It’s time to get REAL… about BODY HAIR. For most women, we like to pretend it doesn’t exist – we were born with smooth, hairless armpits and legs! That’s because, for years and years, society has told us body hair isn’t feminine. Joining me to dive deep into this topic is this beautiful panel of women: sexologist Shan Boodram, body positivity influencer Sarah Landry, writer Kathleen Newman-Bremang, and Martha Shareski, who is herself a proud member of team NO-nicks-and-cuts!
A recent study by analysts at Mintel found nearly one in four women under the age of 25 have stopped shaving their underarms. And it’s not an entirely new phenomenon – a number of high-profile women have bucked convention in the past, going as far back as Sophia Loren in 1955, to Madonna in the 80s, to Julia Roberts in 1999. More recently, model Emily Ratajkowski appeared in Harper’s Bazaar with her armpit hair on full display, in an article exploring what it means to be hyper feminine.
“I stopped shaving over 2 years ago, both my underarms and legs. It was very difficult to show my body hair in public at first as I have been laughed at, scolded, and seen people take pictures of it. Now I can’t imagine shaving again. It’s so nice to not have to think about it! I don’t know if it makes me feel more attractive because I just don’t think about it at all. When I see people stare in public now, it makes me happy. It means they noticed and the more people notice female body hair, the less shocking and “disgusting” it will be.” – Martha Shareski
“It was a nude resort so I liked the idea of just letting my body be – a total break from all forms of conformity.” – Shannon Boodram
We asked our viewers in a Twitter poll for THEIR opinion on this topic – we asked the question: “Would you judge another woman for growing out her body hair?” and here’s what you said: 35% of you said “YES” and 65% of you said “NO.”
“I have not publicly – I still feel like I need to shave my armpits if anyone except my partner is going to see them. I barely shave in the winter though when I’m always wearing long sleeves. On myself, I don’t find body hair sexy and maybe that’s something I still need to work through – I’m ALL FOR IT on other women and think women should have the freedom to choose without judgement but for me, I still shave and if I’m trying to be sexy with my dude, I will shave completely. I think in general the movement for body positivity and acceptance is incredible and we’re really pushing back on society’s unrealistic standards BUT those pressures are still there and I still get stuck thinking that thin + hairless is more beautiful. Again, that’s probably something I have to work through. I gained weight in the past year and I’m struggling with body acceptance. You have to have so much confidence to go against what society says and I am not there yet. I also feel guilty about feeling like that since being a badass feminist these days also means that you love your body no matter what. I’m trying not to fall into patriarchal standards but this is how I feel. I don’t love my body all the time! I don’t love my body hair! Shouldn’t that also be OK to say sometimes?” – Kathleen Newman-Bremang
Body hair – or lack thereof – is just one of the standards of beauty we’ve been conditioned to look at a certain way.