The article “The Specter of Excess”
talks about an experiment in which women were not allowed to shave their legs,
pubic hair, or underarms. The women reported feelings of uneasiness,
uncleanliness, and generally being uncomfortable. They felt unclean because
they were unshaven. They stopped wearing clothing that would reveal their hair
and they applied excessive amounts of deodorant. More shocking, however, was
the fact that although it was for an experiment, these women were constantly
ridiculed by their friends and family. One woman’s boyfriend suggested that she
go as a werewolf for Halloween since she wouldn’t have to buy a costume due to
the fact that she was so hairy. Women had less sex and sometimes refrained
completely because they were embarrassed.
When I was in middle school, my
older sister was away at college, but her Seventeen Magazines would still be
delivered to our house. Although I was probably too young to be reading this
magazine, I read it anyway. One article that really stuck with me was a
Question and Answer article where one girl was saying that her boyfriend
refused to hook up with her until she had shaved her arms. He kept telling her
it was gross, but she had never heard of anyone shaving his or her arms before
so she didn’t know what to do. The author of the article assured her that while
some people shave their arms it’s not too common, and that her boyfriend was
wrong to pressure her into doing anything like this, and if she wanted to shave
her arms then she could, but that it was a very personal decision that only she
could make. As a seventh grader, I looked down at my arms and had a mini freak-out.
I ignored everything that the author said and focused on the fact that there
were people who were disgusted by arm hair, which was something every single
person I had ever met had. Upon seeing at school the following Monday that
everyone still had hair on their arms regardless of whether or not they shaved
their legs or underarms made me realize that I was crazy for freaking out about
it. But isn’t it the same thing with this article? If not everyone shaved their
legs it would be seen as something as personal a decision as shaving your arms,
which is uncommon.
Shaving any part of your body
should be seen as a personal decision that only you could make. For women, however,
we have been taught that hair does mean that you’re unkempt. The women who
participated in this experiment clearly showed that there is a societal rule
that says that women should always be shaven, and there’s something “off” with
those who don’t.
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