving and waxing our entire bodies. I started shaving my underarms before I hit double digits, and it did not take long for it to turn into an irritating chore during the warmer months. I never even glanced at a razor during autumn and winter, feeling a burden being This past summer, being in lockdown and quarantine made me realize that I would not be seeing my friends regularly nor traveling with my family like I used to. My razors fell to the bottom of my drawers untouched, and I felt an internal sense of freedom. But while not shaving brought about relief, it was the world outside of my home that stopped me from feeling comfortable with my body hair. I wish I had the courage to leave the house with all my body hair intact, but I was afraid to get side-eye glances and weird looks from others. Whenever I left the house, I chose tops that covered my underarms and cargo pants that protected my legs.
Nowadays, many women would argue that not shaving is a sign of liberation and that we, as a society, should come to accept that. However, there is still a stigma surrounding those who do
not shave. Rebecca Herzig, a professor of gender and sexuality studies at Bates College and author of “Plucked: A History of Hair Removal,” wrote that having less body hair made one “more evolved and sexually attractive.” Other associated hairiness with “sexual inversion, disease pathology, lunacy and criminal violence.” While the negative connotations of hairiness should have applied to both men and women, it was only the latter who faced the consequences of not shaving their body hair. It was actually a way to control women and their bodies as they achieved more power within society.
The idea that women’s bodies should be free of hair was reinforced in the early 1900s when sleeveless dresses were introduced and sold to the public. In 1922, an ad in Harper’s Bazaar told women it was a necessity for them to shave their underarms if they were to not be embarrassed and Gillette, a men’s shaving company, released Vox. As time progressed, the shorter dress hemlines in the 1930s and 1940s and the rise of Playboy Magazine created the standard for women’s sexiness, which meant shaving their body hair. Hairlessness became a societal norm that expectation as well.
Even in the 21st century where gender equality has supposedly advanced, women still feel embarrassed for not shaving, especially when
it can be seen in public. In an interview with The , Caroline Ervin, co-host of the podcast Unladylike, said, “It makes total sense shaving. On the one hand, many of us have had it drilled into our heads that body hair is gross, unhygienic, and unfeminine. On the other, we know in our logical, feminist brains that we ‘shouldn’t’ fall prey to those social pressures.”
It presents an obstacle for women who understand that their societal value is based on physical appearance but who want to challenge the norms that have controlled them for so long. This double standard has received pushback from those who believe they should be allowed to live their lives however they want, without judgement.
Younger generations, like millennials and Gen Z, are part of the movement of normalizing body hair on women. The Guardian describes “Januhairy,” which “encourages women to grow their body hair for the month of January and share images of themselves online.” Hopefully, more and more women will participate in movements like these in the future so that the presence of body hair will be welcomed and embraced by all. Creating these kinds of online communities and uniting women on an issue that impacts them is a step taken in the right direction toward the acceptance of body hair.
Esther Calixte-Bea, or @queen_esie on Instagram, is a body hair activist and painter. She appeared in Glamour UK’s second annual Self-Love issue in January 2021, which celebrates beauty and bodies
that challenge outdated or taboo beauty standards. Her Instagram photos reveal her own body hair, and it is such refreshing content. In an interview with CTV News, Calixte-Bea disclosed that she remembered seeing chest hair as an 11-year-old and felt like she needed to shave it for her elementary school graduation. She realized that she could either accept herself as she was or stay in her dark place. Calixte-Bea owned her body hair and chose to show it to the world. Little did she know that by doing so, she had instilled felt displeased by and discouraged from having chest hair. Women showcasing their body hair in public is nothing new, but it may feel that way because it has yet to be normalized. Back in 1999, Julia Roberts did not shave her underarms for the Notting Hill premiere and made a feminist statement by doing so. Body hair is a natural occurrence in both men and women, and women should not be bearing the burden of it — especially when it is society that creates these rules, deeming what is considered acceptable or and regain control of our own bodies so that we make decisions for ourselves, rather than to please everyone around us.
