A Hairy Situation

On the Barbara Walters Oscar special, Monique told Babs that she absolutely refuses to shave her legs.

A few months back, I remember reading a story about Monique's post-Precious weight loss in People magazine. And I remember commenting to my friend Sha'Donna that I was really excited for Monique; she looked great but dang, did she forget to shave her legs?

Well, I guess the egg's on my face. What I thought of as a big slip-up on the magazine's part was intentional.

I think it's commendable that Monique refuses to bow to cultural norms. While it may seem totally nonchalant not to shave your legs because you're not taking any action; it's incredibly brave as a woman to step out in a ballgown with hairy legs. Just by the face Barbara made and the incredulous tone in her voice, you know it's one of those things that's just not done.

Society wants women to feel embarrassed when we walk outside with our legs covered in our own fur. That's our natural state; that's the way our bodies have evolved. Hair serves a purpose - it keeps our bodies warm in the winter (trust me, I live in Illinois). When did society come up with this arbitrary rule that it's unsightly, improper and downright unfeminine to publicly display our hairy legs?

I have to give the woman her props. Now Monique told Barbara the reason she doesn't shave her legs because she did it once and it hurt and it grew back thicker. Well, I recently read that our hair does not grow back thicker; we just think it does since it's more visible against our skin.

I'm not sure I buy her story. It takes a lot of careful consideration not to give in to the pressure to groom your legs. Especially when you're in the public eye. Remember the backlash Julia Roberts got for not shaving her underarms and going to a movie premiere? How dare she?! I'd prefer to think Monique is purposefully flouting arbitrary social norms to prove a point. Because as much as I agree with her, I really don't have the strength to let anyone see my winter growth.