Guest Post: Georgina Harmsworth – Forget Movember, We Need Norm-ember!
Last year I heard about a new social concept organised by some feminists in London: women should let their body hair grow freely in the month of November to challenge British gender norms. At the time I couldn’t really understand why they would want to put themselves out like this, after all, hairy women are dirty and unattractive, right? And who wants to be mistaken for a dirty and unattractive person?
Well, several feminist meetings and discussions later, and after reading some great books and blogs about Feminism, I not only see the need for Norm-ember, I fully support it and have decided to try it out for myself, in my own small way, by refraining from shaving for the month of November. I’m not taking pictures, I’m not showing off my legs, in fact you might say nothing has changed. And yet, I feel different. I am very conscious of the clothes I wear, and what they show. On the other hand, I feel closer to my own body than I do when I fit usual social expectations, perhaps because it feels like me against the world. Removing your hair by shaving is one of the least most obtrusive ways of refining your body to meet social expectations, it’s quick, easy, and mostly painless (if you ignore the ingrowing hair bit). However, it’s only a short step from shaving to waxing, which is painful, and then to laser treatment, which is not only painful, but dangerous.
And hair removal isn’t the only ‘treatment’ targeted at women to make them more womanly; there’s Botox, which is essentially injecting poison into your face; breast enhancement surgery; breast reduction surgery; liposuction to remove fat; labiaplasty to alter your vulva. The list goes on of ever more intrusive, painful and drastic surgery to cut off bits of women’s bodies to make them fit into the beauty mould of whichever society you’re born into. For while there’s been an upsurge of support for anti-female genital cutting campaigns recently, what is ignored is how British society also endangers its young girls with unrealistic standards of beauty. These are showcased in the British media in the form of beauty advice from shows like ’10 Years Younger’ to Elle magazine.
When you start thinking about the enormity of the beauty industry, it can feel overwhelming. The standards of beauty in our society are not just ‘out there’ in magazines and shop windows; they are also internalised. We believe them, we judge people by them, and they inform our choices on who to date, and ultimately, who to fall in love with. (See ‘Unspeakable Things’ by Laurie Penny for more on this…) If you think that sounds ridiculous, well, so do I. Everyone has the right to a fulfilling life, and love should have nothing to do with whether you have hairy legs or not.
These are my top 10 reasons for not shaving this Norm-ember, if you agree with at least one of them, why don’t you consider joining me?
1. Because I’m a human being first, not an image for your gratification.
2. Because not buying into the consumer system which is the beauty industry, is a massive fuck you to Capitalism.
3. Because my body hair is natural, so why should I be ashamed of it?
4. Because no one’s asking or shaming men to shave off their body hair, so it’s upholding unfair gender norms.
5. Because little girls shouldn’t have to grow up hating their hair and being embarrassed by their bodies.
6. Because having body hair is not dirty or smelly if you wash regularly.
7. Because I want to be loved for who I am, not how hairless I am.
8. Because women shouldn’t be made to feel ugly or unwomanly if they have body hair, facial hair, or no hair at all.
9. Because I don’t want to look like a Barbie doll.
And most importantly,
10. Because it’s my body, and I can do what I want with it.
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This is a guest post, folks, and as such, it represents the views of the author and not necessarily those of the library!