Hair apparent

To shave or not to shave mdash never has this debate picked up as much fervour as recently with the advent of bodypositive influencers and public figures urging women to ditch the razor and just embrace their natural bodies hair and all The latest voice in this brigade is actor Tillotama Shome who recently posted on social media an unapologetic photograph of her unshaved armpits While the reaction to her post has been mostly positive with followers hailing her for being relatable this hasnrsquot always been the case Satshya TharienEmbrace it as normalContent creator Satshya Tharien 27 says she had to stop waxing when salons closed during the first lockdown ldquoI had posted a few stories on my social media account where my hands were visible and certain people immediately wrote back about the hair on my knuckles That took me by surprise because Irsquove never paid too much attention to my body hair mdash I wasnrsquot terribly bothered by it and it just seemed more convenient to let it grow outrdquo she explains Calling out the double standards between men and women she adds that the societal push for women to be completely hairless is unfair and sexist ldquoI created a video about body hair to share my honest opinion and was startled by some of the replies as well mdash many men began to fetishise my body I believe that having bodypositive role models normalises all bodies regardless of whether they are covered in hair That is the normal we should strive forrdquo she addsDr Vaishali Joshi and Mihika BhanotPreference not hygieneldquoNature has created our body in such a way that our natural orifices are protected For example the function of pubic hair is to protect the vaginal opening from entry of organisms mdash they function as a sieve and catch any bugs going in the perineal region The removal of pubic hair is purely the individualrsquos personal choice and grooming preference It doesnrsquot necessarily indicate better hygiene In fact it isnrsquot necessary to remove onersquos pubic hair before a visit to the gynaecologistrdquo explains Dr Vaishali Joshi a senior obstetrician and gynaecologist at Kokilaben Ambani HospitalRole models are importantDuring her formative years image consultant Mihika Bhanot recalls being very conscious about a gap in her teeth ldquoI was urged by friends and family members to get it fixed I was mocked and ridiculed to the extent that my selfconfidence suffered a massive blow I was reluctant to smile and would often bind my teeth together with rubber bands at night to fix the gap myself Of course it didnrsquot workrdquo she says When work brought her into the public eye dentists wrote to her offering a free makeover ldquoIt was only when supermodels and influencers began to flaunt the gap in their teeth as a fashion statement that I accepted my own teeth the way they were Role models such as Shome are important to change the narrative about what matters when it comes to our bodies especially for younger generations mdash health and comfort should take precedence over what society deems as aesthetically pleasingrdquo she assertsHairraising inspirationTo normalise body hair changemakers have been leading the charge in interesting ways Januhairy encourages women to grow their hair out for a month and offers them a safe community and nonjudgemental space to challenge norms and embrace their natural selvesLog on to januhairy on Instagram Free Your Pits is an online community of women who celebrate their armpit hair by colouring it in vivid huesLog on to freeyourpits on Instagram