This is not a subject some ladies like to talk about openly. Well, forgive me because I want to talk about it. Ladies have hair on their legs, the thick, dark and bushy kind, which you dare not show anyone. The type you will see on men like the picture to your right. There I said it. Now get over it and stay with me. I have always wondered who made the rules that ladies must shave their legs or use hair removing cream and every other form of evasive hair removal procedure in order to attain the ultimate hair-free legs? Yes, it looks good when its all done and yes, smooth too and the brothers whistle as you walk past them with those toned and clean legs, looking fly! If it causes you no pain, fabulous, go right ahead and keep shaving or using hair cream.
However, there are some of us, who also have toned legs and want them to be hair-free but due to reasons beyond our control, we do so, at our own risk. It is not because we don’t want to wear pencil or mini skirts. We would love to show off our legs but if shaving/using hair removing cream is doing us more harm than good, what choice do you have but to say…’my health and life first,’ beauty can follow. By now, even a day-old baby understands that we are a superficial beauty obsessed world/society. We must look good on the outside though our attitude and character stinks like dog shit! Don’t get it twisted, I believe in looking after yourself and putting your best self forward. The question is, at what cost?
I see men walking down the street in the last few days with no shirts on, showing off their abs/six-pack or in the case of one guy, whose friends are so mean, they didn’t tell him, his pot belly was not ideal for the swagger he was trying to pull off. Some were wearing shorts and had hairy and ‘yammy’ legs, no one says anything or looks at them funny. Yet, if a lady goes out in shorts and has hair on her legs, all hell breaks loose and people turn to look at her like she is crazy or go as far as using derogatory terms, calling it DIRTY! Allow me but I know men, who love women with hairy legs, in fact, there are certain cultures, where a woman with hairy legs is considered beautiful for the hair gracing her leg like coconut on the nipples of a woman having foreplay before sex. My mum once had a friend, whose husband loved her hairy legs and the day she decided to shave it off, hell hath no fury like a man denied of his fetish.
Let’s get one thing straight, this is not a men vs women issue. For me, it is simply, who made the rules that shaving or using hair removing cream is a do or die affair? When Mo’Nique went to the Golden Globes in 2009, and showed her hairy legs, the tabloids and gossip columns went crazy with the debate of why a woman like her should have hairy legs? Some even went as far as dissing her husband in not so polite ways but I believe she gave the best response to the self imposed hygiene critics when she told Barbara Walters, “he loves the hairy legs and if Sid likes the hairy legs, there you go…”I’m 42 and I’m very hairy.” You gotta love Mo’Nique.
It would be unfair to say a lady who does not shave her legs or use other forms of hair removal is dirty. That is far from the truth. I don’t deny some of us can be lazy but if anyone out there, like me has a highly sensitive skin and shaving is a no, no because I will pay for my sins later or the fact that hair removing cream leaves me with red and itchy patches all over and for days result in blisters, your opinion is irrelevant. For starters, I have a medical condition, rely heavily on immuno-suppressants which can cause your body to act funny at different points and my skin can be dry today and tomorrow, oh well, I have lost track of the number of times it has changed on me. This is in addition to the fact that they make my hair grow at an unexplainable rate. Recently, I found a solution to the challenge I was having with my scalp and hair and that was after almost two years of trying different things. I am still on the search for something to use for my skin. Hence, your idea of what makes a lady beautiful really does not matter to me because avoiding any more medical mishaps, when I am highly prone to infections as a result of using different chemicals on my skin means one thing and one thing only. My health is priority over hair-free legs.
From shaving to waxing to hair cream to laser, there is no pain-free procedure and did I mention, they are all expensive forms of hair removing miracles with the exception of shaving. Now, you may say they have hair removing cream for sensitive skin? Well, that’s what left me with red patches and blisters and it was not a cheap brand that I bought either. If you go to Boots or Superdrug, they have a wide range to look through and make-up your mind. On the other hand, it was never like this. It is only recently that my skin started reacting badly to hair removing cream. Laser is not an option. I have better things to do with my money. It is summer, time for the short skirts and dresses we all love but for me, the dilemma is how do I get through this summer with red and itchy patches if they continue? I have been waging a one-woman protest over the last few months and refused to use the hair removing cream. Though I have also been on the search for alternative natural options, one thing is certain, I will not put my skin into more unavoidable hassles all in the name of looking good. If I don’t find a natural alternative soon, looks like I will be wearing tights all summer and that is a not a good prospect, especially when you take into account, this summer is going to be sizzling hot. Fingers crossed, we all don’t fry! In the meantime, I will join India Arie and sing…
Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don’t
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won’t
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul
