Embrace Body Hair, These Women Have

A different kind of body positivity

 

 

A number of changes have happened between the beginning of the ECQ and the present—but when it comes to shifts on a personal level, exactly two (2) things come to mind. 

 

The first: an unforeseen, work-from-home-fueled spike in productivity. As someone who was on the brink of losing her mind to the crippling guilt of consecutive slow days prior to the quarantine, it’s all sorts of refreshing to sit all afternoon at home and actually get work done. It’s amazing what a change in scenery can do. Suddenly I’m catching up with deadlines and reading more and getting crafty with my coffee—all without having to stand in office corners or take long walks outside in the futile hope to get my brain back in order. 

 

The second is, well, a little less desirable: a wildly pared back (read: lazy) approach to my everything else. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror—hair unruly in my extremely exciting rotation of pajamas and exercise wear—and swore that I would get dressed and paint a face on just to remind myself that despite serving approximately zero looks in the past month, I still am that bitch. Clearly those promises have remained unfulfilled and, if we’re being honest, they’ll probably remain that way until the outside is proclaimed safe again. I’ve been unmotivated to stick to my routines—and I don’t just mean skincare. I’m talking nails and body and hair care. And yes, body hair, too. Now that I think about it, especially that.

 

And while I am fostering baby forests under my arms and between my legs, what’s it to anybody? We’re locked inside for the next few weeks anyway and, if I decide to give ‘em an extended lease post-quarantine, then it’ll be an unapologetic middle finger at society and the “rules” it’s carved out for women and our bodies and our grooming habits. 

 

Because yes, body hair is a choice. And yes, it’s completely up to us what we want to do with it. Give it a trim! Bald eagle it! Nurture and grow it like it’s part of your indoor plant collection! May our body hair be as unapologetic as our personalities. And lest we need a little extra talking around, may these women be our guides.

 

RELATED: How to Really Take Care of Your Vagina

 

Kirsten Salazar

Multimedia arts student and visual artist Kirsten Salazar is one such example. Earlier this month, she took to Twitter to proclaim her love for her own body hair along with four photos of fuzz on her arms, thighs and pits. The only thing we love more than Kirsten's tweet? All the positive replies below it.

 

We are beautiful with or without all these hair. : ) pic.twitter.com/ILH0vttbgA

— Kirsten B. Salazar (@KIRSZAR) April 4, 2020

 

Rice Lucido

One of those replies was from local musician Rice Lucido, by the way.

 

high five!!

— Rice Lucido ? (@ricelucido) April 4, 2020

 

Janelle Mayo

USA-based Filipina Janelle Mayo—who was also featured in one of Billie's body hair-postive campaigns—knows a thing or two about accepting her natural strands, whether they reside on her limbs or between her brows. “I was ashamed of my body hair only because no one else around me seemed to have it,” she admits in a previous interview with Wonder, a struggle borne of being a Southeast Asian raised in the west and the image-skewing effect of mainstream media. “But I think that’s why I started to grow it out: because I want people who look like me to feel powerful and represented.”

 

 

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A post shared by Janelle Mayo ??? (@filipinogrndma) on Jun 6, 2019 at 10:01am PDT

Halsey

With a colorful hair history and a brave approach to makeup, challenging beauty norms is something of a day-to-day activity for Halsey. Our favorite look of all time might have to be this one, though: pared back, hair tousled and underarms proudly exposing a little stubble.

 

 

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A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey) on Jun 20, 2019 at 7:17am PDT

Ashley Graham

In an interview with Glamour in 2016, Ashley Graham made no secret of her preference for a full bush. Fast forward to this year, the model is still flaunting her body hair proudly as seen in this mirror pic.

 

 

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A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on Feb 10, 2020 at 6:14pm PST

 

Bella Thorne

In case the subtle peeks at her unshaven underarms on Instagram and glances at her calves on red carpets weren't enough, Bella Thorne has made some loud statements about keeping her body hair au naturel. Case in point: this Instagram post.

 

 

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A post shared by BELLA (@bellathorne) on Nov 17, 2018 at 12:08pm PST

Amandla Stenberg

From schooling us on cultural appreciation to embracing body hair without shame—yes, even at red carpet events. Amandla Stenberg is winning; we don't make the rules.

 

 

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A post shared by amandla stenberg (@amandlasponsored) on Sep 11, 2019 at 3:13pm PDT

 

RELATED: These Beauty Brands & Boutiques Are Helping Out During the Pandemic

 

Whether we're behind closed doors or back in the public eye, we deserve to sport our unibrows, armpit bushes and pubes whichever way we want. But in case you were curious about how fellow Filipino women approach the fork in the road when it comes to body hair (down there, especially), click through for some recommended reading.

 

 

Art Alexandra Lara