Ladies, we need to talk. Apparently, I have been watching way too many infomercials lately because I have become obsessed with arm hair. Yes, I said arm hair. Can someone please tell me when arm hair became so unfashionable?
Now, I know arm hair probably was never really fashionable to begin with, but when, where, and how did it become something we all need to eradicate? On every infomercial I have seen having to do with hair removal they are taking hair off their arms! Really?
Now through the years I have willingly and eagerly bought into beauty telling me I need to remove unwanted body hair. I have no problem seeing the need to pluck my eyebrows – especially mine. I have been plucking my eyebrows since I was in the fourth grade. Granted, at that time, it was just those hairs in the middle across the bridge of my nose. I wanted to make sure the world knew I had two eyebrows instead of just one.
I also have had no problem with beauty telling me I need to shave my legs. I have been doing that since the fifth grade. Hey, I was a hairy little girl. I even gratefully and willingly bought into beauty telling me I need to remove arm-pit hair. I can’t exactly remember when I started doing that but I am sure it was at the first sign of a hair. And the older I get, the more facial hair removal I seem to be doing. What is up with that?
It should be obvious that I am not opposed to hair removal in general; I have been doing it for most of my life. I am just trying to figure out when beauty decided arm hair had to go as well. And while we are at it, does anyone know who in the beauty world made that decision?
I know it wasn’t while I was in high school. None of us spent any time at all on our arm hair. It wasn’t while I was in college either. Actually, I have only noticed it in the last maybe three to four years. At first I just ignored it. And then I noticed a friend of mine didn’t have any arm hair. I thought – “wait a minute, maybe I am supposed to be removing my arm hair.” No, that can’t be right. So I just ignored the little voice in my brain saying that everyone is noticing how much arm hair I have.
Now, I know arm hair probably was never really fashionable to begin with, but when, where, and how did it become something we all need to eradicate? On every infomercial I have seen having to do with hair removal they are taking hair off their arms! Really?
Now through the years I have willingly and eagerly bought into beauty telling me I need to remove unwanted body hair. I have no problem seeing the need to pluck my eyebrows – especially mine. I have been plucking my eyebrows since I was in the fourth grade. Granted, at that time, it was just those hairs in the middle across the bridge of my nose. I wanted to make sure the world knew I had two eyebrows instead of just one.
I also have had no problem with beauty telling me I need to shave my legs. I have been doing that since the fifth grade. Hey, I was a hairy little girl. I even gratefully and willingly bought into beauty telling me I need to remove arm-pit hair. I can’t exactly remember when I started doing that but I am sure it was at the first sign of a hair. And the older I get, the more facial hair removal I seem to be doing. What is up with that?
It should be obvious that I am not opposed to hair removal in general; I have been doing it for most of my life. I am just trying to figure out when beauty decided arm hair had to go as well. And while we are at it, does anyone know who in the beauty world made that decision?
I know it wasn’t while I was in high school. None of us spent any time at all on our arm hair. It wasn’t while I was in college either. Actually, I have only noticed it in the last maybe three to four years. At first I just ignored it. And then I noticed a friend of mine didn’t have any arm hair. I thought – “wait a minute, maybe I am supposed to be removing my arm hair.” No, that can’t be right. So I just ignored the little voice in my brain saying that everyone is noticing how much arm hair I have.
Then I decided I would start looking at every woman’s arms to see if they were removing their arm hair. Only problem with that was I would forget to do it. I would come home from church or some lunch gathering and think, “Oh, shoot. I forgot to look.” Obviously, arm hair must not be that noticeable, at least not to me. But I endeavored in my fact gathering only to fail time and time again.
I just recently spent a whole weekend in a hotel room with three other women and I cannot tell you if a single one of them does or does not have arm hair. Go figure.
So why am I so bugged by this? Because, here it comes, I have given into the pressure that beauty places on all of us and have a time or two or three removed my arm hair. There, I have said it. Yes, I have given into peer pressure. Well, I think it is peer pressure, but I can’t really be sure because I have yet to really see if any of my friends actually remove their arm hair. The only ones I can be sure are doing it are those ladies on those TV commercials and I don’t even know them. This is a sickness, isn’t it?
But let me take a moment to possibly redeem myself. I recently was preparing for a trip to Florida. The day before our departure I was doing all the proper beauty treatments and hair removal rituals. I looked down at my arms and said to myself, “Leave that arm hair alone!”
I mean really, in my lifetime I have had three men ask me to marry them, placed first runner-up in the Miss Florida Teen pageant and won Miss Congenitally. I have great friends, a wonderful family and extended family. I have been asked to help with community projects and host special events. And I have had arm hair the whole time!!!! It just doesn’t seem to be an issue.
So this time, beauty, I will resist the urge to follow the crowd! Also, it really helps that while I was in Florida having dinner with two of my longest and dearest girlfriends we discussed this issue. Guess what? They both have arm hair and have no plan to remove any of it.
I just recently spent a whole weekend in a hotel room with three other women and I cannot tell you if a single one of them does or does not have arm hair. Go figure.
So why am I so bugged by this? Because, here it comes, I have given into the pressure that beauty places on all of us and have a time or two or three removed my arm hair. There, I have said it. Yes, I have given into peer pressure. Well, I think it is peer pressure, but I can’t really be sure because I have yet to really see if any of my friends actually remove their arm hair. The only ones I can be sure are doing it are those ladies on those TV commercials and I don’t even know them. This is a sickness, isn’t it?
But let me take a moment to possibly redeem myself. I recently was preparing for a trip to Florida. The day before our departure I was doing all the proper beauty treatments and hair removal rituals. I looked down at my arms and said to myself, “Leave that arm hair alone!”
I mean really, in my lifetime I have had three men ask me to marry them, placed first runner-up in the Miss Florida Teen pageant and won Miss Congenitally. I have great friends, a wonderful family and extended family. I have been asked to help with community projects and host special events. And I have had arm hair the whole time!!!! It just doesn’t seem to be an issue.
So this time, beauty, I will resist the urge to follow the crowd! Also, it really helps that while I was in Florida having dinner with two of my longest and dearest girlfriends we discussed this issue. Guess what? They both have arm hair and have no plan to remove any of it.
I am feeling much better already.
