But it felt at least as nice to finally machete that shit and have some silky smooth gams again. There's a certain pleasure in feeling fabrics against smooth skin and knowing that your legs look good in shorts at the gym.
That being said, of course, that sense of "good" is also defined by a really arbitrary set of beauty standards (women should be hairless, except for their heads which should have silky long flowing locks and their perfectly manicured eyebrows). There's really no advantage to be obtained by having hairless legs unless you're a swimmer seeking to cut down on times; it's not better for your health and it won't prevent disease.
But it's also not, to me anyway, terribly oppressive. It's not expensive, it's not difficult, sometimes when I go several weeks without tending to it it's time consuming but not on the regular. It just feels good, especially in the hotter months. Is that so wrong? Or is it okay because it's an examined, informed choice? If it's not an informed choice and we're just shaving because we think we should, is it inherently bad and oppressive? Is it bad because it's become expected of women in order for them to be considered attractive/sexy/beautiful?
Whatchu say?
Much love,
The Sheriff
Of course it's not wrong to want to shave. Feminism is about the right to choose whatever one wants, and if one wants to shave, wear high heels and pretty clothes, then so be it. I used to use hair remover products when I was younger (pretty much all through high school and parts of my undergrad years) and that just about killed all the hair follicles on my legs (the hair comes out extremely, extremely fine and sparse now), so these days, I shave them like twice a year.
ReplyDeleteI think some academic feminists like to make women who want to look "conventionally attractive" feel bad, and that's really not what they should be doing (I'd like to go on about body image/dieting, but this isn't the post for it.) Besides, we don't criticize guys for shaving or not shaving, do we? Men have "conventional beauty standards" as well, and these days, it means clean shaven (or a little bit of stubble to a goatee for those into the hipster type). A guy with a long beard and long hair is probably stereotyped as someone who is lazy and doesn't shower.
I don't think it's wrong to want to shave, but I'm curious about if it's oppressive even if it is an informed choice.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've said this before, but I don't know if feminism is always about doing what you want. I used to feel that way but considering certain scenarios made me feel a little off about applying the title feminism to it (example that has nothing to do with beauty: if a woman decides to abort her child because it's a girl, is that feminism? Of course it's her choice but I would never lump that in a category with feminist action because overall it's still oppressive to women).
And I agree, I know LOTS of academic feminists who demonize individual women for their choices instead of encouraging them to examine the WHY behind their actions.
But what about my point on men who shave? Are they being oppressed by society? As far as I'm concerned, most cultures idealize either a clean shaven man or one with a neatly trimmed beard if facial hair is a preference. If we were to "let nature take its course" then all men would look like sports fans during the play-offs - you know, the scruffy facial hair look.
ReplyDeleteI shave once a week for swim meets, (Because, as you mentioned, I am a swimmer who needs to cut down on time!) but I didn't shave all winter, between my water polo season and swim season. Two months, and it was very liberating. I don't, however, think I could have done it if I had dark hair on my legs. I think what made it liberating for me was that I didn't have the internal struggle with it that I get from being an outspoken feminist who also shaves her legs. I see shaving as a bit of an inconvenience as well, but I know that my friends who are men generally hate shaving their faces. Our school has a tradition of "No-Shave November" where the boys sport facial hair for all of November, and I think a lot of them were relieved, not having to shave daily.
ReplyDeleteA Few Thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. I love that you use the word "gams."
2. on OKCupid, one of the dating profile questions you can answer is "Do you think women have an obligation to keep their legs shaved?" I don't look at men's profiles, so I'm not sure how they answer, but it is remarkable how many women answer "yes" to this question. It kind of creeps me out.
3. @CynthiaC Yes, there is some prejudice against men with really big beards, but for men it is much more of a fashion choice. People make jokes about Zach Galifianakis' beard (mostly he does), but for the most part it is considered part of his image. Compare that to the media outrage over Monique's unshaved legs during Oscar season last year. It seems to me that the options for women are much fewer, and they are judged much more harshly for falling outside the boundaries of what is "acceptable."
@Tom Houseman: People may joke about Zach Galifiankis, but many were downright rude about Brad Pitt a few years ago. You know why? Because Brad is not supposed to look messy. He is Brad Pitt. Messy on him is NOT sexy. I recall media doing a WTF on him and I assume that they would on anyone who is a sex symbol. Zach isn't exactly the kind of guy most straight women and gay men would lust after.
ReplyDeleteI agree very much with Tom's position here--facial hair might make a man be perceived as sloppy (or religious, as it's often a sign of piety) but it won't make people find him disgusting. It's not expected necessarily for men to shave, except for corporate-type positions that expect a clean shaven face as part of their image.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to say I don't remember the Brad Pitt media circus, but I can believe the public would come down harder on him for being unshaven.
Also on the note of Brad: he's expected to shave and maintain a certain standard as a sex symbol. But ALL women are expected to attempt to be "sexy" all the time (even women we don't typically look at as sexy, like Monique). Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteI don't remove any body hair, but I don't judge those who do. I do think that the expectation of hair removal (for women) is part of an oppressive beauty standard, which seeks to keep women in a submissive position by funneling their time and money into something arbitrary so that they don't do something more constructive with their resources. Also the shame and self-hatred, of course. Also it is closely connected to some racial privileges.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it is an individual choice, and while I am personally opposed to the expectation itself I understand completely why some women choose to go along with it, and I think that given the culture that we are in it makes sense that many would, whether it's an "informed" choice or not. So rather than judge or project my own beliefs onto those who do participate, I'd rather celebrate those who do not. I get so excited everytime I see someone presenting in a feminine way with leg hair! Also armpit hair is a huge turn-on. Having the hair and still rocking a short skirt or a pretty dress is such a huge FUCK YOU to the patriarchy. It shows a level of self-confidence and disdain for oppressive norms that really appeals to me and I think is a really positive message to send to younger people. I notice little kids staring quizzically at my legs sometimes, and you can see the little gears in their heads trying to figure it out, because as far as they know women don't have hair on their bodies. So even if just for that reason, I think it's a really positive statement to be making in public.
I definitely agree about the positive impact of making such a statement in public, especially for children. My niece didn't know that women shaved any body hair because her mama doesn't and she lives in north Cali where a lot of people just don't, and it made me so enormously happy that she didn't have to have that influence. Until I realized I was the first person she met who had no leg hair, and then I felt bad.
ReplyDelete