Womanhood and the Shame of Body Hair

Shaving or not; growing or not; lasering or not; waxing or not, is all a political statement. To have hair or to not says something: good, bad, or otherwise.

What you do with or without your body hair are not Earth shattering statements of mind, body, or soul, but a reflection of the person doing the physical act. It says the patriarchy and social construction of womanhood has been shaped by outside forces–– forces that may not have your best interest at heart.

Womanhood–– hair or not–– does not define what it means to be a woman.

We get to do that. We define ourselves with what we want out of life, our experiences, our hopes, and our determination to be our authentic selves. That is how we should be defining womanhood. After all, we have the power to define even if we don’t realize it.

One of the ways patriarchy creates the illusion of powerlessness is by showing (and teaching) the same old images of women. It’s not real. Not every woman is white, not every woman is thin, not every woman [insert statement about the physicality of women].

And you know what? THAT’S OK!

That’s what makes us amazing, powerful, worthy of love, respect and honor.

This shame of female body hair is an illusion to keep women tied to the patriarchal system that needs women to fail. If we are so consumed with our appearance, we won’t have time to recreate a new system filled with compassion and empathy.

It’s just hair. Just hair. Hair.

I wish it was just hair, but it’s not! The hardest part of all this is that it isn’t just hair. It’s a social commentary about the state of women in the US and other western worlds. It says something if you shave and it says something if you don’t. 

And that’s not right.

We are human beings–– animals–– that deserve to have choice. Men freely wear their hair in the natural state, no one bats an eye. Women are far less lucky.

That’s why it’s a political statement to grow, shave, laser, style, remove, love your body hair. 

Ditch the razor or not. Just make sure you know why you’re doing it and love yourself for it. If not, you have the power to change your fate. It all has meaning. What does yours say about you?