People are so blinded to how our entire existence has shifted into a society that relies heavily on modifying our bodies in order to be accepted. We've talked about it before and its a repetitive topic here at Uniquely Big Beauty. Ultimately, we don't give a flying fadoodle what society says, you are okay 'as is'. In fact, you are better than okay, you are freaking amazing!!! Don't EVER forget that. In a world with so many freedoms we just don't understand why we are still stuck on being something that we aren't. We call that FAKE.
Let's talk taboo and body hair. Taboo is something that is not morally, culturally or traditionally acceptable. Society is so jacked up that the thought of a perfected modified body makes you more valuable, attractive or a better representation of a decent human being. Body hair is a touchy topic and private to most but let’s face it, we all have it. The only secret is how much of it we have and really.... who gives a damn, seriously! The issue that baffles us most, is the disgust people have with women who choose to be hairy. Women have hairy armpits, legs and in the highly sensitive but pleasurable areas. What's the big deal? In our opinion taboos are created by societies and communities. They are BS norms where the modified version is seen as a more acceptable existence than the authenticated one. Why is this more preferred and where does this stem from? We have an idea, but you will have to read more into this article. Let's start off by saying that hair has purpose. It provides a necessary function that no pill, lotion, razor, laser or other unorthodox practice can rid of naturally. It doesn't matter where the hair is located on your body. It is a barrier between your skin and other elements or debris. It's like a filtration system. It keeps the non-native things away from you besides it's just hair. Who cares if your bald as a bowling ball or bushy as a tree? It's your prerogative to do whatever the heck you want with YOUR body. The issues of acceptance stem deeper than what people are willing to admit however let's dig really freaking deep.
Disclaimer: It is about to get real which means our honesty has no limitations when we speak. As if it ever did so if you are super sensitive you have the option to hit that X, red dot, line, square or whatever your EXIT is at the top of your screen. You are excused.
Everyone else...follow along.
Western beauty ideals created these BS trends that still exist today, and the media continue to be supporters of it. People weren't seen as decent members of society unless they had fair smooth skin, straight hair, thin lips, a small frame, lived a certain lifestyle and dressed accordingly. Hair was a major factor to human decency and vanity. Women and men were expected to behave accordingly and keep up with appearances which meant being well groomed. In many instances 'as is' was okay for men ONLY. As new trends developed over time, the media hyped it up encouraging society to set more rules of how to live. Now keeping this in mind, anyone who deviated from this new norm were considered rebellious. If a female rocked a unibrow or had hairy legs, they were seen as disgusting and unclean because people expected that you'd be this dainty little cooperative perfectionist that answered when spoken to and didn't miss a step, if you understand what that means. People still carry this mind set in the present time which is completely ridiculous because this era has done a serious turnaround at least a hundred times to get where we are NOW.
Anyway, so how exactly is media tied into this? The media creates their own stereotypes and labels against marginalized groups (rebellions) through statistics (some hyped up or falsified) and news coverage. Society views television (commercials, movies, shows and etc...) as the true representation of these groups (ideal and not so ideal) thus influencing their own perception of them. However, the media is not the only influential factor. Society is also influenced by the values, morals and norms that they were raised and continue to be influenced by as they grow older. Based on that as well as other factors, society forms a stigma associated with certain individuals or groups. These stigmas are often negative and rarely positive especially dealing with individuals that are not ideal to society. What is a stereotype and stigma? Stereotype is an automatic assumption based on what you picture this particular person to look like and so you judge others based on what you see. A woman who doesn't shave gives people the automatic assumption that she is unsanitary, but we know that doesn't prove nothing...smh. Stigma is more action based or some sort of consequence. A woman who doesn't shave is turned away from becoming a model because the expectation and the message they want to continue to deliver is that smooth skin is beautiful. Hair should only exist on your head. So it's like saying beautiful people aren't hairy which is so stupid but we hope you understand now. Based on what they saw (stereotype), she was turned away as a consequence (stigma) because she didn't "fit" what they were looking for.
The companies who create all these beauty modification products are no better. In fact, they are worse. They capitalize on people's fears of becoming rather than utilizing their platform to encourage others to be. We say becoming because that can be anything that you fear or are self-conscious about. It's sad but we will elaborate more on corporate piracy at a later date.
What exactly is our point about this? Our entire message is much bigger than focusing on just body hair because society judges you all the time especially if it is something that they do not like about you. Forget what people think. Embrace who you are. Authenticity is the most beautiful part of you regardless of your social standing in this world. If you want to be hairy, with a mustache, sideburns, a nose ring, black lipstick, a yellow dress, a shaved off eyebrow and wearing platform shoes GO FOR IT!!! Don't ever stop your process because these squares can't deal. Most importantly, it’s all in how you choose to represent yourself. There should never be any reasons or justifications to why you do something other than it being your option/decision to do so. Let us deal with the reality that everyone is going to formulate an opinion simply because they do not like the way you choose to live. It doesn't matter if it is about your sexual orientation, gender identity, the way you choose to style your hair, what color you paint your toenails and numerous other "who gives a f*** what they think" type of opinions. It is what it is. F*** THEM!!! Loudly bolded in all caps, sweetie.
Until Next Time Beauties! Reach Out, Speak Up & Be Known.