![]() I didn’t really know who I was until I stopped. I have never known myself so intimately until I stopped shaving. “I am empowered by the doors it has opened for me, into a happier, less stressful, and inspiring life. Many friends were inspired and empowered by this, and some of them too, stopped shaving. “My twin sister and I even dyed our armpit hair for fun in the beginning months. “My family was very supportive, my two sisters and I all stopped shaving and my mother eventually was inspired to discontinue shaving her armpits,” she said. Macey pictured with her twin sister (right). She was shocked to discover the amount of negative comments that were posted. One of her pictures ended up going viral on Facebook and the results shocked her. Macey admits that while she has felt this surge of empowerment since ditching the razors, walking among the public wasn’t easy as most people reacted badly. It took about a month for my hair to comfortably grow out, I have not used a razor blade since.” “I felt a deep appreciation for simply being myself. Macey pictured in the nude, showing her armpit hair. I felt this intense awareness because I no longer felt numb to the atmosphere around me. I grew a very personal connection for my own body. With each new day my hair began to get softer. “But I was able to get past that stage of prickly itchiness. The stubble was uncomfortable during the first few weeks, yet I can hardly even remember that period because now my hair is long and soft. “Lifting my armpits in public at first was scary. “I felt inspired and soon experimented with growing out my own body hair. Macey pictured showing her hairy legs and armpits. “My world shook when I witnessed a woman with body hair for the first time. I could not even describe the relief I felt knowing that there were women out there defying the standards placed for us to appeal to public eye as ‘beautiful’ and ‘sexy’ – even ‘worthy’. “I felt empowered just hearing about it, although I didn’t witness it personally. I saw a woman on Insta soon after and she had a photo of herself featuring her leg hair that was dark and apparent. My sister witnessed a woman in a one-piece swimming suit with thick hairy legs, armpits, and obvious pubic hair growing with confidence and at the beach. “It wasn’t until a few years later when my family moved to Hawaii that I chose to stop shaving. Macey pictured on a beach showing her hairy legs. “Why couldn’t I just be myself and why do I keep doing this? And is this seriously what this world expects of me? I struggled with the ability to comprehend why I needed to shave for someone else’s comfort and pleasure. Little did I consider the amount of energy I was reducing each time I shaved. I had no idea I could question or defy them at the time. “With every cut and razor burn from the repetitive motion of swiping away, I was silently despising myself for not being who they wanted me to be – I was angry and frustrated with these conditions. Macey pictured looking confident whilst showing her armpit hair. “I would shave any time hair began to grow I was fearful of anyone even slightly glancing at my armpits, legs and bikini line if I had any visible stubble. I struggled with accepting myself. For what reason? Just because all the women around me did it, being taught it was what women should do,” Macey said. “I started shaving around the age of ten. Since she and her twin sister, Ally, took the plunge, her older sister, Johannah (21), followed in their footsteps and let her body hair grow too. She has since been sharing her body hair in all its glory on her Instagram page, She wants to prove that being hairy can be a beautiful, feminine thing, contrary to what society has led us to believe. Macey pictured looking happier when letting her body hair grow. Macey says that this has only left her feeling more empowered by the impact it’s had on people. Throughout her journey, she has received a lot of criticism over her decision to let her body hair grow and has even had strangers approach her to express their disgust. Whilst it was a challenge initially with feeling fearful of the public’s reaction and the discomfort of the stubble, she has had no regrets and admits that she grew a personal connection with her own body and learnt to accept herself for who she is. It was enough to motivate her to stop shaving and let her hair grow. Not long after, she came across a woman on Instagram featuring her dark leg hair and this shocked her. Even though she was not the one to witness this woman herself, she was inspired. It wasn’t until 2016, when Macey and her family moved to Hawaii as her father got a job there, that her sister, Ally (19), witnessed a woman wearing a one-piece swimming suit while showing off her thick, hairy legs and armpits on a beach.
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