Whathairver makes you happy……..

 

So, I suppose at this stage everyone has seen the Emer O’Toole story (girl with arms in the air above) splashed all over the English media? Well if not please have a look at her appearance on UK daytime tv here.  Emer stopped shaving 18 months ago in order to challenge the public view that “women need to shave to feel happy and to conform”.  Right so.

I applaud her self confidence but nonetheless I  think her pits look hideous. My eyes are immediately drawn to the out of control bushes under her arms and I reckon even the bushes themselves are mortified. I  shave not because society wants me to or because models in magazines or film stars do it; I shave because it makes me feel clean and soft and just plain nicer! When I have hairy pits they make me feel uncomfortable. When I have a hairy lady garden I feel sweaty, smelly AND uncomfortable. Sometimes in winter I might go a bit longer without shaving the oul legs but it is always a relief once I get to de-fuzz. Like it or not Emer many women do draw some of their confidence from their looks and I really don’t see what the problem is with that?!  (I also note Emer is wearing a face-full of makeup, go figure)


The fact of the matter is that we all have the choice whether to shave or not; Emer seems to think most of us do it because society expects it of us. We are not cave women for god sake and if we were cave women and had nothing but a cave and a fire to keep us warm then Id be the first to let every little hair on my body grow to its hairy little hearts content. But we’re not.  Someone send this girl a packet of Veet quick stat.
*pics thanks to: http://1funkywoman.blogspot.com/ and odditycentral.com

Twentysomething year old Sales Exec., opinionated, scatter-brained, lifelong LFC Supporter, fiancé and pupster mammy. Living in Kildare and working in Carlow. Beauty interests: Nail polish, cult beauty buys, cosmeceuticals and beauty bargains. I’m also on the eternal hunt for a HG Hairdresser.
Rachelle
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  • Sarah Guildea

    Holy crap! I agree with you, I shave for myself not to impress anyone else. I feel better, cleaner more confident when I have. Fair play to her for standing up for something but is it really necessary to flaunt it in our faces. Cant eat my dinner now.

  • Anonymous

    I totally agree; those pits look hideous!  I absolutely hate shaving my underarms (I’m not particularly hairy but I’ve just started laser hair removal which is working a charm, thankfully!) as I get a bit itchy, but I would still happily tolerate that over hairy pits.  It doesn’t have anything to do with societal expectations, only the expectations I have of myself xx

    • Margo

      Seriously, you should ask yourself – why do you have those expectations of yourself? Where did they come from? Do you believe that you are completely immune from societal influence?
      Why do you think that something is hideous or beautiful? Where did you get those parameters from, did you set them for yourself or do you think that everything that surrounds you has influenced that? I’m not in any way saying that women should stop shaving, I like being as hair free as the next girl. But when people try and justify themselves by saying they shave ONLY because they want to and discount completely any influence of society, it is in my opinion being quite obtuse. Ask yourself – why do men not shave, if it feels so much better and is more hygienic? Maybe some men would love to have smooth skin and not have to worry about underarm sweat as much, like women. Why isn’t it common practice for men as well?Asking these questions allows us to examine ourselves and our societies and be aware of the inequalities that exist in our every day lives. Received standards of beauty are not necessarily absolute and they can always change.

  • Dhiwjo

    J2 very jealous girls here ma thinks! x

    • Dhiwjo

      Serious confidence and self esteem issues. 

      • http://dollyrouge.ie Dolly Rouge

        Nope, we just find it more hygienic to shave where we perspire, otherwise we’d stink. I haven’t shaved my legs in weeks as they’re not smelly, but I did my underarms this morning. If you’re blessed with non-smelly perspiration and can get away with not shaving, I envy you. -Kat

  • Margo

    I would never stop shaving my armpits either, I’d feel gross! But you do have to take into account the internalisation of societal expectations – from a very young age, women are bombarded with images and pressure to be hair-free (and jokes about how hideous and hairy French women also abound). If all women had hairy pits, this really wouldn’t seem so abnormal and disgusting. And as for the hygiene issue – men seem to cope with hairy pits without their arms falling off.

  • http://dollyrouge.ie Dolly Rouge

    I really don’t agree with the cultural/social expectations argument. I have never  felt under pressure by society or by the Irish culture  to shave etc but maybe that is a reflection on my self confidence rather than anything else?

    • Margo

      So you would feel entirely confident going out in public with hairy armpits? Or wearing a skirt with unshaven legs? You wouldn’t care what people thought of you if you went to the beach without a bikini wax?

      • http://dollyrouge.ie Dolly Rouge

         Hi Margo, I totally get what you are saying, I just don’t agree. I have had hairy legs on display in public before believe it or not. I’m fair of colour so the hairs on my body are not terribly noticeable (not that it matters). I  have often not had time to shave and gone out bared legged and hairy but the fact remains I prefer to shave. It feels nicer. I don’t think I would get in a bikini without sorting my hair down there to be honest but just because I think it looks and feels awful not because I would be worried what people thought of it.  The level of hair on my body doesn’t affect my confidence but I must admit if it was a dye job gone wrong on my head, well that’s a whole other issue lol! I would be and have been mortified at the state of my head hair :)

        • Margo

          Your anecdotal evidence is great and all, but denying that society puts any pressure on women to look a certain way is incredibly obtuse. You can say that you shave only for yourself, but this is not true for all women and pretending that it is is intellectually dishonest. Reading your blog post again, it appears that you are unable to think critically about your actions and your feelings so I’m not going to argue any more.

          • http://dollyrouge.ie Dolly Rouge

            HI Margo, I never said that it is true for all women so I am not sure what you are basing that on?  I quote “The fact of the matter is that we all have the choice whether to shave
            or not; Emer seems to think most of us do it because society expects it
            of us”

            I never denied that society puts any pressure on women to look a certain way. I merely stated it does not affect or influence me when it comes to the issue of shaving.
            Hopefully that clarifies it for you. Rachelle

          • http://dollyrouge.ie Dolly Rouge

            Hi Margo. Unfortunately we’re not sociologists/psychologists (is Emer?), so we can’t cite studies regarding societal pressure influencing female grooming habits. Does that mean we’re not entitled to our opinion? We haven’t denied that societal pressure could be a factor of influence for many women. All we’ve asserted is our own experience – we choose to shave, but are not obsessive about it. Each to their own. – Kat

  • http://twitter.com/scarie Karie Murray

    I hate hairy arm pits on me, feels so icky! Hairy legs, well the hairs on my legs are fine and blonde, i go weeks at a time. I can even getaway with nude tights and 4 weeks of growth if I wanted to!