By Are you an in-betweener, shaving your body hair now and again? Or a fan of ditching the razor altogether and proudly going au naturel? Smooth legs might make you feel like a glossy dolphin, or perhaps it’s fuzzy armpits that give you an empowering boost. Maybe you DGAF about the whole thing.
Whatever your approach, let's be clear: it’s 👏 your 👏 choice. What you do with your hair follicles is entirely up to you and, thankfully, the often thorny conversation around female body hair is becoming ever more inclusive.
As a reminder that beauty comes in many forms, we asked three women to get honest and tell us about their relationship with body hair.
THE SMOOTH OPERATOR
“I first became aware of body hair at around 13 years old. Shaving my legs was a rite of passage – all my friends at school were doing it, I was going through puberty, boys were making fun of ‘hairy girls’. It felt like the done thing.
“Dancing was also a huge factor. Every day after school, I would race to my dance lesson, eating dinner in the car and getting home at 9pm. Being hair-free became my normal. Costumes are often revealing and the moves can be intimate, so I’d feel more confident when clean-shaven.
“The dance world can be especially competitive when it comes to appearance as well as skills, so I did feel pressure to look a certain way. But we’re living in a more accepting world now and it's no longer about fitting in. I go hairless for me, because it makes me feel good, not to conform to gender norms or beauty standards.
“What has my body hair journey taught me? That disposable razors cause unnecessary faff! I now invest in smart hair-banishing gadgets like the Lumea Prestige. It uses warm pulses of light to put hair to sleep for several weeks and it’s a surprisingly relaxing experience. After a day of dancing, there’s nothing better than putting on a face mask, chilling on the sofa and getting my legs all glowy and smooth. For me, it’s an act of self-care – and lord knows we could all do with more of that.”
Follow Daisy at @darvilldaisy
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THE HOT FUZZER
“I’ve always been a rebel. At school, everyone said we should shave for prom, so I turned up with hairy pits and no shame. I saw Miley Cyrus showing her body hair and thought, ‘If she can do it, so can I.’ My peers gave me grief for not shaving, but no one could make me conform.
“Growing up in Manchester definitely had an influence. It’s a super-diverse place – I’d mix with punks, hippies, goths – so always knew I could be anyone I wanted to be. It’s my life, my body, my choices; your opinion doesn’t bother me.
“I’ve dyed my underarm hair blue, yellow, pink, and I trim it and condition it. For me, it’s a fun form of self-expression. The same goes for my unibrow – I used to be insecure about the bushiness, especially when modelling clients would ask to thread my eyebrows, but I’ve realised body hair makes me authentically me.
“I started sharing content on TikTok about supposedly ‘taboo’ subjects. The videos on my body hair went viral – two million people were watching, and I now have 82,000 followers! It made me realise that women need a safe space to talk about body positivity, and social media is great for reaching people around the world, especially those who are more oppressed.
“It’s now my mission to show that being hairy isn’t gross or weird. I get messages from girls in Africa and India saying I’ve encouraged them to go natural too, and not to feel ashamed, so I’ll keep pushing the boundaries and using my voice. It’s proof that the more open we are, the less embarrassing these topics become.”
Follow Aaliyah at @aaliyahramseyy
We asked, you answered
THE SWITCHER-UPPER
“Just like experimenting with my hair colour or jewellery, I’ve always seen my body hair as another chance to express myself – sometimes in quite a rebellious way. Take the time in year six when I nicked my sister’s razor and (very prematurely) shaved my legs to show off the next day at netball practice. When my mum found out, I received some stern words and she banned me from further body hair experimentation until I was older and wiser. And don’t get me started on the thrill of plucking my eyebrows into noughties oblivion when I was 14.
“Even now, my body hair still represents how I’m feeling on any given day. I don’t fall into either the ‘hair-free’ or ‘au naturel’ camps and sometimes like to challenge expectations with my hair choices. As a bisexual woman, there are certain (often conflicting) stereotypes I find I’m up against when it comes to body hair, but I try not to bow to that pressure. Sometimes I’ll decide a bit of armpit hair looks badass with a band tee – but I love that it’s entirely up to me.
“That said, ‘Shiny legs are the best accessory’ is a motto my sister and I swear by, and there are some areas I’ll always remove the odd scattering of hair from (I’ll leave that to your imagination). But I’ve had moments during full body waxes where I’ve wondered to myself, ‘Wait, who am I doing this for?’
“And that’s why I love the idea behind an IPL device like the Lumea, which can be used as a follow-up to shaving to stay hair-free for longer. I appreciate the fact that, when I’m in the mood for it, I can achieve silky smoothness at home, without the hassle (and searing pain) of waxing. What can I say? I’ve come a long way since squirrelling away my sister’s disposable two-blades!”
Follow Kate at @lordpasola
Do body hair your way with the Lumea, available now at philips.co.uk
