The Specter of Excess

Anna Grofik

This article begins by asserting that femininity is produced partially through body-altering practices, such as hair removal. For example, hairlessness is suggesting the eroticization of girlhood, which produces the idea that women should appear infantile and by association, less powerful. This new ideal is partly how this new social convention began. I agree with the article in saying that hairlessness could associate femininity with docility. This docility could suggest the idea that one’s body is not only under their control, but belongs to societal standards of grooming and prescribed appearance. In altering your natural body and its appearance, obedience to social norms is enforced. This article also relates race, class, and gender to different perceptions of body hair norm adherence. For example, when the nineteen women had stopped shaving their body hair they faced judgment that they were unclean, unsanitary and less attractive. These negative feelings kept them from participating in their own lives, such as going out with friends or having sex with their partners. I understand these reactions because going against social norms can make one feel like an outsider or unattractive to those who follow the norms. The article also found that women of color and working-class women faced more “social penalties” and harsh judgment from their families for growing their out. Already facing an uphill battle for social acceptance, their body hair became a debilitating factor in how they wished to be perceived by society. In addition, these women experienced heightened disapproval from their partners. I thought it was interesting that some of the partners thought that the woman would turn into a lesbian due to the fact that she stopped shaving. The article mentioned that this had something to do with a loss of control that the boyfriends experienced. This idea exhibits a frightening reality that many heterosexual relationships have a lopsided balance of power. Furthermore, post experiment the women reported having a heightened awareness of gender norms, their bodies, and the act of conformity. Even in the act of the experiment, the women relied on an authority to tell them what to do. They had the excuse of saying that they weren’t choosing to forgo shaving, but it is what the experiment required. I think that the implications of making the choice independently are much stronger rather than participating in a group activity, almost creating a new norm for a short period of time.