by Leah Whitcomb
social media manager

Those are not my legs. First off, I’m not white and secondly, I’m not a man. However, if I were, would the fact that I have hairy legs be less repulsive? Yes, I’m a woman, and yes, I don’t shave. Scandalous! I know but, frankly, I don’t care. Shaving is time-consuming, annoying and, frankly, unnecessary. Unnecessary? Blasphemy!

Historically speaking, woman have always been hairy. Shaving amongst women is a new trend that emerged in the mid-20th century after World War II. So why is it abnormal if a woman chooses to be hairy? It can’t be a money issue; women have no excuse to be hairy when razors are so accessible and cheap. So why is choosing not to shave so abnormal? Well, I have possible explanations.

Well, one explanation could be that women are not equal to men. They can’t be. They weren’t made that way. Women are not allowed to have any of the same bodily functions as men, and if they do, it’s a genetic defect that needs to be remedied. How is it remedied? Shaving! Shaving is the only way to fix all the defective women who grow hair in the same places as men.

It could also be that women are not real human beings. They’re more like children with boobs. Children don’t have hair so women shouldn’t either. Those are rights reserved only for men: refer back to the former paragraph.

We should also consider the fact that women’s only purpose is to fulfill men’s sexual wants and desires, and men want their women hairless. A woman can’t have hair on her legs because that’s a masculine trait, and only men are allowed to grow hair on their legs. A man can’t touch another person’s leg hair because “that’s gay.” Doing so would therefore make that man gay, and gayness is a capital offense among heterosexual males.

However I believe the most likely reason the choice not to shave is taboo is that a woman who defies gender roles is nothing. Society has made it easy for her and has already given her a role that she is supposed to play. If she refuses to play that role, what else can she possibly be? A man? Because apparently only masculine men can grow body hair, the idea of femininity is so restricted that the average human being cannot possibly conceive the fact that a woman with leg hair (or any type of body hair) can still be feminine.

So why is there such a hairy deal related to women who choose not to shave? Why is it anyone’s business? It’s not. A woman should shave because she wants to shave, not because society tells her to or because “it’s her job.” A woman who shaves is a woman. A woman who chooses not to shave IS STILL A WOMAN. She has no societal obligation to fill the restricted gender role that is placed upon females. In the end, it is a woman’s choice about what she chooses to do with her body, so let her do it.