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In my household, only men shaved. I've been raised in a way that armpit, pubic and leg hair (plus wherever else body hair can grow out) was completely normal for a woman. My mom never batted an eyelash at the curly little hairs my sister and I were rapidly growing during puberty. The again, hers were thin and very sparse, but she made it so normalized that I thought it was just the way everyone dealt with their body hair, specifically girls.
Now, I only shaved once in my life and it was in 7th grade out of peer pressure and I really did not the experience. It surprised me how painful the hair re-growing from the areas that I'd shaved were becoming, thank goodness I didn't get any ingrown hairs. From that day, I promised myself to shave only when I would want to. But in the meantime, was I disgusting, unlady-like and 'masculine' for not shaving? That's a question I've asked myself time and time again, but until I saw other girls/women being more open with this topic, I never spoke up about it.
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Here are some myths about female body hair that I'll debunk:
"Body hair makes you smelly"
This is a widespread urban legend that is still believed by many individuals today; indeed, foul body odors do not come from hair, but rather from secretions like sweat and other discharges (among other reasons). There's nothing too dramatic that changes when it comes to hygiene for women with or without body hair, as long as it is in tip-top shape.
"Women aren't suppose to have hair all over their bodies"
If this were true, we'd just naturally be hairless. It is completely normal for girls to grow hair on their faces, stomachs, chests, arms, backs, toes, etc. Some areas may have thicker hair than others, but that is also in the ordinary.
"Hair grows back thicker after you shave it"
This one is often a nail-bitter, but rest assured that there is no truth in this statement. The most common reason why hair may grow thicker is due to hormones, so shaving won't actually stimulate a change of thickness. So if you shave or don't, your hair will stay the same texture otherwise.
Note: I've also noticed that when it comes to women growing out their body hair, it is usually the wispy/sparse/delicate kind that is more acceptable and seen, but body hair can be dark and coarse, curly and long, and are as equally valid.
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I know it seems a little foolish to be talking about shaving, but it's the little things in life that have the biggest impacts. It felt so freeing to me not to be obliged to shave like everyone else just because it was 'what women do'. I'm not saying to ditch your razors, you can still shave if you desire it, my goal here was to show that it's okay for girls to have hair on their bodies, it's natural and shouldn't be stigmatized.
~ Shaana