IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO ALLOW YOUR NATURAL BODY HAIR TO GROW
IF YOU ARE A WOMAN?
THERE IS ONE PAKISTANI AMERICAN ARTIST WHO IS TRYING TO
MAKE A POINT ABOUT HOW LETTING IT ALL GROW OUT IS TOTALLY
ACCEPTABLE AND SHOULD BE THE SOCIAL NORM.
HER ART IS REALLY INTERESTING, I WANT TO SHOW YOU A FEW
EXAMPLES OF THAT.
SHE SHOWS IMAGES OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN WHO HAVE BODY HAIR IN
PLACES THAT HAVE BEEN DEEMED UNDESIRABLE BY SOCIETY.
HERE IS WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY.
SHE SAYS, "I WOULD OFTEN RECEIVE NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM FRIENDS
AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO TRIED TO INSTILL THIS IDEA THAT BODY HERE
IS UNNATURAL TO SHOW AND
UNFEMININE LIKE.
WHEN THIS HAPPENED, IT ENFORCED THE IDEA THAT THE REMOVAL
OF BODY HAIR IS THE FIGURATIVE ñ
A CONDITIONING ACT DONE BY SOCIETY.
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO NORMALIZE BODY HAIR BECAUSE IT
IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE A HUGE DEAL, CONSIDERING THAT
BODY HAIR IS NATURAL AND THE REMOVAL OF IT IS A SOCIAL
CONSTRUCT."
I GUESS THE REASON WHY I HAD A KNEE-JERK REACTION TO THIS
STORY TO BEGIN WITH IS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE SHOULD BE
ABLE TO DO WHAT THEY WANT.
IF YOU WANT TO LET YOUR BODY HAIR GROW, COOL, BUT WHY
DOES IT HAVE TO BE THE SOCIAL NORM?
I DON'T WANT TO FEEL PRESSURED AS A WOMAN, AND A
PROGRESSIVE WOMAN TO BE LIKE, YEAH!
HAIRY ARMPITS!
I DON'T LIKE HAIRY ARMPITS.
I'M NOT JUDGING PEOPLE WHO DO THAT, I'M PROUD OF YOU FOR
BEING COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN, BUT I DON'T LIKE
DEMONIZING PEOPLE WHO JUST AREN'T INTO IT.
I FEEL LIKE YOU GET THAT A LITTLE BIT WITH SOME CAMPAIGNS,
NOT HER CAMPAIGN BECAUSE SHE IS NOT BEING JUDGMENTAL, BUT THIS
PRESSURE TO ACCEPT IT, IT'S BEAUTIFUL, I'M NOT INTO IT, AND
I DON'T THINK IT MAKES YOU A BAD
PERSON IF YOU ARE NOT.
I APPLAUD HER EFFORTS, ESPECIALLY FOR A YOUNG
TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ARTIST FROM YOUNG SOUTH ASIAN DESCENT,
I THINK SHE IS OPENING THE CONVERSATION, SO I AM ALL
ABOUT EXPANDING THE DIFFERENT MODALITIES OF BEING.
FOR ME, I AM NOT WITHIN THAT MODALITY OF BEING.
I COME FROM AN ANCIENT PRACTICE AND I AM ONE WHO IS VERY
SUSCEPTIBLE TO WAXING MYSELF.
THAT IS HOW MUCH I DON'T LIKE BODY HAIR.
IT IS INTERESTING BECAUSE I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT THIS
BRINGS UP, AS YOU MENTIONED, I
KNOW THAT UNDERARM HAIR IS NOW COMING BACK IN I GUESS.
IT WAS EVEN SAID IN A COMMENT TO THIS YOUNG ARTIST, THANK YOU FOR
GLAMORIZING THE UN-GLAMORIZED PLACES, AND IT MENTIONED THAT
GROWING UNDERARM HAIR BACK IS A GLAMOROUS PRACTICE NOW.
THE FACT THAT THESE THINGS CAN
BE TRENDY, THINGS THAT ARE GROWING ON OUR BODIES CAN
COME BACK AND BE TRENDY, THAT IS INTERESTING.
BUT POWER TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LIVE WITH THEIR BODY, THE
AESTHETIC PIECE IS JUST A LITTLE INTERESTING TO ME.
I AGREE WITH YOU.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HER CAMPAIGN IS THAT THERE ARE YOUNG
WOMEN OUT THERE WHO ñ THERE ARE SOME CULTURES THAT ARE
HAIRIER THAN OTHERS ñ SO WHEN YOU ARE GROWING UP AND YOU
HAVE EXCESS BODY HAIR AND YOU ARE BEING BULLIED ABOUT IT,
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.
I DEFINITELY KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT, AND
TO HAVE SOMEONE SPEAK OUT SO BOLDLY ABOUT THIS ISSUE,
MAKES YOUNG GIRLS FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN THEIR SKIN,
SO THAT IS THE GOOD PART OF IT.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SHY AWAY FROM MAKING PEOPLE
FEEL GUILTY OR FEEL BAD FOR MAYBE OTHER PREFERENCES
THAT THEY HAVE.
THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS BODY HAIR IN MY OPINION IS VERY
SEXIST, I'M PART OF THE PROBLEM NOW.
JUST AS THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN'S BREASTS ARE SEXIST
AS WELL.
D REMEMBER VINTAGE PLAYBOY WHERE THE BUSH WAS ACTUALLY IN?
THE BUSH IS BACK IN.
I'M PART OF THIS PROBLEM, I'M NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION.
IS IT A PROBLEM IF IT IS GENUINELY WHAT YOU
PERSONALLY FIND APPEALING?
TMI, MY FIANC…E ISN'T THE ONE THING AND I'M INTO SOMETHING
ELSE, BUT I LOVE MY FIANC…E, I'M
GONNA DO WHAT MAKES ME COMFORTABLE.
I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO SPECIFICS.
YOU HAVE TO STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF WITH WHAT YOU ARE
COMFORTABLE WITH.
I AM NOT PERSONALLY COMFORTABLE WITH UNDERARM HAIR.
MAYBE I HAVE BOUGHT INTO THAT SOCIETAL BOARD, BUT IT IS WHAT I
FIND APPEALING, AND WHAT I FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.
IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE LETTING IT ALL GROW OUT, DO YOU BOO.
I LOVE YOU, I DON'T THINK IT MAKES YOU ANY LESS
ATTRACTIVE, I JUST HAVE MY STANDARDS OF WHAT I FIND
BEAUTIFUL OR ATTRACTIVE ON MY BODY.