Upholding Beauty Standards

Written by Mehrnaz Rezaei

Throughout the years, feminists have persisted with the idea that women shouldn’t always have to be ‘presentable’. It’s socially acceptable for men to wear unprofessional attire in a professional setting, whereas women will be perceived in a different manner if they do the same. Feminists have argued for the clothing and makeup choices of women. However, they’re not addressing the elephant in the room: body hair.

Every woman has it, of course. Covering their arms and legs, chest and face, it’s impossible to permanently get rid of without expensive procedures. When most women shower, they whip out a razor and get rid of it, marveling at their silky smooth limbs and faces.

But what about the women who don’t?

For many women, shaving body hair is more of a chore than anything, especially if they have coarser strands than most. And those women aren’t just met with opposition from men, but other women — a scrunch of the nose, a scoff, an arched eyebrow. They argue that body hair takes away from one’s femininity, treating it like something inherently masculine and dirty. With this, they also imply that women of color, who are more likely to have thick body hair, are masculine or dirty, being overtly racist. Throughout the years, white feminists have made feminism largely about themselves, trampling on the backs of women of color to achieve their goals. The most notable example of this is Susan B. Anthony, a famous feminist, who only fought for the right of white women to vote, even appealing to white supremacists. However, this problem goes far beyond just body hair一it’s about women policing each other’s bodies and upholding the beauty standards that have shaped women’s appearances for so long.

The term ‘slut-shaming’ ties into this as well. Some women criticize other women’s appearances, such as deducing that other women’s clothing choices have sexual motivations and that these women objectify themselves. They also suggest that they are tools for men’s enjoyment and the women themselves as nothing more than their relations to men.

Through these examples, just some of many, it is evident how men are not the only ones who uphold the patriarchy. In fact, other women do the same. These women are mothers, sisters, aunts, friends, figures that young girls look up to for advice, and when they are told by these figures that they must shave their hair, they don’t argue or go against them.They get rid of their hair, and encourage younger girls to follow their actions. Through peer pressure and teachings, girls are forced to conform to the standards passed down by their mothers and older female relatives.

Until women put aside their ideas of what a female body looks like, accept the body hair that grows on it and the clothes put on it, and dismantle the beauty standards perpetuated by patriarchy, their feminism does far more harm than good.