W.A.N.G ( Women Against Nonessential Grooming)

This year my daughter started showing signs of puberty, the most obvious to me, is her need for sleep and for the first time ever, she can be grumpy in the morning! One small thing that has also given me pause is axillary hair. I am finding myself growing back my own leg, armpit and groin hair, wondering what it should be like if the norms for women were the same for men for body hair. Yes, before you argue that manscaping exists, in modelling, acting, and swimming most obviously, and many men may have memories of facial grooming as being the same category of grooming. These things are mostly in the hands of your parents to tell you their habits.

I don't remember when I started to shave, but I do remember having late exposure to waxing and regretting the hair that grows back now on my legs. You get one chance with these things. My daughter has long hairs under her arms that are almost disproportionate to her small but developing frame. She is completely unaware and natural, and I fear for the day that someone shames her into grooming in a way that is so universal in North American culture. So I was interested to hear a CBC radio episode about a woman named Emer O'Toole, who has been dubbed "the international face of female body hair".  In pursuit of this idea, I made a few google enquiries and was both encouraged and disgusted by some ideas that are so pervasive, I was hardly conscious of it. Firstly, I was led to a Facebook group whose acronym is W. A. N. G.

It is a strange realization that I don't remember what I look like with hair on my legs. I forgot that I instinctually shave my toe hairs! Now that I no longer have stubble, I find myself unconsciously stroking hair on my legs I haven't left alone for decades. It's a shame really that my never shaved hair on my upper legs is so much nicer than the shaven hair growing back on my calves. It's also a shame that I have been embarrassed  to have underarm stubble, let alone let my hair grow. But there are internet examples even if from no one in my neighbourhood. Sophia Lauren, Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore are seemingly unconscious of the stigma, as it should be for my daughter and for you and for me. I am not sure specifically photographing my underarms will by necessary, but I want my daughter to have an example of a "natural woman", before she feels pressured to unnaturally groom, and thereby have a choice. So this summer I am growing my hair where it naturally does, and hopefully relearn the confidence to wear it at the local pool on my thrice weekly swimming sessions.