“She’s in a sleeveless dress with clean arms but bushy underarms?! Oh my god! Get that shaved before we call the beauty cops on you, girl!”, will be the next blind item on ‘yours truly’, the next time I step out wearing my body hair the way I want.
Social norms for beauty are harsh and these stereotypes are mostly detrimental to women. One such standard is the stigma around body hair removal for women, who are expected to be hairless (all-the-time). These conventional standards are misogynistic, impossible to match up to, and often have you and I feeling insecure, shameful and embarrassed in our own skin. Banking upon the one-dimensional, non-inclusive perception of the ideal woman now, it is difficult to believe how hair removal was originally encouraged as a safety measure. This practice has had its own journey shaped by centuries of history to become one of the most talked about beauty conversations for women, albeit in hushed circles.
The problem here for me, lies only in the fact that although the female body hair pops up as a trend occasionally, it is almost always presented as a statement or call for attention, rather than merely a way of existing naturally within a female body. And the choice on what-to-do with it is always a point of public contention, that can be political and prickly at the same time. After years of debate, we have a new cohort of women who appreciate both sides of the coin and I find myself to be one of them. It is the exact opposite of the ‘To be or not to be’ Shakespearean situation and just going about my day without giving the decision on hair removal a hard thought, and claiming and owning it to be more of a personal choice.
While there is a small proportion of us who have understood the normalcy behind this decision, it is no secret that a lot of women still fall into the traps of the beauty industry that thrives on our insecurities. Most hair removal products are marketed with the veil of homogenized beauty. As a result, more women are inadvertently tricked into believing that what they see on packs, screens or commercials is what they need to do to qualify in the sprint to appeal/beauty.
I am one of those people you see on product packs and on screen with perfectly smooth skin. But I want to tell you that a lot goes behind getting that perfect picture. And that on an everyday basis that’s not how I look. The goal for me is to feel good, over-looking good. And that stands for my hair removal choices as well. Never feel pressured into removing your body hair to maintain a look with an outfit if that is not your feel for the day. Which is why I identified with the brand ‘Bombae’ and agreed to become their ambassador. The brand showcases the modern woman as she is – in her myriad avatars, choices, and states of being, in line with what I believe should be the way to treat hair removal.
Let’s walk the path paved by Sophia Lauren, Julia Roberts and Lisa Bonet. You could just be the Loudres Leon or the Emma Corrin – esque inspo-serving star in your girl gang.
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