Once when I was young, maybe nine or ten years old, I was in the back room of the hair salon my mom used to work at and for some reason or another, I announced that I wanted to start shaving my legs. The girls who worked there said I wouldn't want to, or that I'd get tired of keeping up with it, and well, they were right.
What made me say that in the first place? Why do women feel they have to erase a part of themselves to seem "normal?" I don't see men shaving their armpits, chest, or any other area for that matter. I've heard that long hair is beautiful, or girls with long hair are sexy, so why is hair unacceptable if it's somewhere other than a woman's head? Why are we pushed to get rid of something natural?
I'm talking about pits, legs, and even, vaginas. For so long, women have been taught to shave, and at fairly young ages, too, probably around the time puberty kicks in. Most of the time we don't even think about shaving because it's habit at this point. Even the tiniest bit of hair can be unsightly or a reason to shave. Hairy women or those who choose to embrace their hair are hippies or crazy feminists, right? I'm sure that's what some people would say because they can't wrap their head around it.
But who exactly is this hair bothering? It sure as hell isn't bothering me. My motto is "if it's not bothering you, just leave it." It's all about your own comfort. After all, it is your body. Shave or don't shave, it's up to you. Shaving takes more time in the shower, so if we want to get technical, we're saving water by not shaving, thus doing the planet a favor.
Dare I admit, I like my armpit hair (gasp!), and it's oddly made me feel confident. If someone has a problem with it, I don't care. If you're going to take hair that grows on a body that seriously, then go for it. May I remind you, it's just hair. It doesn't really matter if it's there or not. Sometimes I shave it, sometimes I don't, but God forbid women actually do something remotely unattractive without any backlash.
And this is just the beginning. Now a days, women are dying their pits and sharing their photos on social media, giving society's beauty standards the finger. Now, you may think dying armpit hair is stupid, crazy, or pointless, and that's fine. You don't have to understand it or make sense of it, but don't put people down or shame them for being themselves and liberating others.
In fact, despite the odd looks from my family when I talk about growing out my pit hair, celebs have been seen sporting theirs, such as Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Julia Roberts, and Jemima Kirke, star of the show "Girls." This is not new, but it's definitely gained popularity and news over time. As opposed to celebrities, many ordinary women of different ages, races, and body types are posting selfies with their hair too. There was a New York Times article in the Fashion and Style section July 14, 2015, about dyed pits; it was cool to see that publication discussing it in a positive way. There's even an Instagram account dedicated to hairy pits, and a website that promotes growing pit hair and dying it. At one point, there was even an armpit hair competition by Chinese women's right's activist, Xiao Meili.
When you see photos on the internet of women with hairy pits and read comments on them, many reactions are people saying "gross" or worse. They act like women shouldn't have hair on their bodies, and that it's not natural. I don't see what the big deal is; it's not your body, so why would you care? However, some women are applauded for being brave enough to post hairy and fresh-dyed pits. I joined the trend and posted my own recently. Sure, I was a little nervous, but at the same time I didn't care. I've always believed in respecting people's choices, and letting people be who they want. This is me and I'm not trying to impress anyone. In many ways, this is not just about hair, but about women being able to do what they want, and feel safe doing it.
