Destigmatization of Women’s Body Hair
Body hair or no body hair is allowed to be a question. This article discusses why women should choose for themselves to save or shave their body hair.
I look down at my legs and I feel embarrassed. I forgot to shave and threw on a pair of shorts as I flew out the door, already late for school. All day I glance down, examining and wincing at the sight of it. I hope nobody notices and my head hurts from worrying. As soon as I get home, I jump in the shower and shave it all off — I feel relieved.
I must admit that I’ve had many days like this. The stress that consumes my head space because there is visible hair on my legs is inevitable. I am still trying to move past feeling like this every day. But I know I’m not the only one— women across America and the world feel embarrassed of their own natural growing body hair. My question is: Why?
Razors were first marketed towards women in America around 1915 by Gillette to remove underarm hair. From then on, as skirts and sleeves got shorter and shorter with time razor companies used these rapidly changing fashion trends to encourage women to remove their body hair. And every since then it’s just been the norm.
It is not just in recent history that the pressure for women to get rid of their body hair existed. In Ancient Rome, having no body hair was a sign of “cleanliness,” and in Ancient Egypt, possessing it was a signifier of the “uncivilized” — but only for the women.
All the while, men were able to do whatever they pleased with all their body hair. Grow it out, cut it off — it was merely a choice for men whereas for women it was an expectation.
As times have changed and progressed though, the line of what is acceptable and what isn’t is blurring with every day — but this line is still visible to the naked eye. Women all around the world have uniquely difficult struggles with body hair — whether it being darker and more visible to the removal of it being ingrained into a cultural tradition of sorts. Writer Duriba Khan explains in a Huffington Post article.
Many women question rather or not they need or want to shave. However, people have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies, despite societal norms.
“As a 12-year-old, I remember specifically looking forward to getting my eyebrows done. My arms waxed. My legs waxed. I wanted to be ‘normal,’” Kahn wrote.
I can understand on a personal level, as many women could, the strenuousness of overcoming the pressure, expectations and shame that is pushed by the media surrounding female body hair. My mind immediately turns to a woman I have admired nearly my whole life — Frida Kahlo. A beyond-talented artist, inspiring individual, feminist icon and embracer of her body hair. Even famous for it. Although Kahlo is known for her artwork, her unibrow and light mustache is what makes her recognizable. Kahlo’s facial hair is a reminder to question and defy patriarchal standards set for women and to do as they please.
There is this false sense that body hair on women is “unfeminine” when frankly it’s the exact opposite. Body hair on women is one of the most naturally feminine things I can think of. Because that is exactly what it is — natural.
It is synonymous to the perpetuated shame and embarrassment women face around menstruation or breastfeeding. Girls are taught that they should hide their tampons in a special pouch and nonchalantly slink off to the bathrooms to change them, and women told to excuse themselves to rest areas to breastfeed their child — this is the same shame that conditions women to feel the “need” to shave their body hair.
Ultimately, all that matters is the choice, and women in America are able to choose to their heart’s content— mostly. Whereas women in other countries have much more extreme limitations on them.
Although we are lucky to be able to choose, the next step is the destigmatization of female body hair. We must truly embrace our natural, feminine selves without shame and without fear— whether that means growing it out or cutting it off. Women, know that you have a choice.
John ◊ May 13, 2019 at 6:03 pm
Maddy, I believe what I said in my previous comment. Taylor, even though I don’t agree with all your views, I actually have a lot of respect for you. It is very gutsy to write an article that you know people will disagree with you on. And if you were trying to get people to read your article and make your article cause thought provoking discussions, you did that very well. People will always disagree with things people say, and I really respect you for putting your opinions out there. Most people are scared to do that because they are scared of getting criticized.
duke ◊ May 13, 2019 at 12:15 pm
spider legs
Max Wiggins ◊ May 10, 2019 at 10:31 am
when captain marvel 2 droppin
Maddy ◊ May 9, 2019 at 8:42 pm
Haha, John. Your opinion is changing so fast it’s hard to keep up. Is body hair an issue or not? 2 comments ago it was “DISGUSTING,” but now it’s not an issue. And “shave if you want to shave” is what her article is about. In case you forgot to finish the whole article, the last sentence is “Women, know that you have a choice.” Next time please read the article before spilling your opinion into the comments! Also, it’s spelled feminist, in case you needed a little help. (:
John ◊ May 8, 2019 at 1:29 pm
First of all, Darius is right. Hair is not an issue. And maddy, body hair is not an issue. Men never told women to shave, women wanted to shave because they know very well that having hairy armpits or a moustache is not attractive on a women. And Taylor, here is a suggestion. Write about how women have it really hard in parts of Africa, not in America. Because women dont have it bad in America. In general, men have it way worse than women in the united states. And Haili, your comment here is what this entire article should of been. This so called issue is simple, shave if you want to shave. And if women are so concerned that they didnt shave, well, change your outfit to an outfit that will cover your hair, its not that hard. I cant wait till the next buzzfeed article comes out so that all you snowflake buzzfeed femenists can be proved wrong again.
Chris M. ◊ Apr 11, 2022 at 3:58 pm
This article and comment section is nearly three years old, but after finishing this girl’s article and the comments I can say with confidence that your claims are rancid. Your tone is degrading and as a journalist myself, I want you to write an article about “…how women have it really hard in parts of Africa, not in America. Because women don’t have it bad in America.” Of course women have it hard in parts of Africa, but women have it hard in America too. Different struggles. Try being a homeless woman on the streets of Seattle. Menstruation products are nearly nonexistent. Do you want to bleed through your pants and look like you’ve been murdered?Write a strongly worded in-depth feature about the struggles vs the woes of an African and American woman, gain textual evidence, verified sources, quotes from “real women”, and then maybe you’ll be able to figure it out. This journalist did a good job on their article and you feel the need not to provide constructive criticism, but to insult the entire female race, as well as (student) Journalists. Shame on you.
Darius Rahmanian ◊ May 8, 2019 at 10:10 am
lmao
Ansel ◊ May 8, 2019 at 8:51 am
You can complain that there is a destigmatization of women’s body hair. Fine. You can change whether you shave or not. Fine. But you can’t change what men find sexually attractive. It comes down to weather a person wants men to find them attractive or not. If they want men to find them attractive they will most likely shave because that’s what most men want. If you want to not shave and still get married you’ll have to ask the government for arranged marriages, which is something I’m completely sure no one wants. So fine don’t shave but you’ll have a lot harder of a time getting a guy to like you. No one is forcing women to shave. Women can say there is pressure to shave but the pressure will always be there.
Chance ◊ May 8, 2019 at 8:43 am
Ok
Maddy ◊ May 7, 2019 at 5:57 pm
Darius, as a FINAL FINAL statement, read the title, this article was made about WOMEN’S body hair, so yes it is about women. If you have a problem with that then don’t read it. No where in the article does it say men must shave their body hair or men never shave their body hair. That’s your mind thinking it up.
Feel free to embrace the hairiness or shave! Just don’t tell us our problems don’t exist.
So great to see how well your article is doing, Tay! Love it!
Max Wiggins ◊ May 7, 2019 at 2:08 pm
This was written by Captain Marvel fans
Darius Rahmanian ◊ May 6, 2019 at 9:45 pm
Kai, as a last and final statement to this grand conflict of oratory, this article more or less a battleground of psuedo intellectuals postulating about body hair. Everyone and I mean everyone in this comment thread KNOWS that body hair is a non issue, however fighting over it is much more fun than writing an article. It was fun to see the female response as always, because no matter how many times I said it was an issue for boys and girls they had to make it about them. Great show everyone see you next buzzfeed article.
Kai ◊ May 6, 2019 at 3:25 pm
You can really see the difference of how guys and girls feel about this article in the comments, and it really says alot. This was well written and something that really needed to be said. Thank you for writing this!
Haili ◊ May 6, 2019 at 1:41 pm
shave if you want and don’t shave if you don’t want to
whatever your heart desires dawg,
why can’t we all just get along ? :'(
John ◊ May 5, 2019 at 4:45 pm
Oh my gosh. Stop blaming men for a stereotype made by women. Men never made any deal about this ever in history. Women were the people who said to shave, not men. Men never told women to shave. So stop blaming men just because you want to blame them with your made up problems.
Darius Rahmanian ◊ May 3, 2019 at 6:41 pm
>Writing a male op ed piece about the M*le experience
>Alienate all future fem*les
>Womxn win again
Nice bait Syndney no guy would ever dare right an article in loo of the entire female population calling them a nazi, sexist, misogynist, homophobe, and probably getting the poor guy expelled. Your verbose SheiBe posting aint gonna fool any of my boys.
Sydney Ballard ◊ May 3, 2019 at 9:46 am
Connor, I apologize for not taking into account the fact that guys may be scrutinized for their facial hair. It’s unfortunate that you have been called out for a “pedo stache” and I regret that my argument neglected to take into account the fact that facial hair may incite those sorts of comments towards guys. But I stand by my previous comments because if you recall, this article is titled “Destigmatization of Women’s Body Hair.” There is in fact undoubtedly a stigma against women’s body hair. I will refer to a study from 2004 ( https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247643758_Attitudes_Toward_Women's_Body_Hair_Relationship_with_Disgust_Sensitivity ) that states “It was found that the vast majority (98%) of female participants regularly remove their leg and/or underarm hair, most frequently by shaving, and attribute this to femininity and attractiveness reasons.” I myself regularly shave my body hair. I do not find anything wrong with shaving. But I would also like to point out that while you’re sarcastically arguing about how the argument has somehow veered towards defending those “who don’t want to wear deodorant or shower because that is their preference and they sHoUlD nOt HaVe To Be uNdeR tHaT sOrT oF pReSSuRE,” nobody is arguing for respect for those who don’t practice good personal hygiene. Taylor simply wrote an article detailing the social stigma that has surrounded women’s body hair for decades now. The intent of her article is not to argue for third wave feminists to ban together, sing “Kumbaya,” and burn their razors. The intent of her article is solely to explore why this stigma exists. So you can continue haphazardly twisting words about what this debate is about, but I would like to remind you that this debate was sparked by Sir Darius’ call to action: “Alright boys, you know what to do.” Unfortunately Darius enjoys ruffling feathers for shock value, and some guys feel the need to participate in backing a logic-lacking argument. Talk about hormones and sex-determined hair growth patterns all you want. BUT this article is MEANT TO EXPLORE SOCIAL STIGMA. With all due respect to the argumentative boys in the comment section, this social stigma is in fact experienced by women. We have every right to feel justified in this belief as it is through our own personal experience that we can verify the truth of it. So to the boys who will continue their incongruous arguments, I have spoken my peace and will retire myself from this comment thread. Thank you for your engagement. I do not see why you are so frustrated by the female experience in this specific context; I have no doubts you have your own distasteful male experiences, but since Taylor Riley is a girl writing from the FEMALE perspective, I urge you to request the same sort of socially analytical op-ed piece from a male writer at the Sage since you seem to be feeling left out.
Darius Rahmanian ◊ May 2, 2019 at 10:36 pm
To Syndney, the societal pressures that face men and women are different. How many times do I have to say both boys and girls insult each other over their bodily features and functions, girls should not get special treatment or “empowerment” to fight against a false enemy. Both experience double standards, its natural for a “society” to experience such slight imbalances. I agree that that it is important to educate developing teenagers that their body will do things that they dont like, however teaching them that not being hygienic fights the patriarchy is laughable. These creations of false enemies only adds to the societal pressure faced by both sexes. I agree my argument is passion driven, however I have never claimed to be citing sources, only my pure opinion. I am glad there are discussions starting about this, as I believe both genders need to reconcile the fact that we are just different and stick to what we do best and help each other fill in our flaws, as any good society does.
To Beck, Taylor’s article should stand on its own two feet, if people have a problem with it they have every right to discuss it. That is why there is a comment section. If you would like to join the discussion instead of parroting Taylor be my guest.
To Taylor, your article isnt pointless, it indeed has some good ideas but to many seems like a non issue piece hyped up to be some dramatic oratory of the ages. Your article lacks evidence data, it only has anecdotes, those don’t count as evidence they count as supplementary material. For an article to be considered factual and credited, there has to be pure primary and data sources to back up the authors claim. People in the comments more or less argue about the rhetoric anyway, its not like they have an hour and ten minute class to write a research essay on armpit hair.
To Sophia, whoever Nash Grier is, he is entitled to his own preferences. Not everyone has to cater to you, and the fact that you took some random individuals preferences and placed your own self worth in eyes that would never look at you is your own fault. Your feelings are wholly your own, your are accountable to develop self confidence and take the steps necessary to come into your own person. Your feelings should not dictate anyone’s preference or speech, because feelings are just feelings. Self worth comes from the foundation of building yourself into a better person, measured by the actions you have done and what value you place upon your own individuality as a human being. Nash Grier wasnt oppressing you, no one was oppressing you, Nash Grier doesn’t even know who you are, so don’t censor him for feeling a different way than you do.
To Georgena, individuals have altruism and choice, but societies have built in preferences. In general, men have more hair than women, so having a proportionate amount of body hair is considered masculine. However not even testosterone has anything to do with body hair, the amount of androgen receptors a male has is purely genetic, so why would a female be potentially attracted to a line of genetic code? Humans simply develop culture that is not based entirely off of genetic fitness, more of cultural perspectives that change with each tribe of people. Simply put, there are a range of preferences built into the general populace that not everyone has to follow and are not obligated to follow, however to increase your standing and own personal health it is encouraged to not only meet your standards but that of the general populace. Being a gross,overweight, hairy human is probably not on most peoples lists, however we have the ability to help each other become healthier and stronger individuals.
Connor ◊ May 2, 2019 at 9:05 pm
Not to be that guy, but Sydney, you made an assumption that guys do not feel pressure. When I don’t shave facial hair people comment on my “Pedo stache” and say I need to shave. While I feel pressure, I shave and then I’m chillin. But wait a sec. Lets have justice for the people who don’t want to wear deodorant or shower because that is their preference and they sHoUlD nOt HaVe To Be uNdeR tHaT sOrT oF pReSSuRE. Do what you want, people are entitled to their preference. Guys can like short girls, girls can like tall guys, vice versa. Let people have their preferences. It is about survival of the fittest. If you want to be the nicest looking, you work for it. If you don’t care, do what you want. You will find that you will be more sad meeting 1/100 of peoples preferences than putting in the extra work to get that 8/10. If you don’t care about looking nice or meeting preferences, do what you want and what makes you happy. It is as simple as that. Your own brain is your biggest bully and it manipulates you the most. If someone insults you about something you don’t think about, either fix it or ignore it. It is that simple. The cringe in this comment section is so bad because people can’t seem to accept that people have preferences. It is like girls with short hair. Some people don’t like it, some girls look good with it some girls do not. Go ahead and don’t shave if you don’t want to be help to preferences or stereotypes yada yada. Don’t get picky when it comes to other people if you are not gonna make an effort for yourself. Beggars can’t be choosers. And before somebody says that I am basing this argument off of the untrue fact that girls only look nice to impress boys, it isn’t about that at all. The fact is everybody has things they see as right and not right. Go ahead and do whatever style works for you. Just know it IS your fault if people end up thinking you look strange.
Georgena ◊ May 2, 2019 at 7:58 am
John,
I believe it is a bit unfair to label the article (and people’s opinions on it) ‘misinformed’, as it is an opinion piece. It discusses an experience that appeals more to a certain gender, whose opinion you automatically discredit because you do not agree with it. People on the Sage are ready and willing to listen to your opinion, so long as it is respectful.
Not to mention, another student is able to have an opinion that is entirely separate from the fact that he is dating a journalist with the same opinion.
And, I believe stating “Having armpit hair is a masculine thing. Its how genders work.” is actually the message that this article is intending to go against!
Thank you. 🙂
Beck Rinks ◊ May 1, 2019 at 10:21 pm
To all of the offended boys out there, Taylor used the word, “men”, a grand total of 1 time. So ya’ll can chill.
Taylor L Riley ◊ May 1, 2019 at 9:27 pm
Hello again.
To everyone thinking that I am blaming men: I’d like for you to cite my words in the article in which I state that opinion please.
To those who are personally offended: I think it would be good to do a self reflection on why my commenting on the female experience offends you. I do not blame men or victimize women. I simply explored, discussed and informed about one small aspect the female experience that I care about. Please take another look at my article as I am intentional and aware of my wording.
To those who believe this is a pointless article: why did you click on it, read it and then feel compelled to comment on it if you believe it is truly pointless? Please feel free to join The Sage next year to write articles about whatever you desire. Feminism is an issue that matters to me. I am not making problems up, I am merely looking at issues that are either not talked about enough, or I have a unique opinion on and writing about them. Although some of the things I write about may not affect men-or even all women for that matter- it does not mean that these issues, stigmas and experiences are non-existent.
To Everyone: I appreciate and love reading comments consisting of various opinions and critiques but only when they are backed by facts and logic. Otherwise you are genuinely risking completely discrediting your opinion because you have no evidence to back it up.
Again, thank you for the comments and discussions– please remember to stay at minimum respectful as these are your classmates and peers you are talking to.
John ◊ May 1, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Maddy, haters are calling you out because your’re wrong. And this article is completely misinformed. If women want to grow out their armpit hair and look absolutely disgusting, okay, go do it. Even women know, hair on the armpits just does not fit. Having armpit hair is a masculine thing. Its how genders work. If having armpit hair is so good, why do so many women shave it. Not because of what other people think, but because of what they think. Women think it looks bad.
Sydney Ballard ◊ May 1, 2019 at 11:48 am
First of all: Pasha, sorry for involving you. I meant to say Shervin.
Darius, while you preach that your arguments are well-founded and that “feminists” only wish to shout their oppression from the rooftops, I urge you to expand your breadth of knowledge in what you seem to discount as far are the gender equality debate goes. There is merit to the social issues; I will never agree with the fact that women are oppressed in America. As a woman in America, I think that’s easily one of the most disgusting arguments you could make in society today (entirely different story when it comes to third world nations). Legally, we are equal to men, BUT from personal experience I can tell you that there are certain social disparities between the sexes (I am not dismissing the fact that men likely experience them as well in certain aspects of life). If you want the bulk of your argument to be about all the societal pressure men feel to succeed, you can’t ignore that women often feel the same. I can’t tell you how many times my friends, peers, and myself have struggle with self-doubt over physical appearance or achieving goals that are expected of us in society. I respect the fact that you have strong opinions, however your way of conveying them often comes across as primarily passion-driven which makes it very difficult to have a calm, logical debate.
Darius Rahmanian ◊ May 1, 2019 at 10:29 am
The amount of Female COPE and SEETHING are off the charts. Taylor did you even read my comment? Guys can be embarrassed by their body hair so much so because females will make fun of them for it. Literally, the acceptance of body hair is in your personal preference and attractiveness to their “genetic fitness” wherein you may or may not find body hair sexy enough that when you reproduce your kids they will have the potentially same desirable traits. There are no “womens” issues in the United States or any modern western nation, however, there are problems all over the world in developing countries specifically Africa , MIddle East, and India. Their problems dont include body hair, they include the suppression of their rights to do everyday tasks and be enslaved to actual caste based societies. If you had talked about their issues all around the world rather than writing a buzz feed tier article then I would be supportive of these types of articles as a reader. Stop trying to shame teenage boys who are just growing into their bodies themselves by demonizing them saying that their developing and natural sexual preferences are toxic.
Sophia ◊ May 1, 2019 at 10:29 am
I find it very offensive and ignorant that some of these comments are geared at minimizing the struggles and feelings that ALL girls and women face throughout their daily lives. When I read this article I was astounded, it was as though someone had finally articulated the feeling of guilt that is associated with “unnecessary” women’s body hair.
I have been in countless situations where boys have commented and joked about the association of cleanliness of other girls and their unshaved bodies. These normalized comments insinuate to women and girls a societal expectation for women to always be shaven, of course it is a personal choice whether or not you shave but that does not that there is a weight felt for use to be smoothly shaved and waxed. I remember in seventh grade Nash Grier, who had millions of followers at the time, announcing that he would never date a girl with hair on her arms. As a young middle schooler I was embarrassed knowing that I had hair on my arms. It instilled a feeling of necessary censorship for all young girls. Obviously this is a small example of the pressures young girls feel, but nonetheless they are there and it is not fair to tear apart this article because you do not feel the immediate effects of these pressures. Whether you agree with this article, you can not say that women and girls dont feel pressure to constantly be perfectly shaved because that is what we experience, that IS how we feel. So I find it very rude to have people trying to minimize these feelings .
I am sorry that you have been driven to feel as though you need to have perfect washboard abs and constantly be working out because all teens feel this girls and boys alike so we should fight those together. Please do not let your insecurities and ignorance about women’s rights and experiences lead you to have such negative feelings about the female gender.
Pasha ◊ May 1, 2019 at 10:16 am
Sydney why are you calling me out on here for no reason, I have never said anything relating to women body hair so I cannot understand why you are calling me out.
Pasha ◊ May 1, 2019 at 10:01 am
Sydney why are you involving me, I could care less about this article and Idk why you are calling me out on here for no reason.
Shervin Ghaemi ◊ May 1, 2019 at 9:21 am
Wyd calling out my brother Sydney?
Colin ◊ May 1, 2019 at 8:37 am
This reminds me of a buzzfeed video.
John ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 10:47 pm
Okay, Beck. The only reason you are saying this is because you date Taylor. And Taylor, here is the definition of flaunting since you obviously don’t know what it is: gerund or present participle: flaunting
display (something) ostentatiously, especially in order to provoke envy or admiration or to show defiance.
“newly rich consumers eager to flaunt their prosperity”
synonyms: show off, display ostentatiously, draw attention to, make a (great) show of, put on show, put on display, parade, exhibit; More
antonyms: be modest about, hide
dress or behave in a sexually provocative way.
Nowadays, women are just given jobs because men are scared that they will be accused of sexism by femenists. And I agree with Sydney in some regards. I really agree with Darius.
Maddy ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 9:37 pm
John,
r/whoosh
Darius,
Haters are our motivators. (:
Beck Rinks ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 8:33 pm
I’d like any individual who is considering claiming this article to be “false”, to first ask themselves if they are male? If so, I am positive that you have no idea the societal expectations set onto women, so I would encourage you to keep your evidence lacking opinions to yourself.
Taylor Riley ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 4:42 pm
Shervin, I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my article. I don’t usually respond to comments but I just wanted to engage with you on some of your points.
I am commenting and discussing what it is like to be a woman in this day and age and the stigma around their body hair– it is probably not something you can relate to on a personal level. I encourage people of all genders to read articles commenting on feminism, gender and women’s issues but in this particular article it seems strange that you would completely denounce these female experiences when you have no way of knowing what these stigmas feel like first hand.
I’d like to ask you, have you ever thought about why you, in particular, would prefer women to be hairless? Could it be that it is a cultural ‘norm’ or perhaps you’ve been taught that it looks too masculine, ect. Why is that it is more ‘normal’ for women to be hairless than men? What I had hoped to do in this article is explain where this ‘norm’ came from– a male dominated advertisement industry hoping to profit off of the intense beauty standards placed on women. It happened in the early twentieth century and it stills happens today. Most, if not all, of the girls I have talked to feel some kind of way about shaving and their body hair, whether it be embarrassed or empowered either way it highlights that there is most definitely a clear and present stigma. Have you ever heard of a man feeling empowered by their leg and underarm hair?
The comment you made about tampons and menstruation is, frankly, reassuring to me that I am doing the right thing by talking about these issues. You claimed that “flaunting” our tampons is “not appropriate” for high school. How are tampons and pads, a hygiene product, not appropriate? Especially when half of the high school students who attend sage creek experience menstruation and most likely use these products. This feeling you have towards menstruation, as well as breastfeeding, reflects the lack of sex education that American public schools unfortunately suffer from. It is not necessarily your fault that you feel this way but I encourage you to open your mind to these topics and if you feel compelled to, read other articles surrounding the topic of the female experience in American society to gain different perspectives.
Thank you for your comment again and to everyone else, I appreciate the discussion.
Darius Rahmanian ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 3:36 pm
You do realize that guys either shave or dont shave in order to attract the opposite sex right Sydney. Literally shaving is not the patriarchy. If you stink and look gross, thats not the patriarchy, thats you being stinky and gross. If people dont find each other attractive because of body hair, thats not the patriarchy, thats sexual selection preference. Women arent oppressed in the United States, why do you guys keep pushing this? Guys are the ones who have to be greek god sculpted 6′ 11″ non manlets with a 7 figure job, no of course not women. Women can be any size they want and be pretty while guys are obese losers who are creeps. Women can have anything they want, say anything they want, and accuse anyone they want and get it done. Men have to beg for jobs, work 80 hour weeks for the slightest chance of a promotion, go to the gym 5 days a week and OHP 665lbs and be built like Chris Evans while women are just handed CEO positions, eat ice cream, and write for Buzzfeed complaining about stuff that doesnt even happen to them. Its ok for women to feel up mens chest, comment on hot and sexy they are, and make objects out of them on live tv and real life but if a guy dares to say a girl is hot he gets accused of sexual assault. There is no patriarchy, there is no ORANGE MAN DONT WANT US NOT SHAVE, there is only the biological inheritance of evolutionary sexual selection preference per the individual that only slightly influences social encounters. You guys are nitpicks, looking for issues that dont exist and yell at men to fix it. Call me an incel all you like but the truth is is that all you guys do is make up false problems and cry about it while every day women and men all around the world have better things to do than lick your armpit hairs and glorify obesity.
Haili Ballard ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 1:54 pm
Hi Sydney
Sydney Ballard ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 11:11 am
Dear Gamers (specifically Darius and Pasha),
Whether you choose to accept this or not, women are often held to unwritten societal expectations. While I myself am a huge proponent for ignoring these societal expectations and doing whatever your little heart desires, you cannot ignore the fact that many women do feel the pressure to succumb to these standards without even thinking about why they feel the need to. To shave or not to shave, men don’t have to second guess their preference; women on the other hand are left with the unspoken burden of feeling the need to be clean-shaven. I guess on the bright side: we are definitely more aerodynamic/hydrodynamic than you are.
Ultimately, this isn’t a debate of whether the unspoken expectations are real or not (because trust me they are). For the most part, we are not an all-knowing, all-self-oppressed group of females looking to complain about all the ways society treats us unfairly; many of us simply just wish for the other, extra-appendaged half of society to recognize that sometimes girls do double think things that guys don’t have to.
Honestly, though, I love feeling like a dolphin. Ee eee eee eee (dolphin noise)
John ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 10:22 am
Maddy, its called dress code. And women always had the choice to do what they wanted. The Only thing keeping women from not shaving is religion and older generations.
Tass Tassinari ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 9:36 am
Love the article, Tay. I want to encourage everyone reading this article (and any article) and the comments to look past their own individual life. You may not experience or see the negative affects of this stereotype of women having shaved body hair and men having unshaven body hair, but it is there. Take a quick google search, and you’ll even find this norm to have a negative affect on people the other way around: often, men who have shaved their leg and armpit hair are seen as more feminine, and sometimes even assumed to be gay by the majority of people around them. Women and teenage girls around the world at other schools and cities are even shamed for having body hair, although that is not as much of a commonplace here in Carlsbad at Sage Creek High School. It’s important to look beyond your own experiences when considering a large movement or topic. We are only high school students: our worldview is still growing and that’s OK. But, don’t let it make you sound like a fool. Don’t let it limit your knowledge.
Jordan Cappadona ◊ Apr 30, 2019 at 9:28 am
I’m sorry, Shervin, but society’s views as stated here are indeed expectations. If a woman doesn’t shave her body hair, men find that disgusting. If a woman talks about her period, men find that disgusting. If a woman breastfeeds in public, men find that disgusting. And I can imagine that some women are probably sticklers for these stereotypes too. Shaving body hair and being discreet about reproductive health are societal expectations because doing the opposite is widely stigmatized, and I oppose and will continue to oppose restrictive, patriarchal stereotypes about choices of expression that have nothing to do with hate, violence, or anything of a nature that serious.
Maddy ◊ Apr 29, 2019 at 4:42 pm
Very true! What’s next, banning women from wearing certain things because their bodies are too distracting for men? Oh wait….
Love the article (:
Darius Rahmanian ◊ Apr 29, 2019 at 3:04 pm
Alright boys, you know what to do. We aint shaving anymore and girls cant call us crustaches, creepers, or immature because we want to grow facial hair. Neither can they complain about hair on our legs or any parts of our bodies, we shall no longer groom ourselves and let our natural stink bear witness to the nostrils of all because it is “natural”.Time to go back to being Australopithecus afarensis LETS GO BOYS LETS GO!!! Boys drop your axe body spray, drop your razors and finally rise up against the government and the toxic matriarchy, its time lads, gamers rise up.
Shervin Ghaemi ◊ Apr 29, 2019 at 2:01 pm
no one is asking or expecting anyone to shave their legs. women do it because its just a norm for them. if someone came to school without shaving nobody would care at all. someones preference doesn’t have to be turned into a political article. For girls to shave is NOT an expectation but boys typically dont like it and thats the reality it has nothing to do with sexism or anything its just preference. Girls are taught to hide their tampons because it is typically something that you don’t go flaunt around having, its personal and not appropiate to bring up in highschool generally. Same with breastfeeding like people do it in public and its okay no one really cares but its something that most people choose to do privately. literally not going after anyone or anything but articles like this are just really not needed.