Most of the people we talk to about laser hair removal seem that they would be far happier with no hair left on their bodies apart from head hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. It is sometimes a little difficult to remember that not everyone in the world sees another person’s body hair and mentally recoils. In fact, in many cultures hair is something to be venerated … something that means far more than spending cash on laser hair removal or worrying about whether you’re blowdrying too much. We don’t expect you to embrace underarm jungles or bushy ankles after reading this … but it is certainly fun to look at your leg hair from a different perspective!
1. Manscaping is booming
It isn’t only women in Western society that are being pressured to remove all their body hair below the neck. Guys are sometimes expected to be just as ‘groomed’ as women, and at laser hair removal clinics men are the customers just as often as women are.
2. Pubic hair in Islam
In Islam, removing the pubic hair is seen as acceptable for hygiene reasons, akin to the practice of circumcision for little boys. However, laser hair removal would probably not be permitted, as it would violate other modesty conditions of the religion.
3. Pubic hair and art
Pubic hair is almost always eliminated from both cartoon depictions of nude females and actual nude films in Japan, for legal reasons. John Ruskin, an author and art critic, was apparently so used to seeing neither pubic hair nor a visible vulva on females that when he married and discovered his wife’s pubic hair, he was so shocked that he got an annulment.
4. Underarm hair
Growing underarm hair, even 70 years ago, was seen as a sign that you were ready for marriage and having babies – a visible sign of maturity. Now, thanks to razors and laser hair removal, it’s quite possible that some women have never had underarm hair past 3mm long in their lives.
5. Hair as a political statement
The ‘hairy feminist’ is now somewhat of a cliché. However, many feminists argue that the expectation to have a hairless body in women (which isn’t matched to the same extent in men) widens the gender gap.
6. Long hair and Judaism
Long hair for men in Judaism is thought to lead to pride and vanity. Young traditional Jewish boys have their hair cut only when they are old enough to understand the religion, and having their locks lopped off signifies a submission to the principles of the religion.
7. Hair in Amerindians
North American Indians would scalp their enemies because they believed that their souls resided in their hair. Scalping ensured their ultimate destruction. Nowadays, laser hair removal can ensure ultimate destruction of hair also … but certainly not your soul!
8. Hair and feelings in the West
For many women in the West, being hairless is about the feeling of smoothness … especially when you are talking about laser hair removal on large areas like the legs. For other women, it is an issue of femininity – hair growing on the upper lip, along the snail trail or on the shoulders makes them feel less womanly.
9. Hair removal as punishment?
Across the world, removal of the head hair is sometimes used as a punishment. However, the same is not really true of body hair! Nobody has ever been threatened with underarm laser hair removal if they didn’t cooperate, that is for certain.
Thank you for that outstanding posting.