What I wish I knew before getting my legs waxed as a fat woman.

Being fat can be pretty hard for anyone regardless of gender. I can’t comment on anybody else’s experience, but I can tell you the story of my first leg wax.

There are a few worries I had with wanting to get my legs waxed, so I shall list them below.

Being too heavy for the bed.

As a fat person, you are always conscious of your weight especially when it comes to furniture. You know when you see people in movies jumping on beds? I could never do that. I would fall through the bed and have fears of falling through the ceiling. When it comes to furniture I always feel like a ‘Shallow Hal’ moment isn’t too far away. I used to google ‘waxing salons for fat people’ and research as much as I could. Yesterday I took the plunge and just booked a full leg wax at the highest rated salon in my area. Turns out the bed was very sturdy, and I didn’t fall through!

Being too hairy.

I know this might sound ridiculous to some, but as a person with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), I tend to have more body hair than the average female. I always felt like I was completely alone until women started posting online about it. I would then watch waxing horror stories and one beautician said that leg hair shouldn’t be too long. I didn’t want to shave the very long hairs as regrowth is very itchy and ingrown hairs where you can’t see, are just awful. When I got onto the waxing bed, I apologised for how hairy my legs were! She laughed at me and told me that they weren’t as hairy as I thought they were! Are people hiding their hairy legs? Or have I been caught in the Instagram illusion, believing that everyone is perfectly groomed without a blemish on their body?

Being too disgusting to be touched.

I am all for body positivity, until it comes to my own body. I can look in the mirror and like what I see, but I had the illusion that people would be so disgusted by my body, that I didn’t want to put anyone through that. I had to see a physiotherapist once, and squirmed when she had to touch my body. As the woman was waxing me, I told her all of this. Yet again, I apologised for my body. I apologised for a body that has carried me for almost 27 years of life. Instantly, she told me that she comes across so many different body types and that she isn’t bothered by any type of body. Also, she loves her job.

It was all okay in the end.

Apart from the obvious discomfort of having your hair ripped out by the follicles, everything went completely okay. I wanted to get my legs waxed as I recently had surgery and needed to feel more ‘normal’. Not that my legs being completely hairless is normal, but I just needed some TLC. It’s so important that everyone is accepted, no matter their appearance. Kindness is truly everything.

What I wish I knew before getting waxed as a fat woman.

It truly does not matter about your size. If they’re a good salon they will have sturdy beds. I wasted years being too embarrassed about the way I looked as I feared I was going to be judged by the insanely beautiful people that worked there. It doesn’t matter. Go get whatever you want waxed.