To Shave Or Not: A Look Inside Body Hair

I have not shaved my underarms for over two years.  In that time, I had pretty much learnt how to shrug off the stares.  I wear tank tops during the summer, and short sleeved dresses when I go out dancing.  I can raise my arms above my head now without thinking about what everyone else must be thinking about me.  For the most part, I had forgotten that body hair was something that was still widely considered disgusting.  That is, until recently at a dress rehearsal.  I was wearing an infinity dress that I had wrapped around my neck and twisted down my back for my routine.  My back was bare, my sides were bare, and anyone looking on had clear view of my hairy underarms.  I also had a solo section in this routine.  It wasn't long, but I still had had a really hard time embracing it.  It was basically 8 counts of rolling my hips and running my hands up my body; it was a great opportunity to show off my hair.  So great that I got two comments on it after the fact.  The first one, was more along the lines of "your dance is so pretty and the dress is so beautiful.  I just think you should shave so that no one is distracted by all that hair."  After my five minute attempt at educating her of my choices and kinder ways to say that sentence, my jaw was sore and I could have sworn I tasted blood in the back of my mouth from where I was biting my tongue.  The second comment came a couple days later and was much kinder.  It was really just an inquiry of why I chose not to shave.  Her intention was not to hurt me, just to expand her understanding.  I have absolutely no issue educating others.  That's why I'm here.  But as soon as you start shaming me for my choices, that's where I shut down.  So why is this such a hot topic?  What are some of the reasons you might have for not wanting to shave?  And finally, is it okay to not shave?  Let's discuss.

For decades, and even centuries, women have been told what to do and what not do with their bodies, and that includes their body hair.  According to an article from The Women's Museum of California, women in Ancient Egypt would shave their heads and remove their pubic hair with copper razors, as well as use a type of sugar mixture as a wax substitute. The degrees of female hair removal, as well as the methods used to obtain it have changed decade to decade and from region to region, and still continue to change today. Currently, we are entering an era where women are more confident with their bodies and the ability to express themselves. Women are taking back ownership of their bodies and the right to choose what to do with themselves, hair and all. Still, there is a lot of hesitation from those that have been socialized as women in this changing society to let their hair grow out. There are a lot of people that still think of it as gross, unclean, and undesirable. Despite the celebrities that have shown off their body hair on national television, and the social media influencers that proudly post pictures of their underarm hair on Instagram, it is still considered something that only extreme liberalists or hippies are allowed to do. It still is not really presented as an option for the general population, and those that do still get a lot of hate for it. That is why body hair is such a hot topic. It is no longer just a woman's issue; it is also a political one.

There are plenty of reasons why someone might not want to, or be able to remove their body hair.  As it turns out, razors can be really expensive, and if you are already stretching your paycheck to the limit, cutting out razors may just be the solution for you.  On top of that, shaving increases the potential of leaving tiny tears in your skin that can cause infection.  Setting the razor down can save you money, decrease your risk of infection, and make razor burn a thing of the past.  But there are plenty of resources already backing up those claims.  What most people don't seem to talk about are the more significant reasons why shaving might not be for you, such as skin conditions or religious affiliation.  For instance, one religion that considers it a dishonor to God to modify their natural body hair are those in the Sikh religion.  Feminism India explains that while it is typically considered more socially polite for Sikh women to keep the hair on their heads and remove their body hair, that there are many women in the Sikh religion that believe removing any of their hair would be against the codes of their religion.  They are policed for their beliefs both inside their religion and outside of it.

Another reason that might prevent someone from shaving are certain skin conditions that make your skin overly sensitive.  This type of sensitivity goes way beyond razor burn.  I'm talking about the type of sensitive skin that burns simply with the pressure of a blade.  However, there are essentially no resources out there to help you cope if you have such sensitive skin.  There are products marketed towards sensitive skin, but there are no guarantees that they will work, and all the resources about shaving related skin sensitivity just point back to those bumps you get on your skin after shaving.  This is actually the reason I stopped shaving.  It did not matter what products I tried; none of them worked.  I tried creams, soaps, foams, and an assortment of different razors, and none of them made in difference.  I just decided that the pain of shaving wasn't worth it anymore.  I still have no idea why I can shave my legs, but not my underarms, and I would really like to see some resources out there that help this make sense for me.

That is why it's not okay to police the ways women choose to express themselves.  Whether we choose to shave our legs, trim our bushes, or let our natural hair grow out should not be anyone's concern except our own.  You never know if someone has a skin condition, or what their religious affiliation is, so setting standards as to how we should express our bodies causes so much more harm than it does good.  Shaming women for their body hair is only going to make us hide our reasons for not wanting to.  It can make it more difficult to access information about our bodies and talk about our experiences, and it alienates spaces in which could otherwise be considered safe.

In the end, it is more than okay to choose to not shave, whether it is a choice made out of preference, or one out of necessity.  You do not deserve the societal shame that has and still is being cast upon you for that decision, and you have every right to make such an important decision yourself.  There are plenty of reasons to choose to let your natural hair grow out, be it just to save money on razors, due to a skin condition, or of religious influence.  No matter what reason it is that you relate to, your decision is valid.

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