- If men don't shave, it's sort of
just seen as a fashion choice.
I feel like if women don't shave,
a lot of times it's seen as, like, a political choice.
(funky soul music)
- [Voiceover] We convinced four of our co-workers
to give up shaving for a month
to see how their perspectives would change.
This is what happened.
- I'm so excited because I hate shaving so much.
- I'm excited, but I'm nervous.
- There's gonna be like, all this weird social anxiety,
but yet, I think part of me is kind of excited
to have an excuse to not shave.
I've done No-Shave November before,
so I'm no stranger to not shaving for a month.
- I don't think I've ever not shaved
for a whole month before.
- I feel like I'm going to be both in anguish
and liberated at the same time.
- I'm the most nervous about my armpits.
I have some hairy armpits, I'm nervous
that like three weeks in, two weeks in,
I'm just gonna be like, "Uh, why did I sign up for this?
"I feel disgusting."
We're two weeks in to the non-shaving thing.
- Things are definitely getting hairy.
- I've finally crossed that line
where it's definitely doesn't look like I forgot to shave,
it looks like I'm intentionally not shaving.
- Got a pretty, pretty thick beard here.
It's pretty, pretty dense, I haven't really gotten
too many crazy looks or anything.
- I've been wearing short-sleeved shirts,
because I don't want anyone to see my armpit hair.
- I'm hiding my armpit hair under longer-sleeved shirts.
- Part of me really wants to start wearing a lot of, like,
long sleeves, I'm gonna try not to.
It's gonna be hard. - [Sarah] The idea
terrifies me. - [Becky] I should be
more confident, I should be more comfortable,
I shouldn't give a (bleep), but it's an adjustment.
- It's been pretty great, I don't think there's been
any issues, it saves me a lot of time not having to shave.
- I'm going to wear a tank top today.
And this is what's going on.
- Side profile's the best, 'cause you can see it,
there it is, there it is, look at that.
Oh my gosh, look at that!
- I went to the farmer's market today in a tank top, woohoo!
- No one even noticed, no one said anything.
- I don't think people care that I haven't shaved.
- People are okay with it.
- So that was actually kinda cool.
- It is the last day of not shaving.
- It's been a month, and I have not shaved yet.
- This is the end, this is it.
We've come to the end of the road.
- And as you can see, it's getting kind of ridiculous.
- I finally get to take a razor
to the hair under my arms, and I'm so excited.
- You don't have to, like, dot all your I's
and cross all your T's every day
in terms of your beauty regimen
to like, be seen as attractive, and feel sexy.
- I honestly feel pretty great,
you could go around being as hairy as you wanted
and people don't seem to react at all.
- No one noticed, I'm convinced I'm a narcissist
because no one ever said anything.
- It was a little liberating.
I've learned that I can pull off a beard without any issue,
and people tend to see this as something
that just is sort of part of my looks.
- It's definitely a bigger thing for girls.
- It seems very pointed, and it has like a message.
- To be either a feminist, or to like actively say,
"Stick it to the man," or something.
And if a guy has a beard, no one says that.
- You know, ultimately, I think that
that sort of does highlight the gender inequality there.
- So I guess from here on out,
I get to make the actual decision
about whether or not I wanna shave,
and right now I don't really feel like I have to.
- It's totally up to you, you know?
It's an individual choice. - [Sarah] Body hair just isn't
as big of a deal as I always thought it was.
- I don't think that every time you shave
or put makeup on, you're just like,
answering to the man, or to like the patriarchy.
But I do think that it is empowering to try it
and realize that even if you do do something
that's kind of against the grain of beauty,
you'll still feel beautiful.