http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6251239.stm
Letting your hair down
By Denise Winterman
BBC News Magazine
Julia Roberts
Letting it all hang out
When Julia Roberts flashed under-arm hair at a film premiere there was uproar. But one woman, at least, wants to overturn prejudices and has taken a New Year’s resolution not to shave.
Shazia Mirza is a self-confessed “hairy woman”. In fact, she is so hairy, she describes herself as “trapped in a man’s body”. Until recently, though, few others would have known.
Like most women, Shazia has dedicated a significant part of her adult life to hair removal.
“I have done everything to remove my hair. I have waxed, shaved, used my dad’s lawnmower. It has taken so much time, so much effort, so many red blotches,” says the 32-year-old comedian.
All that stopped at the start of January, as Shazia took a New Year’s resolution to shave no more. The evidence is already starting to show.
“The hairs are growing quite nicely, and I am now in a position to have my armpits styled and waxed, and my sideburns permed. I am learning to love my hair.”
Rapid
Her stance may be extreme, but in casting aside the razor, even temporarily, she is in good company. Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Elizabeth Jagger, even fashionista Trinny Woodall, have all had a hairy moment - usually involving armpits.
When it comes to the female body, hair is one of the last taboos. When Roberts flashed her hairy armpits at the premiere of Notting Hill in 1999 it caused uproar and made one thing crystal clear - hairiness will not be tolerated.
Shazia Mirza
Shazia before the shaving started (left) and before giving up (right)
Amazed by the fuss, she said: “On a day-to-day basis I don’t think about my armpits.”
Not so your average woman. A recent UK study found that 99% of women removed some hair, most commonly from the underarms, legs, pubic area and eyebrows. Shaving and plucking were the most common removal methods.
It is a rapidly growing market. The female population of the UK is now estimated to spend £280m a year removing body hair.
Like so many other things, the rise of hair removal can be closely linked with fashion. The first commercial for a female hair removal product was in 1915 when Harpers Bazaar printed an advert which showed a woman in a sleeveless evening gown which exposed her perfectly shaven armpits.
Bikini and thong
At the same time, Wilkinson Sword launched a marketing campaign at women and within two years, sales of razor blades had doubled.
The bikini wax followed the invention of the bikini in the 50s, and the Brazilian wax - where nearly all the pubic hair is removed - arrived in the 80s, along with the thong.
A woman can definitely be sexy in a pair of Jimmy Choos and a pair of hairy legs, she can be sexy in a Wonderbra and hairy armpits
Shazia Mirza
But women’s hair removal is neither a modern, nor a purely Western invention. In ancient Egypt it was common practice as the presence of any body hair at all meant you could only belong to the slave class.
Historical accounts of women’s hair removal have been linked to Greece, the Trobriand Islands, Uganda, South America and Turkey.
In the 1970s bra burning feminists put their razors aside as a form of political statement, but today women who object on principle still feel pressured into removing body hair.
People’s natural bodies are seen as needing disciplining into an ideal, says Merran Toerien, who has researched gender and body hair.
“Hair is seen as masculine,” she says. "Historically, medically and in the media, it is nearly always associated with men. Shaving female body hair is seen as a way to differentiate between the sexes.
Smelly
“Society dictates that female body hair should be tamed and looked after, women are not allowed to let their bodies just be. Interestingly men are starting to feel they have to live by the same rules and are removing more and more body hair.”
People who don’t conform to certain standards of appearance are seen as somehow lacking.
“Body hair on a man is seen as rugged but on a woman it is viewed as sweaty and smelly,” says Ms Toerien. "Women who have body hair are viewed as not taking care of themselves. "
Professor Stevi Jackson, Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies at York University agrees.
Charlie Dimmock
Razor testing… but what about just going without
“Over the years body hair on women has been viewed more and more as a monstrosity and dealing with it has become more and more draconian,” she says. “It is about conforming to standard and if you don’t you are viewed as unattractive and ungroomed.”
Women with body hair are even perceived by men and women to be more aggressive and immoral, according to a study by US psychologist Dr Susan Basow. Non-hairy women are seen in a generally positive light.
But who are women shaving for? According to researchers, it is not as simple as saying they do it for men.
“It is not about being seen as beautiful,” says Ms Jackson. “It is about conforming, not standing out.”
As a stand-up comedian, Shazia Mirza is less worried than most about standing out in a crowd.
“I have decided that enough is enough and I have decided to just grow it, grow it like grass and try and live with it,” she says. "I decided this needs to change. Every woman has hair. This is a fact. It is a natural thing that all human beings are born with. It’s about time hair on women was celebrated not condemned.
“A woman can definitely be sexy in a pair of Jimmy Choos and a pair of hairy legs, she can be sexy in a Wonderbra and hairy armpits, and she can be very hot in a mini skirt and hairy arms. The public just needs to see that’s ok and it’s possible.”
If it sounds like a call to arms to other women, Shazia says it is exactly that.
As part of a TV programme she is making for the BBC, Shazia is planning to stage a fashion show where hairy women will model lingerie. And she is looking for volunteers to take part.