(Apologies for such a long break! I've been swept up with uni work and work work over the past few months, but now I'm back with plenty of time on my hands :) )
Now those of you who know me will probably know that I don't shave under my arms - while I fully support a woman's right to do so I feel that it's part of my expression of feminism and of myself to choose not to. For those who don't know me, surprise! I'm a hairy lady. When friends and family found out we were engaged the first question from many of them wasn't about dates, venues or dresses but this:
"Will you shave your armpits for the wedding?"
In short, no. Many were pleased with my decision and know that having hairy pits is just a part of who I am. But it really got me thinking. 100 years ago you wouldn't see brides shaving their underarms, and frankly nobody would see it, because it wasn't the social norm. But as these norms have changed and the market for epilation has grown female body hair (and male to a lesser extent) is becoming a thing of the past. Being a hairy woman in this type of society give you a glimpse into something you wouldn't otherwise see and it's brought me a lot of mixed feedback.
About two years ago I was waiting for the bus after an exam at college. It was a hot day so I was wearing a short, strappy dress and when I put my arm out for the bus I thought nothing of it. However a passing cyclists clearly thought something of it. In fact he got such a shock he fell of his bike. I tried to think nothing of it, laugh it off, but it got to me how shocking a little bit of hair could be. And it wasn't like the bloke had never seen body hair before, his legs were like carpets; probably just never on a woman. It's by no means the only incident but one that really stands out in my memory.
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| The pits in action! |
This is probably one of my favourite pictures from our engagement party. While it was a fantastic night, we had a wonderful time surrounded by friends and family, it was stressful to organise. Things like food, music, booking the venue, it was a lot to do. The dress itself too needed altering - I didn't have enough in the boob department to keep it up so my grandma very kindly did the alteration for me so it fit perfectly, and I felt absolutely stunning wearing it. Grandma also brought up the pits question with me, saying it was such a beautiful dress that it would be a shame to...distract from it. Thinking about it now I would probably have never found time to do it! I was still putting my makeup on when my dad had to practically drag me out of the house so I wouldn't be late for my own do. Between cooking and giving directions I wouldn't have had the time.
I don't think I would have felt like myself either, it's a big part of my identity now and something I feel I can be creative with.
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| Image courtesy of Gareth Smith - Blind Sided Creations |
This was from the last burlesque show I performed in, organised by the wonderful House of Trixie Blue. I'd been promising/threatening to dye my underarm hair blue for the next show we did in honour of our troupe's name, The Blue Belles, and as you can see I was deadly serious about it! Little things like that just made me feel fantastic. I've dyed them all sorts of colours (and will be posting a tutorial at some point!) and it brings me great amounts of joy that's it's considered so unusual. As things stand I haven't actually shaved my legs since the last show, not for any profound political reason like my pits, but I've lost my razor and know as soon as I get a new one it'll turn up. It was something that bothered me for a while but now I find it quite beautiful, I've grown very fond of the fuzz.
If anything, I just want to be comfortable on my own wedding day. I know that if I did shave I wouldn't feel like me. I'd be conscious of it all day, uncomfortable and itching, and waiting for the stubble to put in an appearance. They're nothing wrong or un-"feminine" about not shaving, just as there's nothing anti-feminist about choosing to shave, I just feel for myself it would be the wrong choice.
Hairy brides to be, I salute you!
