double standards

This woman in Canada discovered firsthand the double standards that exist between men and women’s respective abilities to choose their hairstyles. She decided to have her hair cut for a cancer benefit, and when she showed up for work with short hair, she was promptly fired.

beautiful post about the importance of hair in women’s lives

Blogger Meowser posted a lovely piece about her experiences with PCOS-related baldness and the effects that experience has had on her life. It really highlights the importance of hair to women’s senses of self, identity, and confidence. It’s not just superficial.

Go read it. :)

politics of hair

I don’t understand how any modern teacher or school administrator could justify this policy on kids’ hairstyles.

A toddler has gotten in trouble at his preschool for having his hair in locks. The school has a policy against “faddish” hairstyles. Clearly someone used discretion in enforcing this policy, because locks are not a new “fad.”

This is an interesting example of how something that would normally be an individual choice, i.e. up to the parents and their own cultural heritage (and no one else’s business), becomes politicized. Should school administrators tell parents how to style their kids’ hair? What difference does it make, in fact, how hair appears as long as it’s not in the way? I could understand, possibly, if teachers objected to a child wearing his bangs so long that they impaired his or her eyesight. But hairstyles are personal choices, and have little to no bearing, I would think, on a child’s learning ability or self worth (unless she or he is criticized for prejudicial reasons).

nice story about black women’s hair

Writer Morgan Sherman has a piece on The State about black women and their relationships with their hair.

http://www.thestate.com/living/story/221051.html

Nair apparent; or, let’s get those children shaving!

The New York Times published a story about new hair removal (sorry, “skin smoothing”) products aimed at the under-15 market. Nair has a new product called Nair Pretty for all those youngsters worried about their stubble.

Let’s be transparent, this is simply about expanding their market & earning more money. I wonder if it is possible for us to have dialogues with our daughters and with each other about the necessity of teaching young girls that the hair that grows on their legs naturally is somehow disgusting. Silly question, maybe, but how come there ain’t a product like this for men? They tend to have quite a bit more body hair, after all…ew, stubbly. ;P

And what do you say?

While I was in Chicago last week for a conference, I had a strange encounter. As I was unloading my luggage from the airport shuttle van, the driver walked over to me and rubbed his finger against my forearm. He said, “Oh, nice. I bet not many men would tell you that.” I’m pretty sure he was referring to the hair on my arm, which is a bit on the dark/thick side. I was shocked, and didn’t respond, but started to walk away immediately.

I felt a bit violated, to be honest; it always bothers me when people feel compelled to make personal comments to complete strangers, anyway, and I couldn’t figure out what I’d said or done to lead to this backhanded “compliment.” I felt self-conscious for the rest of the day; being alone in an unfamiliar city was challenging enough.

Has anyone had experiences of other people commenting directly to you about your hair?

Lost locks

The New York Times has a story today about the huge amounts of hair donated each year to organizations like Locks of Love; apparently, much of it is unusable.

Here’s another interesting post on the topic of hair donation (there’s too much of it, it seems, and money may be preferable) from Shakesville; I do think it’s cruel to coerce a young girl to donate her hair if she’s not genuinely willing to do so.

Hair “Today”

On August 23rd, The Today Show ran a segment about “fabulous” new hair removal products. Oh wait, they weren’t so much referred to as hair removal as “skin smoothing.” Here’s the intro to the online version of their story:

While most women already have a pre-pool-party hair-removal ritual, new technologies and products are making it easier than ever to achieve glossy gams and a beach-ready bikini line. From new Nair-like lotions to barber-type brushes to the latest laser solutions, these hair-removal methods will wipe away (literally, in some cases) your stubble trouble.

Glossy gams? Although I’ve shaved for almost two decades, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my legs get all glossy from the process. Bleed-y, perhaps, or scar-y. Ingrown hair-y. But glossy? And what is this pre-pool-party hair-removal ritual? (I must not have the membership card to that secret society…)

My main issue is with the “style editor” (!) and her approach to the story. She runs through all the new solutions to the woes of getting rid of body hair, solutions which include sprays, waxes, and (for the moneyed class) laser hair removal. She also mentions a “revolutionary” product that uses a *heating* element to “disrupt the hair follicle.” I haven’t tried this (and most likely never will), but I think it’s safe to assume there’s a bit of pain associated with applying a heating element to one’s skin — after all, it’s supposed to be hot enough to “reduce hair density over time.” Leaving aside the validity of this claim, the “style editor” notes that she tried the product, and feels bad about being “such a baby” for her fears that something like this would cause pain.

Let me get this straight. She’s a “baby” because she’s kinda nervous about using a torture device tool that applies a heating element to her bare skin? I think this clip highlights the lengths to which marketers will go to service the idea that it’s unacceptable for women to let their leg hair grow naturally. The “style editor” also tries laser hair removal, again admitting to us that it kinda hurts, and what a “baby” she is for objecting to the pain.

The video clip for the story is worth watching if only from the perspective of cultural critique; sure, we’ve been shaving for “years” (and now millions of us pay upwards of a thousand dollars to have hair lasered off) but what’s the impetus for continuing to do so? Could it *possibly* be to help cosmetic surgeons and corporations make money on hair removal products?

who owns your hairstyle?

I would think that, once I reach crone-hood, I’ll stop caring about what “other people” think about my appearance. Instead, I’ll demand to be treated the way aging male news anchors are treated: like a font of wisdom, to be paid more and more money for granting society the benefit of their experience, despite their graying, thinning hair. However, I’ve just learned via Lisa Black of WGAL.com’s entertainment desk that, no, even long post-post-post menopause, I’ll need to continue to consider what “they” think of my hair. And if I choose to keep long hair, well, I better look damn good in it or else they’ll all be “laughing behind [my] back.”

Here’s a message from the future long-haired, sexy older woman to those who might judge me for keeping my hair whatever length I want: screw you.

shaving & body hair

How often do *you* shave? Shaving the body is such an interesting ritual: sensual, compelling, possibly painful! Products abound to enable us to rid our bodies of hair. Swimmers do it, I assume, to enhance their speed in the water…but what about the rest of us?

I was in my early teens when I started shaving, and I don’t remember *not* having a strong sense of shame about the dark, thick hair that grew (and still grows) on my legs & arms. There’s a myth that shaving makes hair grow back darker, but mine started out course & heavy.

Are there elements of masochism & self-torture in this ritual? Why do we feel compelled to be hairless? Why is hair ok on some parts of our body, but our mainstream media ridicule female celebrities who are caught off-guard with their armpit hair showing?