#freeyourpits

[quitelazy]

Hair or No Hair; A Look at Femininity in Advertising

Today we shall have a look at femininity in our society and in advertising, specifically hair, for hair and femininity seems to have a fascinating relationship. Femininity, if we accept Judith Butlers theory of performativity, is a pure social construct. It’s the age old question, if a girl lands in the woods and is raised by wolfs, does she still grow up to play with barbies?

Even if femininity is a social construct, what we do know that body grooming and being silky smooth has played a role in women's life for a long time. According to the Encyclopaedia of Hair, copper razors from 3,000 BC were found in Egypt and Mesopotamia and in ancient Greece, it turns out having pubic hair was considered “uncivilized”. (Chou, 2015) However all that changed in Victorian times when women were buttoned up, for women went au natural. It was very rare to see exposed armpits or legs, which meant women didn’t consider shaving. Lubitz, R (2016)

So how did women shaving those places became mainstream, and is still the norm today? Advertising. Targeted advertising created a need to remove “objectionable hair”. When sleeveless dresses became fashionable, advertisers started focusing on armpit hair.

One such ad from 1922 which appeared on Harper's Bazaar reads that “the fastidious woman today must have immaculate underarms if she is to be unembarrassed.” the ad features a fashionable woman who is of course without an ounce of hair. By the 1940’s women started showing more bare legs, so leg hair removal become the standard. Hope (1982) mentions that by that point all of the hair removal ads in Harper's Bazar mentioned leg hair, and 56 percent focused on the legs alone.

And thus women became hairless, again. To be feminine meant being silky smooth. It seems there is a direct correlation between how much bare skin women showed, and how much advertisers tried to shame women into getting rid of that hair.

What’s even more fascinating is that it took a century for feminism to claim body hair back, for only recently ads have started to show something as innocent as armpit hair. This ad from 2015 for & Other Stories shows a woman, who is not a professional model by the way, with arm pit hair. The mere thought of this would've been unthinkable just a decade ago, in my research I haven't been able to find ads from the 2000’s that shows women with armpit hair. But because the recent surge in body positivity and acceptance, partly in rebellion to decades of ads making women self conscious about their body, hair has become more acceptable. Femininity is being newly defined and it’s showing throughout society. There is a new trend where post their unshaven armpits online with the hashtag “#pithairdontcare” or “#freeyourpits” and advertisers are listening. It’s time to free the pit.

 Bibliography

Hope, C (1982) Caucasian Female Body Hair and American Culture

Chou, J (2015) The Bizarre History Of Body Hair Available at: http://www.refinery29.com/body-grooming-history (Accessed: 30 July 2017)

Lubitz, R (2016) The Unusual and Deeply Sexist History of Women Removing Their Body Hair Available at: https://mic.com/articles/151191/the-unusual-and-deeply-sexist-history-of-women-removing-their-body-hair#.W84Qx6q6i (Accessed: 30 July 2017)

Komar, M (2016) 100 Years Of Shaving Ads Show How We've Been Tricked Into Going Hairless https://www.bustle.com/articles/137072-100-years-of-shaving-ads-show-how-weve-been-tricked-into-going-hairless-photos (Accessed: 30 July 2017)

[creatingmyownhappiness]

Just keep doin you boo

[femme-is-my-gender]

This November marks two years since the last time I’ve shaved my body hair. I decided to participate in No Shave November 2013, (which is actually a movement to increase the awareness of prostate cancer) and haven’t shaved since! I am much happier. My skin is super dry so shaving often resulted in rashes and bumps (plus razors are fucking expensive!). I was actually concerned that finding a guy who was cool with my body hair would be difficult but both boyfriends I’ve had since were very respectful about my choices. My family still doesn’t like it, either making passive aggressive comments/jokes or ignoring it completely, but it’s my body so I don’t worry about their opinions. 

So definitely reccomend any girl who wants to participate in  no shave november to do it! You are beautiful! if your partner thinks it’s gross, leave them. you don’t need all that negativity. The movement is for a good cause. Plus you might prefer it. DO IT. NO SHAVE NOVEMBER. 

[rozociraptor]

Dear mum,

Stop asking when I’m going to shave. I’m not, your arguments are invalid.

[upvotewomen]

Free Your Pits: Pit hair, don’t care. :-) NYT Article: Women Who Dye Their Armpit Hair The care and keeping of your body is your own to decide, and the only right way to groom is YOUR way. Keep it clean, keep it healthy, keep it beautiful, keep it you!

[ooh-child]

My Disneyland goal is to show my gorgeous blue pits in all the pictures taken on rides.

[comeonyurocuksbir]

Haarentfernung: Die 6 besten Methoden im Überblick

Von Epilieren und Rasieren über Waxing bis hin zum Lasern: Die Methoden zur Haarentfernung sind vielseitig und unterschiedlich. Die Richtige zu finden, ist nicht immer einfach – dieser Überblick hilft dir jetzt dabei. Tschüss, Stoppeln!

Haarentfernung war jahrzehntelang ein Muss, wird inzwischen aber heiß diskutiert.

Viele Influencerinnen lehnen Haarentfernung als Symbol für Fremdbestimmung durch „falsche“ Schönheitsideale ab, propagieren auf Instagram den Weg zurück zur Natur und zeigen wieder Wildwuchs.

Anzeige

Popstars wie Miley Cyrus, Madonna und Lady Gaga brachten mit #freeyourpits den Trend ins Rollen, ließen ihre Achselhaare wachsen und färbten sie knallig ein – als Zeichen für Frauenrechte.

Trotzdem tickt das Gros der Frauen anders, über zwei Drittel der Frauen unter 35 Jahren entfernen sich regelmäßig die Haare an den Beinen, Achseln und im Intimbereich. Mittlerweile ziehen auch viele Männer nach.

Um Körperbehaarung zu entfernen, gibt es verschiedene Methoden: Rasieren, Epilieren, Waxing, Sugaring, Enthaarungscreme, Lasern oder Trimmen  – alles eine Frage des Geldes, des Perfektionsanspruchsund Schmerzempfindens.

Enthaarungscreme

Enthaarungscreme oder -gel enthalten einen Wirkstoff auf Schwefelbasis, der die Haarwurzeln löst und die Haare ausfallen lässt. Viele Hersteller überdecken mittlerweile den penetranten, scharfen Geruch der Creme.

Zur Haarentfernung trägst du das Produkt großzügig auf und lässt es nach Anleitung einwirken. Danach streifst du die Haare mit dem beiliegenden Spatel einfach ab.

Achtung: 24 Stunden vor der ersten Benutzung musst du unbedingt testen, ob du allergisch reagierst. Tupfe etwas Creme auf eine haarlose Stelle (Innenseite des Unterarms) und checke, ob sich Rötungen oder Jucken einstellen. Am Tag nach der Prozedur das Sonnenlicht meiden.

Ein Epilierer arbeitet mit kleinen rotierenden Pinzetten an einer Walze, die die Härchen mit der Wurzel ausreißen. Für Schmerzempfindliche ist das langsam über die Beine gleitende Gerät gewöhnungsbedürftig.

Es gibt Trocken- und Nassepilierer, moderne Modelle können beides und straffen die Haut beim Zupfen, was weniger schmerzhaft ist. Wichtig bei der Anwendung ist ein 90-Grad-Winkel. Ein weiterer Tipp: Nassepilation oder eine warme Dusche vor der Trockenepilation öffnen die Poren, sodass sie Haare sich besser entfernen lassen.  

Außerdem brauchen die Haare ein paar Millimeter Länge (mindestens 0,5 und maximal 5 Millimeter), um erfasst zu werden. Besser abends epilieren, damit sich die Haut über Nacht regenerieren kann.

[i928]

being me ♥

[cccontroversial]

"Why would I want to alter my natural body in a way that feels wrong to make someone else feel more comfortable?"