If you've never given much thought to your arm hair, it may be hard to imagine what it's like to be unhappy with your own day in and day out, but that's precisely the self-consciousness experienced by countless women moving from childhood into adolescence. One such person is Nicole, who recalls, "My arm hair was pointed out to me ever since I can remember. The average human body boasts some 5 million hair follicles , and generations of beauty standards across many cultures have dictated that on femme-presenting bodies, some of this hair is acceptable and some of it is not. Body hair has been censured and policed, giving rise to hair-removal rituals requiring immense time and resources: shaving, waxing, laser hair removal, electrolysis, and more. As the body-positivity movement has gathered momentum in recent years, though, body hair , especially on legs and armpits, has begun to enter the mainstream, with celebrities and Instagram influencers applauded for flaunting theirs.
Embracing My Hairy Arms Was the Most Liberating Thing I've Ever Done
How to Make Arm Hair Thinner: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
That was the first time that I, at 17 years old, had ever brushed off a remark about my hair. Like many Jews, I have a complicated relationship with my thick, unruly hair. My arms were always easy targets for ridicule. Wispy but visible hairs grow on my hands and extend all the way to my knuckles. As a child I grew acutely aware that hairy arms on girls were bad. In middle school, I overheard a fellow year-old telling someone that she got her arms waxed every week.
I Got Bullied Into My Biggest Beauty Mistake
Everyone has hair on their arms. However, some people are born with thicker, darker arm hair. If you have noticeable arm hair, you may wish to remove it for aesthetic reasons. Luckily, there are a variety of safe ways to remove or reduce the appearance of arm hair. Whether you are looking to boost your confidence or simply change your look, you can take control of your appearance by exploring hair removal methods.
My arms and legs, however, were covered in soft, dark hair. My mother suffered the same fate as me, so it ran in the family. In my mind, having hairy arms made me less pretty, less female, and the fact that it was mainly boys who made fun of me only confirmed my suspicions. That was kind of the point.