Inga M. Beck

When I write there is almost always the idea of a strong woman in my mind. Being a woman myself I know the importance of having female as well as male rolemodels. One of my favorite celebrity rolemodels is Amanda Palmer. She has this wonderful I-don’t-give-a-f*ck-what-you-think attitude that I like so much. It is horribly rare to see women who are not afraid to flaunt their body hair.

Yes, body hair. When it comes to equality between men and women, I don’t care who is getting the highest pay or if there are more men or women in executive positions. If you want an executive position, get an education, and earn one by being the best at what you do. Sure it may still be harder for women but we wont get those if we’re not trying. What I really care about is who has the freedom to be themselves. And frankly I think women are worse off in that part, and what goes on my nerves the most is this notion that women should remove pretty much all hair of their body, and smear their faces with make-up so that they can look “professional”. Certainly if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine. But the amount of women and young girls who do this because of some sort of social pressure is enormous.

I admit I too have succumed to this pressure, i have spent a rediculous amount of time shaving areas that honestly are nobodys business but my own. Luckily I’ve never gotten around to being one of those women who wears makeup every day, so I’ve got that going for me. Now I’m not saying that women shouldn’t shave, but no woman should feel that she might put herself in danger of being the recipient of an expression of scorn if she decides not to. I’ve had my share of these. But the thing is, the more open I am about my hairyness, the less comfortable the people around me seem to get. It is not me who is uncomfortable, I have come to term with this part of me, and I have come to like my body better in it’s natural state rather than waxed and polished. Society on the other hand is still controlled by the images printed in magazines and displayed on our tv-screens.

Thankfully women are becoming more aware of this distorted image of what it means to be feminine. But we need to take it further. I truly feel there is need for an international no make-up day, or week even. We do not need masks to be beautiful. Showing your hairy legs to a room of people is extremely empowering. By now I’ve exposed my hairy legs on a film set and on stage, and on many occasions at local swimming pools. No one has ever said anything to me. But I have felt the looks of scorn, the looks of uncertainty, and the looks of discomfort, and none of them belonged to myself.

Women, empower yourselves, and once in a while, let it grow and show.