This Could Get Hairy

So whilst browsing the internet for hours today, as you do, giving more sunlight to the flowers on your windowsill than your actual human body, I came across an article that peaked my interest. While "Hello Giggles" isn't usually the website I go to for intellectual controversy, sometimes the internet surprises you (not always in a good way) and I found an article on leg hair. What is so interesting about leg hair? Apparently, when it's lady leg hair.

The article referenced a page on Tumblr named the Hairy Legs Club which aims to be a "positive space" for openly hairy-legged women to bare their fuzzy limbs. I suppose such a tumblr has peaked public interest because we live in a world of Barbie doll idealism and to rebel against that so openly seems confusing and causes people to question their opinions. With such a booming industry coming out of hair removal (according to this website, the revenue for hair loss treatment and removal was $590m in 2014) it poses the question (and film reference); who am I shaving my legs for?

Many of the women on this Tumblr page say that the reason they retain their leg hair simply because they don't see why they shouldn't; whether this is to spite a former partner's intolerance of leg hair or simply to feel empowered by not conforming to expectations of a trivial society. What interests me is the amount of young people being punished by their mother if they do not shave. This is usually described to be because the parent feels their daughter is trying to rebel against them and they'll never settle down and have children if they have the leg hair of a man.

Which brings me on to the inescapable argument of the double standards in the beauty industry between men and women. While men are expected to go au naturale in terms of beauty products (and if they don't, at least use these MANLY products, that are basically the "female" products in titanium packaging with "Urban Camo" written in front of it) women are hounded constantly with beauty products, which can lead to obsessive, unattainable beauty standards for women.

Last Christmas, my boyfriend was given two presents from his father; one for me and one for him. The one he opened consisted of bubble bath-type cosmetics, shining pink and pastel with the smell of roses wafting gently out of it. He instantly handed it to me, saying we must have the gifts mixed up. When opening the remaining present (also consisting of bubble bath stuff of the same brand), he knew this was his gift because his masculinity was reassured by red and black packaging, with no weird vintage ladies printed on the bottles, and that weird musky man smell that I don't know the name of. I found this questionable at the time, and relevant now, so I thought I'd mention it.

Anyway, I found it strange that mothers would lecture their children about shaving when many women in the 1960s and 70s deliberately did not shave as a response to patriarchy, and this is the influence these girl's mothers would have grown up with. I like to view myself as a feminist due to the fact I think men and women should be equal. So why can't we have equally hairy legs?

I asked myself this question as I scrolled the Tumblr page in question FOR SCIENCE, but I couldn't help but grimace. Unfortunately, society seems to have had some effect on my opinions, because I couldn't help but think that hairy legs do indeed look manly. I tried so hard to be open minded and I mentally cheered on the girls for being so true to themselves and fighting the power blah blah, but actually, I didn't like looking at them.

Maybe they were challenging my way of viewing the world or maybe I just was grossed out by thinking about how they would feel *shudders*. I both didn't want to look and couldn't stop looking. At first, the subject made me ask so many questions about society today and about whether or not it was fair that such standards were being placed on women. Then, I transferred these thoughts on to my own life and decided that, actually, I quite enjoy my legs hair free, thank you very much, and don't feel particularly plighted by that. In essence, I feel people should just enjoy whatever they like, whether smooth or furry.

Maybe times are changing and hair is on its way back. I have seen many articles stating the new fashion is, not only body hair, but dyed body hair. While I think we have a way to go until that is the norm, it's definintely a statement; one of which may bring such a controversial subject into the limelight and cause many conversations like this to come.

New Start

People commonly view a new year as a new start, but this year that has never been truer for me. At the start of 2015 I began a new university in a part of the country I have never been before, and this is quite daunting for someone like me, who rarely likes leaving the house and who finds new experiences more terrifying than an exciting chance to embrace the unknown. I have, however, tried to see this as an opportunity to challenge myself and I don't seem to be too bad at adapting to my new way of life (so far!).

I attended a university in 2013-2014, studying psychology as an undergraduate. While feeling disheartened with the subject relatively early on, I refused to acknowledge myself as a "quitter" and persevered my studies right up in to the first week of the second year. The breaking point was my in my first lecture into the second year, where the lecturer attempted to teach aspects of neurology by using medical terminology and not explaining anything that he meant. Half of the students in the lecture hall had stopped listening after 20 minutes, the other half were talking to each other to see if anyone understood what this man was saying. One student at the back solidly smoked an e-cigarette throughout.

So obviously, things were not right for me there, not only subject-wise, but I also felt that if a university was not going to provide help for so many students, it wasn't worth the ridiculously high fees that I was paying. After a short break, I applied to the University of Buckingham and here I am now, sitting in my room in the university halls on a snowy day in January, writing this post (care to immerse yourself in where I live? I'm most excited about the mini fridge). Needless to say, I am now studying English Literature, with a module on reporting.

Transitioning was difficult, and not just emotionally. With it came having to send a series of emails sent to the first university asking to leave, having to communicate to lecturers the reasons why. These were left unanswered for two weeks before I decided to ring the university to see what was going on. Even after all of this, it was another couple of months before the university had verified that I had officially left, and with this verification came the knowledge that they could not sort out my student loan situation and that I would have to do that myself (this is still being sorted out to this day!).

Aside from the difficulties of my getting here, I feel that I am finally at a university that is suited to me and am studying a subject that holds my interest. The small lecture and tutorial groups mean that if people don't understand something, it is easier to approach the lecturer on the subject and because everyone can have a voice and be seen, there are certainly no instances of the kid at the back of the class with the e-cigarette.

I found this site particularly useful when changing university, as it broke down each stage of what I needed to do. This was helpful because I had witnessed countless people drop out of my first university who did not have a plan for how to get in to another university, so I had no point of reference for how to do it. It just leaves me wondering just how many other people are in the situation I was in; struggling to make sense of it all.