"I do not shave and that's a good thing"
Yasmin Gasimova's impressive essay in the student newspaper "The Tab" begins with the funny-sounding phrase "Being hairy is not scary" (translated: "To be hairy is not scary"). What she wants to tell us: She does not shave. Neither the leg hair nor the armpit hair. Her facial hair also makes her grow. And stands by that. She even finds her hair pretty sexy. Unusual? Granted, we often do not get to see such photos. On the other hand, the beauty ideal of our time corresponds to clean shaven legs, hairless underarms and a waxed bikini line.
By her own admission, the young Briton, aged 11, stopped worrying about her naturally very strong dark hair growth. "In a society where women are expected to shave, I'm not ashamed to admit not to do it," said the now-19-year-old.
"Body hair is the reality of a woman's body"
Yasmin wants to motivate women to stand for their body hair. Just as men do. Beards, chest hair, even hairy backs - all absolutely male. Women, however, are quickly considered "lazy, unhygienic or extremely feminist". Prejudices, Yasmin finds! And for that she criticizes our society. A society that has decided that women need to be completely hairless to be female. She adds, "Nothing about a woman's natural body should feel unfeminine." She emphasizes that body hair has nothing dirty about it. "It is the reality of a woman's body and should not be hidden."
And yet, there are a few occasions when the otherwise self-confident student makes exceptions and resorts to a razor - for example, when planning a beach holiday, swimming or just looking for a one-night stand. The young woman stands by her insecurity: "Before I inevitably stare or dismiss, unfortunately I still prefer the impractical shaving."
At the same time, Yasmin dreams of a carefree summer day when she can walk around in shorts, ignoring the people who condemn her for body hair. "For that I need many sisters who join me."
More and more women are opting for naturalness and consciously avoid razors and waxing - even or especially in the bikini area. This picture gallery has a clear message: Intimate hair can be so beautiful!
