To Shave Or Not To Shave? Do Women Have A Choice? A Woman's Dilemma.

Do You Shave? Every Part?
Published by The Duchesne

Oscar and Golden Globe winner Monique makes it no secret that she doesn't shave her legs and she can constantly be spotted rocking the red carpet, out and about, and at celebrity events with her sleek unshaven legs. In fact, her decision was influenced mainly by her husband who loves body hair. My feeling is that most men don't mind bodily hair or at some point didn't mind it. When then did women start getting all this pressure to shave?  Are we shaving for ourselves? Or for men?

I grew up in Jamaica where once upon a time nothing was sexier than a woman with hairy legs. Nowadays the western ideal of  clean shaven has even infected my birth land.
There is so much pressure and expectations on women it is almost unreal to fathom that we are just feeding into everything society tells us is beautiful.

Hygienic reasons

Out of my girlfriends, I'm the only one who doesn't shave. Hygiene is the reason they claim they shave but isn't it for the sake of hygiene that women have their hairs in the first place?

Pubic and armpit hair can be likened to eyelashes as their purpose is to shield sweat and debris. By showering we keep the hair clean. 

Having bodily hair is completely natural. If hair wasn't supposed to be there then it wouldn't. Plus this is a whole double standard. It's okay for men not to shave so why is it not okay for women? 

In Europe, particularly London where I reside, you can get away with hairy arms and legs as a female. However, dare you not leave your armpit or pubic area unshaven. Of course this doesn't apply to me. I'm a non-conformist, or so I thought.

Kelly Rowland, Beyonce Knowles and Julia Roberts mocked for coming out with hairy armpits

My recent trip to Florida had me rethinking my whole stance. I trodded the streets of Tallahassee in the height of summer wearing shorts, sleeveless etc. and felt fine. No one made any comments, gave any funny stares, it was like being back in London.It was only when my cousin (male) said "Damn! Girl you don't shave? This is the US. I don't know how ya'll do it back in London but we shave here. People will think you're nasty."

His comments affected me in a way I hadn't thought it would. Maybe it was because I was out of my territory but for some reason I went to the store and bought some hair removal cream. The next day I was bald as a baby.
The funny thing was that I felt more conscious about my image than ever before. Up until I had shaved I was very comfortable in my skin. I had been meeting with high society including the Mayor of Tallahassee and no one was looking at my hairy legs. Now every time I stepped out with my shaved legs I couldn't help but wonder if they had noticed.

All my life I have been very comfortable with not shaving. I am back in the UK thus have resorted to being unshaven.
However, I wonder for how long as with my imminent migration plans to the USA, I'm pretty sure I'll have to hop on the clean shaved boat almost permanently.
Guess it's just the world we live in and again one of those things we as women are expected to do in order to be 'socially acceptable'. How sad is that?




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