The only thing that brought me through my candy hangover and post-Halloween depression on Nov. 1 was the thought of a monthlong break from shaving since No-Shave November is upon us once again.
The folks of Twitter, particularly certain rappers and the under-14 set, had a different opinion.
“If you’re a girl and your [sic] participating in no-shave November, you should be sleeping in a cage for the rest of the month,” tweeted user @brandon_kiim. “#youanimal.”
User @meganlooovesyou tweeted, “If you a female participating in no shave November, I hope you get crabs.”
Whoa! Time out, guys. Other people’s body hair (or lack thereof) is none of your gosh-darned business. The majority of tweets on the No-Shave November tag were from people perpetuating this outrageous idea that women are somehow obligated to shave. During the colder months when tights and long pants are needed, I don’t see why anyone should care about extra hair.
It’s not just strangers on Twitters turning their noses up at the thought of women skipping a shave here and there. When I mentioned my intention to participate in NSN, a female friend simply said to me, “Not shaving is gross.”
Whether a woman chooses to shave or not shave any part of her body, whether it be her legs, armpits, head or lady parts, it’s her decision and her decision alone. But, hello, the hair grows for a reason, and removing it can be detrimental to your health.
In an article published on Salon.com in August titled “We have pubic hair for a reason,” Emily Gibson analyzes the war on hair “down there.”
“A few sociological theories suggest it has to do with cultural trends spawned by bikinis and thongs, certain hairless actors and actresses, a desire to return to childhood, a misguided attempt at hygiene or an effort to be more attractive to a partner,” she writes. “Surely human beings are not so naïve as to be susceptible to fashion trends and biases.”
Gibson goes on to explain how the removal of pubic hair causes irritations and inflammations on the hair follicles, leaving open microscopic wounds.
“When that irritation is combined with the warm, moist environment of the genitals, it becomes a happy culture media for some of the nastiest bacterial pathogens,” she writes.
Not only does body hair function to protect your skin from dirt and germs, it plays a role in sexual attraction and thermoregulation.
If you’re reading this, odds are you’re a mammal and thus grow hair. It’s part of the package, along with live childbirth and mammary glands. No-Shave November is fun, but it’s not gender exclusive. No matter what equipment you’re rocking between your legs, no one is allowed to tell you what you can and can’t do with your body.
So ladies, shrug off the haters. Hide your hairy legs with jeans or show them off to the world in skirts. Do what you want, no matter what an illiterate 16-year-old Twitter user has to say.
