BE UNIQUE
Yes, Men, Women Have Leg Hair Too
“The ugly truth” is how my classmate would call it
“Please, stop talking. I don’t want this picture in my head, ugh.” This was my classmate’s (male, 18) reaction when he overheard a conversation between me and my best friend about our hair. No, not the hair on our head, the one on our legs. Yes, men, even if you don’t see it, hair grows there too.
My friend and I complained about having to shave our legs as soon as the temperature rises. The mentioned classmate reacted allergically and wanted us to stop talking because it (the reality) destroyed his picture of skinny, cellulite- and hair-free ladies wearing a push-up bikini and walking through the sand.
Do you remember the discussions surrounding kids running amok because they lost the difference between real life and shooter games? My classmate lost the difference between Baywatch and reality. And I am afraid that many more men have the same problem — probably understandable when you think about the fact that every “normal” female movie character seems hair-free, and, over summer, every woman walks around with legs as smooth as a baby’s bottom. It’s time to bring men back into reality.
Some time ago
Back in the days, when I told my mom that I needed a razor for my legs, she was shocked. She told me that, when she was my age, no woman shaved her legs. They didn’t even have the idea. It was something to be proud of — a sign of being a real woman. Then, the first Hollywood stars started the shaving trend and, bam, the trend took over the whole western world.
Okay, my mom was born and raised in a small German village, so she was a bit of a late bloomer in this. When she was younger, hair removal was already standard in the US. In 1964, 98% of American women between 15 and 44 shaved some of their body parts. The trend had started in 1914 with ads from Harper’s Bazaar. With the support of other influential magazines like Playboy and commercials from Gillette, the trend got extremely popular, especially among wearers of short skirts and bikinis.
By now, we reached a point where the natural leg hair is often seen as something dirty and disgusting (particularly thick, dark hair) — only for women, of course. Men’s leg hair, on the other hand, is a sign of masculine hotness. WTF?
Leg shaving got so popular that it even has it’s own Wikipedia entry. BUT, luckily, Wikipedia provides the reason why people (sometimes even men) shave their legs: Swimming. Swimming with unshaved legs takes longer.
Well, you know that’s not the actual reason why women shave. The real reason is because of guys like my classmate. The ones with zero tolerance who have this picture in their head, and get irritated when you don’t meet their expectations. The ones who quickly turn into racist bullies when someone doesn’t fit in.
I have to admit: During the summer, I don’t go out without shaving my legs. I am not the best role model and brightest fighter for equality. I fear other's opinions, so I prefer sitting in the bathroom every now and then to shave my legs. However, my classmate’s reaction and the expectations behind it offended me.
The problem is far bigger than leg hair. Women’s bodies aren’t smooth. We have warts, small and huge breasts, a third nipple, eyebrows that grow together sometimes, and a belly that looks like we need more than one salat a day to survive.
Dear classmate, I am not like the photoshopped, naked model on your calendar. I am not available as your sex symbol. And neither are other women.
We have hair in all different shapes and colors. So, dear men who are bothered by women’s leg hair: Leave your Baywatch dream behind, and start seeing the reality.
