A woman has shared why she has decided to ditch her razor and let her body hair grow despite receiving negative remarks and dirty looks from strangers.
19-year-old Macey Duff started shaving her arms and legs when she was only 10 as all women around her did it.
“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,” Macey revealed.
“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,” Macy said.
“It wasn’t until a few years later when my family moved to Hawaii that I chose to stop shaving.
“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.”
She continued: “I felt empowered just hearing about it, although I didn’t witness it personally. I saw a woman on Instagram soon after and she had a photo of herself featuring her leg hair that was dark and apparent.
“My world shook when I witnessed a woman with body hair for the first time. I felt inspired and soon experimented with growing out my own body hair. I love it. It was frightening to say the least.2
“Lifting my armpits in public at first was scary. 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,” Macey further said.
“But I was able to get past that stage of prickly itchiness. With each new day my hair began to get softer. I grew a very personal connection for my own body.”
The 19-year-old admits walking in public areas was not an easy task as many people react negatively.
“At first I felt sad. I felt confused. But I had an epiphany, and I realised that although their words were painful, I was planting seeds. Overall I feel grateful and blessed that this image was shared so widely,” she expressed.
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Replaced!