I’m A Hairy Woman — And I’m Finally Learning To Deal With It

I’ve been waging a hair war.

All of my life I’ve battled with destroying the hair on my body.

I have mostly waged war with the dark hair on my legs, my armpits, and my arms. I’ve also dealt with hair on my face and chin — which is actually not uncommon at all for many women. It’s just not something we talk about all the time.

There are women out there who simply don’t have hairy legs or even any super hairy body parts.

Definitely NOT me.

I can’t remember the exact age I officially declared war on my body hair but it was probably around the age of 11.

Ever since then I’ve been shaving, waxing, plucking, bleaching, and even resorting to putting scary chemical cream on my legs that burned and made my skin crawl while trying to eradicate my leg hair.

Why did I do all this?

Well, the answer contains elements of vanity, comfort, and societal expectations.

One day, my daughter asked me why I was shaving my legs in the shower and I was completely at a loss for an answer that sounded reasonable. Not only that, I realized that I had already set the tone for her as to how to feel about her own leg hair that will eventually grow in.

I even find myself secretly hoping that my daughter won’t end up like me with super hairy legs. Of course, I don’t say these things out loud to my daughter but I do catch myself thinking these thoughts.

Why would it be so bad for her to inherit my hairiness? What’s the big deal?

I’ll tell you who actually doesn’t think it’s a big deal. My husband.

Yes, my husband could care less if I don’t shave my legs for several days. It’s really all about my own hairy leg hang-up.

As much as I truly want to be the kind of woman who doesn’t give a flying fig about her hairy legs, you can’t say it wouldn’t be awkward to show up at your kid’s school or some nice event in a dress with extremely hairy legs peeking out from under — especially if you’re not used to doing it.

History has proven that ever since the Egyptians, women have been trying to find new and improved ways to discard unwanted body hair.

Men are generally only responsible to society for removing the hair on their faces or — in some cases — their hairy backs. But women are pretty much expected to have a relatively hairless body with the exception of the hair on their head, which, of course, should be full and abundant. Go figure.

I’m pretty exhausted from 30-plus years of being at war with my body hair. God knows how much money I alone have spent on hair-eliminating products. The hair removal industry must certainly be a booming business.

On this note, I’ve decided to call a truce. I’m waving the white flag. I finally surrender to what I cannot control and I’m done being at war with the hair on my body.

I’m at the point where I can feel my hairy legs and not be disgusted. Yes, they’re hairy and not smooth at all and I will probably still shave on a regular basis in the summer.

But I regret all the time and money I’ve spent trying to get rid of something that grows on me naturally. It’s a part of me and I’m done hating it so much and for so long for no particular reason other than I don’t like the way it looks or because all the women in the magazines are hairless.

I’m done hair-shaming my body and I promise to be kinder to myself from now on. I hope I’m not the only one.

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