A Hairy Confession
I love this video by Helen Plumb. A few years ago I decided to stop removing my body hair for a year. Funnily enough, this decision coincided with when I started to teach hot yoga. — There I was, in the suburbs of Brisbane, teaching classes of 20-30 students in hotpants and hairy legs.
This period of experimentation was both challenging and liberating as well as an important step towards total self-acceptance and self-love. There were times when I felt so free to embrace my natural body and other times when I felt really uncomfortable and embarrassed.
Both experiences were a gift because it meant I had to step up and love myself regardless. It was character building, and also enlightening to find that most men didn’t care whether my legs were smooth or hairy — the good ones were still attracted to me.
In a big way, this allowed me to let go of the teenage pursuit to be “FLAWLESS” – that misguided myth that men want a living barbie-doll.
I also began to drop the mask of makeup I used to wear, which allowed me to stop associating who I was with my reflection in the mirror. Instead, I realigned myself towards what it feels like in my body to be me. Over time dating and attraction has become much less about my outsides and much more about celebrating my insides – particularly what my cosmic mind and energetic being has to share with the world.
These days, sometimes I wax and other times I will let the hair grow for months on end. The beauty is this continues to have less and less of an impact on how I comfortable I feel in my own skin.
For me now, hair removal is a conscious choice and an avenue I recommend might be worth exploring for yourself at some point in your life because it grants us a unique opportunity to dive deeper into the depths and possibilities of self-love.
P.S. Got a question you would like to ask me personally? Hit me up here: #askjiveny
