LETTING IT GROW A journey of accepting one’s body hair and embracing their femininity as it is TANVEE SAI sports editor
30 | DESIGNED BY JOLIE HAN
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hen talking about issues that female identifying people face, body hair may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But the stigma surrounding body hair is more prevalent than expected. Most male identifiers get to live with their body hair and embrace it, while female identifiers have to face constant shame for having that same feature. In eighth grade, I noticed that all my female identifying friends were talking about shaving, that all the models on Instagram had shaved legs and armpits, and that my hairy legs stuck out. I became more conscious of my body hair when I went to swim practice and looked down at my legs every day, feeling uglier and uglier. I wallowed in self disgust and felt the need to cover up my legs and armpits every time they were exposed. When our high school promotion rolled around, I begged my mom to let me shave. I had found a dress to wear, bought shoes, and learned how to straighten my hair. All that was left was to get rid of the hair on my body,
and I would be pretty. My mom took me to a waxing salon, and as my hair was getting ripped off my body, all I could think about was how pretty I would look after it was over. I kept reminding myself that there was no beauty without pain. My mom left the room to pay, and as I stood up, I looked at my smooth, hairless legs. I saw every mole, every birthmark on my legs, and on the drive home, I rubbed my fingers against my soft, smooth skin.
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I WALLOWED IN SELF DISGUST AND FELT THE NEED TO COVER UP MY LEGS AND ARMPITS EVERY TIME THEY WERE EXPOSED.
TANVEE SAI
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I went to my promotion ceremony feeling like a woman. I could finally compare to all the beautiful, hairless models I saw all over my feed. Going into high school, I continued waxing my legs. When the first choir concert rolled around, I learned how to use hair removal cream for my armpits. I constantly felt disgusted about my body hair and felt the urge to remove it the
