Leg hair is a completely natural, innocuous part of the body. It doesn't get in the way of anything, cause any unpleasant sensations, or create any sort of problem. Yet somehow, in 2017, it still manages to offend many people — when it's on women, at least.
Fitness blogger Morgan Mikenas is calling BS on that. She hasn't shaved her legs in over a year, according to a New York Post video, and she doesn't see why this should be viewed any differently from a man not shaving. We don't either.
In a YouTube video from March with more than a million views, Mikenas explained that she stopped shaving initially to avoid the time investment. Then she realized how soft the hair got when she didn't shave. All the prickles were gone.
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She also opened up about getting teased for her hairy legs as a kid and shaving to fit in. When she shaved, she felt "feminine." But by not shaving, she got something even better: independence from social norms. The only reason leg-shaving became convention in the 20th century, she points out, is that razor companies shamed women for their body hair to make money. So now, many have bought into the myth that body hair is unattractive.
Proving her point, her video's comment section is full of trolls acting grossed out. But it also contains this great comeback from Martin Smith: "Having read some of the comments it occurs to me female body hair is Mother Nature's attempt at giving women a foolproof way of weeding out the assholes."
"I feel like [shaving is] an act of submission to the male dominated culture we live in. I want to mindfully make decisions for myself, and make choices that serve my purpose," Mikenas told Vice. "Shaving my legs makes me feel powerless. When you make decisions for others, specifically a decision that will make others see you a certain way, a way that culture has designed as 'sexy and beautiful,' you lose your power."
Of course, women shouldn't be shamed for choosing to shave, either. But whatever choice we make, Mikenas is totally right about one thing: Nobody else should make it for us.
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