"Januhairy is a community, embracing our natural state, and challenging our patriarchal thoughts and expectations, together."
There are without a doubt double standards in the beauty community. Facial hair is considered attractive on a man, but the same hair on a woman's face is deemed ugly. Women have been forced, for years, to shave or wax off all the hair on their body to look attractive. Body hair is associated with being masculine, and the lack thereof is feminine.
With the changing times, people are learning and unlearning to embrace their bodies the way it is. Now, there's even a movement help women feel comfortable growing out their body hair, known as Januhairy, according to TODAY.
Through this movement, women are encouraged to grow out their body hair —wherever it may grow —and feel comfortable about their bodies in their natural state. It was introduced in 2019 by Laura Jackson, who strongly believed women's hair is just hair and not something that ought to cause repulsion.
She hoped that Januhairy, a month dedicated to body positivity and self-love, would show women how to love themselves - with or without the approval of society. Societal norms can be especially distressing to women; from a young age, they are taught that their bodies aren't theirs and that they must look a certain way in order to be deemed acceptable.
The movement's official website states, "It’s your choice to do what you want with your body, whether society likes it or not; but sometimes it’s hard to step out of those normalities, especially by yourself: Januhairy is a community, embracing our natural state, and challenging our patriarchal thoughts and expectations, together."
The movement gained a lot of traction last year, but this year, it is expected to reach a lot more people.
The website affirms, "It is evident that body image has a large impact on all of us, an impact that is [rooted] in school environments. We are taught how to do many things at school, all to benefit our futures, we are molded into what we believe we should become, rather than accepting ourselves for who we are first, and this starts with our bodies. Nevertheless, it’s not just young minds who need to hear these messages; Women of all ages. Every woman goes through peaks and troughs dealing with their own insecurities. Januhairy, is a chance to challenge yourself; seek discomfort yet discover the comfort in it."
The best part of this movement is Januhairy encourages women to let the hair on their bodies grow in support of a charity, Body Gossip, which empowers people to be the best version of themselves through arts and education.
Now, if you want to be a part of this movement, then all you need to do is drop that razor, ditch the wax strip, grow your gorgeous hair out, and keep clicking.
References:
https://www.today.com/style/januhairy-encourages-women-grow-their-body-hair-month-t146345
https://www.instagram.com/januhairy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=1ccd1c4b-0f05-447e-9647-80c3e484a18d
Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | LeoPatrizi
