Let’s break the stigma of body hair

Growing up, body hair made me incredibly self-conscious. But, in a small space of time, a lot seems to have changed. Female body hair is increasingly being discussed and women are beginning to reclaim their bodies from social expectations. I think that the conversations that are being had by brands and ordinary women today are liberating and extremely powerful.

Indie razor brand Billie has broken advertising history by being the first company to show female body hair on a razor advert. The company has released the historic Project Body Hair video entitled ‘Red, White and You Do You’. The advert features women of all sizes with pubic hair, armpit hair and leg hair, and it also includes women who are hairless. This clearly highlights that women have a choice and reminds us that there is no ‘normal’ body type.

There is too much pressure on women to be summer-ready. There’s an expectation that women should remove every bit of hair before squeezing into a swimming costume

“Let your hair down, maybe even out” is the motto adopted by the advert. It argues that there is too much pressure on women to be summer-ready. There’s an expectation that women should remove every bit of hair before squeezing into a swimming costume. But, as Billie co-founder Georgia Cooley states, “shaving is a choice, not an expectation.”

It may seem unusual that there is no razor in the advert, but the idea is to shift the focus away from shaving and make it about women enjoying their summer. The brand received floods of support on social media from people of all genders.

Lindsay Zae, a model in the campaign, said that “seeing a candid film from a razor brand about the beauty of body hair would’ve really liberated a 12-year-old me.” I can’t help but feel exactly the same way.

Despite the progress that has been made, there is still a taboo surrounding pubic hair. Body hair grows on people of all genders, but it is often seen to be ‘dirty’ or ‘unhygienic’ when it is on women, trans women or nonbinary people. On female razor adverts, women are nearly always clean-shaven, shown to be gliding the razor up perfectly smooth legs. This is not the case on male razor adverts.

The idea of this campaign is not to force women to give up shaving but to challenge social expectations so that women are free to make the choice for themselves

As we move towards greater acceptance of female body hair, it’s important that we are not critical of women who choose to shave. Some women find it empowering to shave and it helps them to feel beautiful. We need to respect the freedom of choice. The idea of this campaign is not to force women to give up shaving but to challenge social expectations so that women are free to make the choice for themselves.

Having spoken to friends about their thoughts on body hair, the consensus seems to be that there is still a lot of pressure to be clean-shaven.

“I think nowadays girls are expected to be shaved all over” is the opinion that is sadly held all too often. Women feel as though they must live up to expectations. “I feel unattractive when I am hairy” is what I hear from my female friends who have not shaved their legs for the summer. Body hair is another part of the long list of things that affect body confidence.

Shaving is a personal choice and, like all things concerning other people’s bodies, we should be mindful of judging and pushing our opinions onto others

I think it is important that we move away from this mentality. Regardless of gender, people should be made to feel comfortable in their skin.

Shaving is a personal choice and, like all things concerning other people’s bodies, we should be mindful of judging and pushing our opinions onto others. We should not shame those who decide to shave and we should not shame those who decide not to shave. Billie’s razor advert is a positive move in the right direction. It normalises body hair and shows us a diverse group of real women. This is another step towards breaking down social pressures and embracing the diversity of our bodies.