Remember that time we said we were going to be in Reveal Magazine…
Before you read on we should probably note where it say “Becca says…” etc it means, they spoke to us, extrapolated that into a “journalist-y” (their words) article, which was then read back for us to agree to. Just FYI.
First image is of the super small print down the side and reads: “Becca, Emily, Subi and Holly-Rae run a site called Those Pesky Dames. For more info, visit thosepeskydames.tumblr.com or youtube.com/ThosePeskyDames”
Second image features sections for Becca and Emily and reads as follows:
Becca: Quote line in all caps, ‘Shaving is a waste of time and money’.
“Becca Rothwell, 27, a social media trainer who lives with her boyfriend in London says: ‘I stopped shaving a few years ago when I realised it was a waste of time and money. I haven’t shaved for almost a year now and it doesn’t bother me.
It’s scary to think how much women spend on shaving, waxing and laser hair removal. On average, it costs around £30 for an underarm wax in the UK and , although every woman is different, hair usually grows back within three to fgour weeks, so it’s money down the drain!
I’ve heard people say it’s “dirty” when women don’t shave, but that’s rubbish. I have impeccable hygiene and body odour’s not a problem if you wear deodorant.
My boyfriend’s seen me with hair under my armpits and without, we’ve even talked about it and he really doesn’t care. Our sex life is still good whether I’m hairy for hairless.
I shaved my legs a few weeks ago for my cousin’s wedding I only did so because I didn’t want the guests staring at my hairy legs when they should be gazing at the beautiful bride, but it’ll probably be another year before I shave again.’”
Emily: Quote line in all caps, ‘I’ll never shave for a man again’
“Emily Inglis, 18, a student from Hertfordshire, says: ‘Up until last year, my underarms were clean-shaven, but then I got into a relationship and suggested to my boyfriend that I might stop shaving as the hair didn’t bother me and I felt it was a pointless exercise. He told me he preferred me to shave. I was surprised by his reaction because I didn’t think he wouldn mind. His attitude put me off him.
Last November, we split up and I stopped shaving altogether. The truth is, I can’t be bothered to de-fuzz every day and I’m not interested in anyone who puts pressure on me to do so. It’s me they should love - hairy armpits or not. I know there’s probably hundreds of women reading this who are in relationships and feel their other half would be shocked if they stopped shaving. Maybe they would be, but they’d soon get over it.
If a man ever told me he “preferred” me hairless again, I’d tell him to like it or lump it. Women should have confidence in themselves to be who they want to be. Perhaps us girls would like our men hairless, too - have they ever thought about that?’”
Third image features sections for Subi and Holly-Rae and reads as follows:
Subi: Quote line in all caps, ‘Men don’t care if women shave or not’
“Subi Wahogo, 19, a student from Reading, says: ‘I haven’t shaved my armpits since December 2011, mainly out of laziness and the fact I don’t care what people think of me. I’ve never had any negative comments to my face, but I’ve heard them about “hairy girls” in conversation. They’re mainly from girls - I think we’re more self-critical because we’re scared of criticism coming from someone else.
Men don’t seem to care about these things as much as we think. Every guy I’ve been with hasn’t given two hoots if I shave or not. I think women are terrified by the fear of their partner turning around and saying they’re gross and have “let themselves go”. But if he cares about you, he shouldn’t care about your hair!
I was so shocked when I saw Pixie Lott’s picture as there was barely any hair there. I can’t believe people were making such a fuss about a tiny bit of stubble. It’s not like she’s suddenly going to lose her ability to sing, and thus all her fans, because she didn’t pick up her razor for a few days.’”
Holly: Quote line in all caps, ‘Why should women apologise for not shaving?’
Holly-Rae Smith, 23, a bra-fitter from Cambridge, says: ‘It’s disturbing that women are criticised by the media for having fuzz under their arms. Being a bra-fitter, I see women’s pits every day and find it strange when women apologise for not shaving. It’s indicative of the society we live in. Why are women apologising for something so natural? Do men apologise when they go to a tailor’s with hair on their legs, or when they go to see the doctor with pubic hair? No. So why do women feel ashamed of their body hair?
It’s a shame women are criticised for being happy with the way they are. If they don’t want to shave, that’s up to them, but it shouldn’t be mandatory.
I heard that Jennifer Aniston hates having any hair down below and has been know to go at it with tweezers if she finds some. I’m surprised by the extremes women go through for the price of “beauty”. I felt encouraged when I heard Pixie Lott had been snapped with hairy pits, but when I looked at the photo, it was no way near as hair and “scary” as mine! Us Brits really need to get a life and talk about something important’”.
Fourth image is from the front cover of the magazine and shows a picture of Holly-Rae, a young women with short blonde hair, wearing a bright blue dress and showing her armpit hair. The caption in all caps reads, “Real women: ‘We love our hairy armpits’”. (TPD note - “Real women”, ugh.)
Fifth and final image is from the inside cover of the magazine and shows a picture of Emily, a young women with tied back wavy dark hair, wearing a leopard print dress and showing her armpit hair. The caption in reads, “Hairy and proud. The real women who won’t shave their pits.”
Article by Georgette Culley for Reveal Magazine.
