The Thing About Hair
Photo courtesy of The Temple News
We have hair all over or bodies. Under our armpits, near our respective types of genitalia, our legs, our lips, our arms, our knuckles, our stomachs, the back of our necks. And with that much hair just sprouting out of people, it makes sense to think that it happens for a reason. That we have this hair for a scientific reason, not just because our bodies love to make it harder for us to comply with beauty standards. Which, for me at least, my hair definitely does.
Everytime I have to play sports and wear shorts, I heave a huge internal sigh because it means I have to shave my legs in the shower. And everytime I’m in the shower all hunched over shaving my legs, I have the same question: Who the hell am I doing this for? For a while, it was definitely other people. As it is for a lot of women around the world. But now, being the scholar that I am, I’ve done some research. And it turns out the reason for hair removal wasn’t always because we wanted to look prettier or cleaner for other people.
Back in, like, the Stone Age, cavemen and cavewomen both shaved their heads so they could fight more efficiently and so they didn’t get frostbite from frozen hair sticking to their heads. It was only after the Stone Age that stigma started to form around body hair. In Ancient Egypt, sugar waxing was invented because body hair was seen as unclean and as an indicator of social class. Apparently that’s why Princess Cleopatra got rid of like, all her hair. Even on her head. After that, in to 1900s, razors were invented for women to wear instead of wearing stocking (because apparently there was a Nylon shortage?). So, thanks history, for blessing us with this gem of having to wax or shave or thread or pluck weekly. It’s truly a real bitch. And it really pisses me off that the only reason we have to do this is because of the influence history has had. And then once the marketing industry caught on, it was pretty much a done deal. Hairless models and actresses in commercials selling razors that keep people “smooth” all the time. Well, in most cases, not really “people”. Women. Body hair on men is seen as natural and masculine. It’s only when a woman grows out her armpit hair that people see it as unhygienic, unfeminine, and as an attribute that should be tucked away or eradicated.
Amongst all this negative rhetoric about body hair on women, it’s hard to know what to believe. So let’s get one thing straight: Body hair is NOT unclean. I mean sure, in Ancient Egypt it might have made people cleaner. But they also didn’t have the kind of products we have now. If I can get rid of my acne with a star-shaped patch, I’m pretty sure I can use on of the gazillions of hair products out there to keep my body hair clean. As a society, we’ve just created a world where hair is gross. In the 70s and 80s, during the rise of explicit pop culture, hairlessness started being associated with desire, and the “brazilian wax” became a thing. But why are we still listening to what was dictated by society so long ago? We’ve changed and evolved our ideals so much since then. It only makes sense this stigma evolves too.
If you enjoy shaving, if you like the way it makes you look, please keep doing it. To me, shaving is a question of empowerment. It’s another choice that women should get to make for themselves everyday, like wearing makeup or not wearing makeup. Women should get to decide when they look best, not other people. And even if your reason for not shaving doesn’t come from a place of unapologetic confidence, don’t let it be something you need to be embarrassed about. Maybe your just lazy, or maybe it’s just the Winter, and like me, you see no reason to be giving yourself unnecessary razor cuts just to put on a pair of jeans anyways. It doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, it’s your decision and yours alone. And if you want to give the hairy thing a try but are just a little afraid of what people will say, a lot of people are in your boat. When I get insecure about my hair, I like to look to the stars. Like, celebrity stars. Actresses like Rowan Blanchard, and models like Emily Ratajowski have been open about their body hair and how they “let it grow” (The Lorax).
At the end of the day, do what makes you feel good. If that means removing that hair for you, then shave away. If it means growing out the bush, then please do. Either way, you should be allowed to rediscover yourself away from the expectations of others. Whatever you decide to do or not do with your hair and your body, know that you can do it for yourself.
Citations
Team, BeautyHub.PH. “Getting over the Social Stigma on Body Hair.” BeautyHub.PH, BeautyHub.PH, 3 June 2021, https://www.beautyhub.ph/skin/underarm-care/social-stigma-body-hair/#:~:text=The%20combined%20influence%20of%20history,either%20removed%20or%20hidden%20away.
5th, : EVE THOMAS- May, et al. “Let It Grow: Moving on from Body-Hair Stigma.” Elle Canada, https://www.ellecanada.com/beauty/hair/let-it-grow-moving-on-from-body-hair-stigma.