Body Hair Removal Confessions, Back Arms Chest
These Editor Stories Are Normalising Awkward Hair Growth, From Their Bellies to Their Backs
Body hair is an unavoidable human characteristic — and it grows everywhere, even in the unlikely, hard-to-reach-and-even-harder-to-talk-about places. Archaic societal norms say that if it grows somewhere other than our legs or underarms — think our bum, our belly, or even our toes — it must be a dirty little secret, discreetly removed, so the world can go on believing we're naturally hairless creatures. And yet, that’s so far from the truth.
We're centuries away from when these conventions were established, but the topic of body hair — and removing all of it — permeates a lot of people's lives today. Still, it's just hair. Whether we love it or hate it, remove it or don’t, it's there. And the more we start talking about it, the more banal it becomes, the more empowered we'll feel to let the standards go and do what we like just because we like it. If you prefer to get rid of it on occasion? Cool. If you like to let it hang around? Go for it — we won't balk at your choices.
To get the conversation started, our editors are sharing their own body hair confessions and the not-so-strange places it resides. Feels better already, doesn't it?
Chin Hair
"I swear as soon as I turned 30, all the hair on my head stopped growing — and the hair everywhere else sped up. Last year, I noticed a little hair that started sprouting on my chin. It grows too fast and long to be considered peach fuzz, which means I now have the distinct pleasure of taking a pair of tweezers to it every few months. It's quite annoying (I pluck it more often than I do my eyebrows!!!), but I'm happy that at least it's the only wayward strand I need to take care of . . . for now." — Stephanie Nguyen, Senior Editor
Back Hair
"My parents' favourite story to tell me — and, unfortunately, strangers — is how astonishingly hairy I was on the day I was born. Reportedly, the doctor was shocked to find out that I was, in fact, breech because he thought my bum was my head. But the hairiness wasn’t a phase; I spent most of my adolescence coming to terms with the hair that covers just about every inch of my body. Now, as an adult who has full access to every hair removal method out there, I've been able to master a grooming routine that both honours and erases the hair I’ve spent my whole life with.
"While I take no issue with the hair on my arms — which I did shave once and immediately regretted — I do opt to remove the fur on my lower back and bum. Even if no one would ever know whether I'm hairless on my backside or not, it's something I've built into my routine. And, to be perfectly honest, these can be tedious zones to keep track of, so IPL — my go-to tool is Philips Lumea Series 9000 for its gentle touch — is my favourite way to remove the fuzz, slowly and surely. Now, even when it does regrow, the hair is practically undetectable, so I don't mind when it makes the occasional reappearance." — Samantha Sasso, Editor
Toe Hair
"I noticed the hair on my knuckles — we're talking fingers and toes — when I was a teenager. It was the late '90s, early aughts, and back then, beauty standards dictated that women be smooth and hairless to be attractive. I was already so self-conscious about everything on my body (thank you, teenage hormones) that I decided I had to do something immediately. Unfortunately, I started with some pretty old-school hair removal tactics — there were lots of cuts. Do you know how hard it is to remove hair from a toe knuckle without scraping skin?! Eventually, I graduated to a trimmer, and things went a lot smoother from there. And then one day, I said no more, and I just stopped. Now, I embrace the hair on my hands and feet (and other parts of my body). The funniest part is that over time, I learned that everyone has hair in these places and that I actually don't have any more or less than most people. But I'm glad that eventually, I just realised that even if my knuckles were particularly hairy, it's my business and I can remove the hair how I want or not at all!" — Shalwah Evans, Associate Director, Beauty Magazine
Stomach Hair
"I used to joke that being 50 percent Italian meant I was 50 percent more hairy than most. From my thicker-than-typical sideburns down to my big toe, I'm no stranger to a little extra fuzz on my body. Normally, it doesn't really bother me, but one place I never had hair before I was pregnant was along my 'happy trail' (the line from my belly button to pubic bone).
"I was already dealing with a growing watermelon around my midsection, so the addition of hair was just too much for me. Thankfully, it's the one area on the lower half of my body that I was able to take care of at home with a trimmer, so hair removal was no big deal. I only had to remove it once or twice throughout my pregnancy, and it made rocking my bikini and bump much more enjoyable." — Amanda Murray, Director, Branded Content
