Monday, April 30, 2012

How I Accepted My Hairy Legs

Mary Reed
WRC Volunteer

I stopped shaving my legs sometime last year. I probably haven’t shaved my armpits for two. It wasn’t a big deal at the time—-I was lazy and didn’t want to take the time out of the day to take a razor to my body. Even before then, I wasn’t exactly a regular shaver—I’d go without during the winter and only sporadically shaved during the warm months. It was something I thought I had to do before going to the beach, wearing a summer dress, or being intimate with a partner. I spent a lot of time being anxious about what other people thought of me instead of choosing what would make me happiest. Soon my legs were a point of contention. I still didn’t want to shave, so I spent a long time hiding them in pants, long skirts, and leggings. Swimming at the Rec Center became another thing that I barred myself from.

The weather a few weekends ago changed everything. Friday and Saturday were spent in pants. In my mind, my legs were a monstrous thick blonde forest. Exposing them beyond capris wasn’t even an option before the 80-degree weather decided to step in. The exact moment happened at Buffalo Exchange. I wasn’t going to buy anything because of my limited budget, but then I saw it: an 8-dollar summer dress. I immediately purchased it.

 Maybe I’d been oppressing myself for so long that I became numb to my own anxiety. Maybe I realized after two years that I lived in Portland and hairy legs are not uncommon. I’m still not sure the cause. But I do know that my legs were finally free to wave their hairs in the sunny weather; to relax out at the waterfront; to sigh a breath of relief. That was the goal the whole time— comfort. Now I wonder why I was so worried in the first place. Even if someone verbally expressed distaste at my choice, why is it any of their business? It’s not. It’s just mine.

3 comments:

Scott said...

Mary,

Be proud of your natural beauty and hair. Personally, I've always been more attracted to hirsute and natural women and think the more hair they have the sexier. Growing up in the 70's and 80's was a time of natural bush before women became obssessed with their razors and thought they needed to shave for their men.

Not this man! I admire and appreciate a woman's natural body including all of her hair everywhere, legs, armpits and most of all bush.

If you want to contact me then email me at sarnett67impala@gmail.com

Scott
in Portland

Unknown said...

I’m so pleased to hear how much you value your natural beauty. There are lots of women who always want to have a perfect body, without even realizing that imperfections are what make you perfect. But if you feel that you need to change for the better, there should be no stopping you.

Dennis Rode

Unknown said...

It’s good to hear that you are proud of your natural look. A woman’s beauty isn’t gauged on how smooth her legs are. It’s all about knowing her flaws, and embracing it. Cheers!

Dede Lucaj

Post a Comment