Today’s HAIRevolution post is a little different– it’s the first to feature hair that’s not on our heads! (Although Ily, the author of this post, has also had her hair buzzed, making it a grand total of three buzzed HAIRevolution posters in a row! Break the cycle & tell us your hair story! Unless you have buzzed your head. Either way, your voice is welcome!)
In this post, Ily of Asexy Beast tells us about the “Hobbit Acceptance Project” and shares what her experiences have been like baring her natural, hairy legs to the world. (Rock it!) Hurrah for Hobbits!
What’s the HAPs? The Hobbit Acceptance Project, Phase 1
First, a little background: My name is Emily, I’m 26 years old, and I’m a Hobbit. Well, maybe not exactly, but I’m pretty hairy nonetheless. Since adolescence, I’d felt embarrassed and uncomfortable about my body hair. But in recent years, I’d started to feel unsettled by the pressures to remove it. While I was tired of spending time and money on hair removal, I feared harsh judgment for doing anything else. I wondered: Could I, someone prone to extreme anxiety, walk around with hairy legs? Would I feel like the public gaze was on me constantly? And would this be unbearable? I really didn’t know, so I decided to do an experiment. This is its beginning.
Step 1: Cycling Immunity
When you ride a bicycle, it’s customary to roll up your pant legs, so that the fabric doesn’t get stuck in the bike’s chain. It had been a while (maybe two or three weeks) since I’d shaved my legs, so I decided to roll up my pant legs…and then leave them like that as I went about my business. As I hopped off my bike, I would feel a growing sense of self-consciousness. When nothing happened, I would forget about my legs. Then, I would look down and feel that pang of awareness again. It would pass. It seemed easier to break the social norm this way, since I had an “excuse” for baring my legs, and it could be passed off as something “unintentional”. This step lasted for around 3 days, and I went to casual places like the library, grocery store, and a friend’s house. (I’m currently working as a pet sitter, and the animals don’t care about my appearance, luckily.)
Step 2: Photography
I knew that the next step was to intentionally bare my legs in shorts. One Sunday morning, it was finally warm enough to wear them. I put the shorts on, but I still didn’t feel comfortable going out in public. I knew I still didn’t fully accept the hair, but maybe I could at least put it in its proper place. So I took a full-body picture of myself. When I looked down at myself, the first thing I noticed was the hairiness of my legs. But when I looked at the photo, the first thing I noticed was the fact that my shirt collar was oddly misshapen. And when I looked at my legs in the photo, it was the paleness of my skin I noticed first. These observations were fairly neutral, and this gave me the push I needed to go out. I’d been wanting to check out a certain vegan treat at a local farmer’s market. Surely this would be an easy place to have hairy legs?
Me, caught mid-dance move
Step 3: Among Raw Food Enthusiasts
As I stepped out of my car, I felt the fear come. I even walked through a parking lot, trying to avoid the public gaze. I entered the market and bought my food, then walked with it through the throng of people. And then it happened: People whispering about me.
Woman 1: What does she have?
Woman 2: A cone of vegetables.
Woman 1: That is so cool!
That comment made my heart soar–no exaggeration. While I don’t want to care what people think of me, when it comes to breaking social norms, sometimes a bit of social approval can really help. No one, at least in that crowd, cared about my hairiness. Good choice, me!
And so the project continues. To all those working towards the acceptance of Hobbits, and other exotic creatures, I salute you.
Casting directors agree–Martin Freeman kinda looks like a Hobbit.
But d’awww, he’s so cute! As are we, my friends…as are we.
Ily has been writing at Asexy Beast since 2007, where The HAP has been continuing here, and hopefully beyond.
She lives in California, is slightly obsessed with community-building, and is an aspiring ukulele pop star.
We want to know what your relationship with your hair has been like– whether it’s on your legs, your head, or elsewhere! Submit your own HAIRevolution post & tell us ♥
