An Article I Wrote for the School Newspaper

“HAIRY LEGS!” My friend awoke with a scream, opened the van door, and ran to the restroom. We were attempting to sleep at a rest stop, on our way to a mission trip. I looked to my left at the vacated seat and then to my right at another friend and his hairy legs. Finally I looked down at my own legs, also hairy, and I couldn’t determine whose hairy legs had caused the flight. I don’t shave.

My reasons are simple. I don’t want to. I don’t have to. I do not like wasting my time removing hair that I don’t mind. Besides, the hair starts to grow back immediately. I don’t like nicking myself, especially because it risks activating my MRSA. I don’t like the thought of wasting $10,000, the amount of money the average woman spends in a lifetime on hair removal products. Nothing about shaving is appealing.

Your opinion won’t sway me. I’m aware that there will always be people repulsed by the fact that some girls don’t shave. That’s fine. Different people are attracted to different things. But talking behind someone’s back doesn’t accomplish anything. Chances are, if a girl doesn’t shave, she’s got a lot of confidence and an unshakable will. I can attest to the fact that, the only thing talking behind such a female’s back will get you, is a girl angered by the fact that such sentiments weren’t brought to her face. And angry girls are scary. A boy once said to me, “As much as I love you, you’re dismissed.” I was unimpressed by the fact that, after I stated my right to control my own body, his argument consisted of a lie, a condescending demand, and a lack of reasoning.

I am not alone in my choice to not shave. Jr. Lily Peters said, “There are a lot of reasons I don't shave. For one, it always seemed unnecessary. My leg hair is naturally very light and not many people notice it right away. In middle school, that and laziness were my only reasons not to shave. But when I got into high school, I really started to think about why girls shave their legs. From what I've seen, girls shave their legs because that is the social norm and because anything less may be seen as gross or ugly. For me, those aren't good reasons. What I do with my body is up to only me. I don't think unshaven legs are gross or ugly, and that's all that matters.”

You are entitled to your own views. But my body belongs only to me. I don’t shave, because I don’t want to.