It is difficult to resist peer pressure and the beauty standards society imposes on us, which is why it was so exciting to see figures posted by The Telegraph showing that nearly one in four women have stopped shaving.
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It is still not widely acceptable for women to grow their body hair as some still argue that it is not feminine to do so. and not too long ago, Facebook's Red Table Talk conversation between Willow Smith and her grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Jones sparked the debate again.
Willow mentioned how she needed to shave her armpits and Adrienne, affectionately known as Gammy, was quick to react. “I cannot imagine letting my underarm hair grow. That is just kinda gross to me” she said.
Yes, it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
READ MORE: Woman stops waxing and shaving and embraces body hair
However, there are many women and celebrities who choose to not conform to these beauty standards. Some women argue that shaving has little to do with hygiene and everything to do with sexualising the female body and using it for commercial purposes.
More women are creating their own fashion trend, throwing away those razors, even dyeing their armpit hair different bright colours. It is safe to say that this generation of women have given body hair a new kind of allure and something of a comeback.
READ MORE:Would you rather take a tiny blade or 12 micro needles to your face?
There is a Facebook page dedicated to women who are unapologetic about their body hair. No Shave Forever encourages women to send pictures of their body hair with an inspirational message attached.
Nicki from Belgium wrote: “I’m happy to say that I finally feel free from society’s forced 'beauty standards' which are made up in order to push consumerism anyways - plus I don’t suffer from ingrown hairs which would lead to painful cysts.”
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So, if you never want to shave again, don’t. If you want to shave every day, do it. Women’s empowerment ultimately comes down to having the freedom to choose.
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