Are We Finally Coming To Terms With Embracing Body Hair?

Week four of isolation, I seemingly have two caterpillars as pets. As a biology major, I am successfully documenting their growth on my forehead for research purposes. As this week proceeds to an end, they have achieved a growth spurt and have continued to spread across the width and length of my forehead. Formerly called brows, these beings are assuming the shape of giant cocoons in adjacent positions above my eyes. This bizarre occurrence is attributed to side effects of social distancing from waxing strips and monthly runs to the beautician.

Jokes apart, apparently, I am not the only one witnessing this phenomenon. As the world has renounced grooming activities in sync, the surge in hair growth in various forms and shapes has convinced me that body hair has had a mind of its own.

Body hair and lockdown, what has changed?

• Grooming body hair has been pushed to the lowest levels of priority.
• A surge in acceptance of body hair amidst social media across both the genders.
• Lack of grooming services means people are saving money too.

This pandemic has led to a ground-breaking discovery: It is okay to have body hair!

This crisis might have locked us indoors but has finally allowed us to liberate our bodies. As everything from office meetings to dates has been confined to zoom calls, obliterating certain traces of body hair to look “presentable” has been pushed to the lowest levels of priority.

A fear of adhering to beauty standards has forever controlled how we look at the hair on our body. Earlier, influential individuals took to social media to normalize the existence of body hair. Now, finally the world has collectively decided not to care.

If you have seen DJ Khaled’s or Jim Carrey’s beard game lately, you might get a visual grasp of what I am saying. If it takes a quest of beards to make you feel that you are not alone in this crisis so be it.

As everything from office meetings to dates has been confined to zoom calls, obliterating certain traces of body hair to look “presentable” has been pushed to the lowest levels of priority.

Furthermore, every two meters of scrolling on your Insta feed can introduce to women who have decided to embrace their bushy brows and cultivate body hair amongst other gardening practices. Also, it might come as a surprise to some but there is nothing that women really can’t do. From fighting on frontlines as healthcare workers in this pandemic to growing a moustache or maybe even a goatee.

If you are the ones who are itching to book the next waxing or trimming session, try to pause and accept the situation. You might as well embrace these majestic strands because they are not going anywhere.

Reasons to get rid of natural growth can vary from developing comfort or mere social acceptance. Under normal situations, people spend thousands of bucks on hair removal, lasers and other salon sessions.

Body acceptance beyond the lockdown

Embracing body hair will prevent burning holes in pockets. The question remains, will people finally learn to embrace their natural bits after all this is over? Will acceptance of body hair be normalized? Will men with beard whites and women with moustaches break the beauty standards for once and for all? Are we finally coming to terms with being okay with hair? Let's wait and watch.

Also Read: Dear Women, Wear Bras For Your Body Not To Appease Patriarchy

Vipashyana Dubey is an intern with SheThePeople.