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.

Movie Math

Oscar nominations were announced this morning.

This year marks the most diverse Best Director/Achievement in Direction selection with Lee Daniels, Precious, and Kathryn Bigelow, Hurt Locker, nominated.

In the Academy Awards' 82-year history, Daniels is only the second African-American nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry. John Singleton was the first black director to be recognized, for Boyz N the Hood in '91.

Kathryn Bigelow, whose work has been garnering a lot of buzz, is the fourth woman to be nominated in this category. No female or African-American directors have ever taken the prize.

That's a pretty unbalanced equation, don't you think?

The Academy has a history of ignoring women and people of color. I believe that Ang Lee, who took this category for Brokeback Mountain, is the only minority person who has won for best direction.

Here's hoping either Bigelow or Daniels gets the Oscar. James Cameron seems like a lock, but he's already got an Oscar. Both Hurt Locker and Precious appear to have a lot of heart and I really don't want to hear another one of Cameron's "king of the world" speeches about how his films have dominated the global box office.