Girl never shaved

When I was at university in the UK in the late Noughties, one of the most liberating things about travelling back to my native China for the summer break was not having to worry about shaving. Chinese tradition had no demands in this respect — armpit or leg hair was just part of your body and nothing to be ashamed about. This month, a campaign headed by young female activist Xiao Meili in China asked women to post pictures of their unshaven armpits on the popular social media site Weibo, China's version of Twitter. The competition generated much attention from Western press, which reported it as a sweeping feminist campaign by Chinese women against body image pressures. But in China, it remains fairly acceptable to be unshaven in public. Even in a big city, seeing hair remains just as much the norm, as seeing none.

What are your most admirable qualities? Hence, my recent descent into a dark depression following the end of No-Shave November. I have a lot of appreciation for the male body and all the joy it has brought to my otherwise meaningless college career. However, every once in a while, I come across a monstrosity more cringeworthy than frayed cargo shorts and ridiculously outdated American Eagle tees: a shaved chest. Why the fuck do guys do this? Shaving your chest is the male equivalent to getting a boob reduction. Hairy chests are awesome.

Ask Your Question today. I am a 21 year old girl and I have never shaved my legs because up until now I believed that once you start shaving the hair when it re- grows it will be ten times more hair than it was. Right now I'm beginning to feel more like a woman and will buy some hair removal cream next week. Even if it's just subtle. You have the same number of hair follicles whether you shave, wax, or use a chemical cream.

Photo: Suzannah Weiss. My first exposure to the female coming-of-age ritual of leg shaving occurred during sleep-away camp at age eleven. I and some other late bloomers sat quietly on the benches, observing a rite we were too embarrassed to ask our mothers about and too well-behaved to partake in without their permission.