Photo by Hailey Reed on Unsplash
I have hair on my face and small patches of my neck.
I don’t even know the last time I shaved my legs.
I never blow dry my hair. I often go to bed with wet hair because drying my think hair is a big production.
Whether I realize it or not, hair rules my life. And it probably rules yours, too.
My mornings rely on my hair cooperating. If not (which is often the case, according to society’s standards), my hair goes up into a ponytail. It’s the “lazy” route, but who the fuck cares?
I have to shave my face at least every few weeks. It’s nice and smooth for a few days, but slowly and surely (or really, not that slowly), the hair grows back and makes more of an appearance.
It’s embarrassing, and it really used to mortify me. Girls aren’t supposed to have hair on their faces. That’s manly. It’s an embarrassing but semi-manageable problem to deal with. But yes, it is viewed as a problem we must deal with to avoid the stares and wraths of others.
Usually makeup helps cover up my facial hair a bit, but I haven’t worn makeup more than a handful of times in a month. Now my facial hair (especially chin hair) is more noticeable than ever.
Sometimes I forget I have facial hair. I go on and live my life like a normal human being, and then I’ll catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and immediately feel myself recoil in shock and horror at the sheer audacity of me not fitting into another one of society’s norms.
Having facial hair is a form of rebellion. Mine may be more or less noticeable as yours, but all of us are still valid.
Whether you don’t have any facial hair or if you have a lot, you are still valid as a human being, regardless of gender.
The world will not come crashing down if it knows I’m embracing my facial hair instead of hiding or covering it up.
I’ve always done my best to hide things about myself that don’t fit into society’s norms. I mean, I’m clearly very fat. Isn’t that enough rebelling for one day? Not anymore.
I’m not going to hide my insecurities like this anymore. I’m not sure if I’ll keep shaving or stop completely or find some kind of middle ground, but I’ll figure it out. If you’re not sure what to do about your facial hair, you’ll figure it out. You, not anybody else.
If it makes you feel more confident, rock it! If it makes you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, figure out why and how you can overcome it. If you’re not sure how to feel, don’t worry about it. That’s okay. This is something I’ve battled with for years, maybe even a decade or so, and this is the first time I’ve really sat down to think about it.
No matter what, be gentle with yourself and ultimately do whatever will make you happy or at the very least comfortable. You deserve that.
