Kelsey Warkentin
Shaving and waxing is something
that has boomed only recently. « Before the 1920’s…few Western women ever
removed body hair »(Fahs, Delgado 14).
And not only that, but in different cultures shaving was never as
popular as it was in the United States. But now, shaving and waxing has become
the norm. Whether it’s because of the mass media, pornography boom or flourishing
immigration; « women learn to associate their hairlessness with ideal
femininity »(Fahs, Delgado 14). The article, « Specter of
Excess », uniquely expanded on the idea of hair removal and the skewed
logic behind it. It focused in on an experiment that 19 women participated in.
They all didn’t shave for 12 weeks and had to write down how they felt and everyone’s reactions
towards them.
Some of the
reactions of the women weren’t surprising at all. Most women felt uncomfortable
and embarrassed to go out in public. This seemed normal because hair removal used
to be a daily routine for them. But other reactions of the women were
surprisingly different. Working class women and women of color felt that not
shaving « exacerbated their sense of differentness from the white middle
or upper class women… »(Fahs, Delgado 18). Before this experiment, these
women already felt like outcasts from society because of their skin color,
heritage or financial situation. Now that they had something else to be
self-conscious about, it put another burden on them. This is interesting
because most tests about hair-removal don’t focus in on the race factor and how
a social norm could affect certain types of people differently. Yet the data
and responses in this experiment show that it does play a part in society. A
black woman, Sharon, couldn’t even finish the experiment because it altered her
self-confidence so much. « As a black woman, I know what its like to be
looked down upon by white people. I don’t need to be made aware of that any
more than I already am » (Fahs, Delgado 19). Shaving for women of color
isn’t just for the purpose to remove hair, it is to fit in with white social
norms. Not only did these women feel uncomfortable, but they also got heavy criticsm
from their families and enforced other social norms. One black woman, Ana, said
« my mom said it was unsanitary and disgusting… »(Fahs, Delgado 17).
She also said that she started wearing more make up because she didn’t want people
to think she didn’t take care of herself. The author concluded that black women tend to try
harder in society to be more feminine because stereotypes portray that they are
not. So when shaving was taken away, they felt the need to over-compensate with another beauty regimen.
While a few of the women’s reactions were positive and showed « personal
empowerment », most of the participants felt extremely uncomfortable
throughout the 12 weeks. After reading this article, I realized that I had
never really given a thought to the race factor in shaving. I thought every
woman shaved for the same underlying reasons. But the responses of these bold women
of color and the working class show that not shaving added another layer of
bodily oppression. This is just another flaw in society that most of us are too
ignorant to see. Not only that, but all 19 of the participants (regardless of race) shared
« feelings of disgust, self-loathing, lack of cleanliness and lack of
sexual desirability » (Fahs, Delgado 24). I know that I could never
withstand this experiment for the same reasons as the majority. I am not
comfortable enough with my own body to not shave. Not only that, but I would
personally feel gross and unkempt. I am not proud of the way I feel and how I
conform to being gendered, but just like these women, it’s hard to resist a
body norm so critical in today’s society. Something as simple as shaving just
proves how much the meaning of beauty has changed and how far women will go to
be accepted.
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