With the prospect of summer freedom, beauty salon appointments are filling up fast. Whether it’s to get a mani-pedi, eyebrows threaded, or even the dreaded wax. The term “Hot-Waxx Summer” has been thrown around various social media sites since early April and it has brought the entire waxing concept back into our lives. However, the question is: should you dare to go bare?
As someone who went to an all-girls school, talk about body-hair removal was inevitable. It started with the legs and armpits, but soon enough conversation focused on towns further south (if you know what I mean, wink wink). Although I didn’t hit puberty until quite late, I was always hairy (thanks, Dad). I remember standing in the bathroom, age 11, arms in the air, waiting 15 minutes for my hair removal cream to do its job. When I turned 16, I was due to go on a school trip to Budapest with the local boys’ school. When I learnt we were going to one of the thermal baths, I panicked. I couldn’t take hair removal cream as I only had a carry-on. I didn’t want to shave my bikini line as I always got horrible bumps and ingrown hairs. I started off with a simple bikini wax and have never looked back.
Unsurprisingly, my waxing fun stopped in March 2020. In response I took a rather “radical” decision to let everything grow out. At the end of four months, I was starting to question whether I was waxing for myself or for others. My cousin’s shrieks of horror when I showed her my unkempt legs over Zoom made me realise just how much hairlessness is still ingrained in society.
There is a certain pressure to feel hairless. When my school-friends started getting into serious, adult relationships (note that I mean serious adult relationships for 17 year-olds) the consensus was that you had to be bare. I, not wanting to be “weird” or “different”, also went bare and received no complaints. I thought this was what guys wanted. It wasn’t until I was letting my hair grow between appointments – and met my then boyfriend – did I realise that most guys couldn’t give a crap about your hair down there.
As long as you’re confident and comfortable with yours, your partner will be so into it. You will still get some strange ones who offer to take you to the shower and shave it for you (yes, it’s a thing, I’m still traumatised, but that is a story for another time). Right now, I’m enjoying a fully hairless situation but who’s to say that won’t change at my next wax? If you have never waxed why not give it a shot? Or if you have always gone bare maybe try growing for a bit? Who knows, you could surprise yourself?
At the end of the day, it’s important to feel good about yourself and whether that’s going fully bare or keeping it natural -you do you. No-one else should care and most likely, no one else will care, I mean honestly at this point “waxxed” or not we’re all just ready for the summer.
[Grace Robinson – she/her – @gracee_robinson (instagram)]
[Photo credits: Ron Lach]
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