TJ Brady

The removal of body hair is something that almost every American woman routinely does.  It has become part of their 

lifestyle and speaking from a male perspective, is something that is expected of women.  The article "Specter of Excess" 

examined an experiment in which 19 women didn't shave or wax their body hair for 12 weeks.  

The 19 women all had different experiences with not shaving, but a there are a few reoccurring themes.  Most 

women received negative responses from other women who looked down on them, received negative comments from 

their partners, and were viewed as lesbians and dykes.  Many women responded to these negative responses by 

wearing more clothing, having less sex, and wearing more make up.  I thought it was interesting to see how the women 

tried to compensate for their hairiness with make up.  It shows how insecure the rest of society has made these women 

feel.  

The most interesting thing I learned from this reading was the misinformation that occurs with removal of body hair.  

"Women reported initial feelings-internally driven and communicated by friends and family-that not shaving would lead to 

razor rash, extreme bacterial growth, and excessive amounts of sweating, and that body hair was fundamentally 

unsanitary.  Repeated discussions of cleanliness and hair as "'dirty and gross"" appeared in women's narratives of their 

body hair."(3)  This was interesting to me because I wonder if more women would not shave if they knew that these were 

myths and not fact.  

The removal of body hair is prominent in American society, which will make it tough to change in the future.