“Ew! Women should always shave! It’d be wrong not to!”
This statement is something I overheard in public a couple a weeks ago. It got me thinking about how a woman being completely hairless became an American phenomenom. Other countries understand how body hair is a natural thing on women, so why not America? All women are born with hair, just like men, so why are we the ones who are looked down upon for not shaving?
Shaving the underarms was not a norm in America until the early 1920s. In those days, saying the word “underarm” was considered a scandalous thing. But one day, a fashion magazine introduced the “sleeveless dress” and with it a tagline that said to only wear it with “the removal of objectionable body hair”. Ever since, women’s underarms are expected to be hair-free.
The most common area for women to shave is the legs. This came about because of the fashion of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Through these times, dances were getting more complicated, which meant women’s skirt were becoming shorter and shorter to prevent excessive sweating. “The removal of objectionable body hair” began to apply to more than just the arms.
Just because the skin where hair grows is showing, doesn’t mean you should shave it. I’m not saying, “Society is oppressing woman in the form of razors, stop shaving! Burn your bras!” I’m trying to make a point that women should not be ridiculed for natural body hair. If a women doesn’t want to shave, that’s awesome; if a women does want to shave, that’s just as awesome. It’s the woman’s body, and she is in control of it. She should not be made fun of her body choices.
The next time you see a woman who has hairy legs or hairy arm pits, don’t say anything about it (no, not even in whispers to your friends/family members)! Body hair is beautiful and should be appreciated in America just like it is in other parts of the world.
So, ladies, forget what others say and get ready for “No Shave November”!