The temptation of a smooth body

“I do everything – legs, armpits, bikini area – and when I leave the beautician afterwards, I feel completely different – ​​light, beautiful, seductive,” admits 37-year-old Tatyana. – The body seems to wake up from hibernation. After epilation, the skin becomes smooth, it feels the air, the sun’s rays, the touch of clothes in a completely different way … There is something exciting, almost sexual in this.

It would seem that such a trifle – hairs on the skin, just a few millimeters of the “animal” heritage that we inherited from distant ancestors – but they do not leave any of us indifferent, exciting our feelings, fantasies, desires … and much more. And in this regard, there are radicalists among us – leave everything or spare nothing. The dictates of today’s fashion? Not really, says culturologist Olga Weinstein, it has always been like this: both in ancient Rome and in ancient Egypt, women removed body hair. “The absence of hair is a sign of the canonical ideal body. Apart from rare exceptions, in the visual arts, as a rule, the naked female body was devoid of hair until the era of decadence. There is a historical anecdote according to which the XNUMXth-century English art historian John Ruskin fainted on his wedding night, the first time he saw the female body as it really is.

Pros and cons

Religion, climate, hygiene – arguments for or against epilation have changed in different eras. However, no matter how meaningful the regular care of the body hidden under clothing is, this procedure has always allowed us to draw a visible line between man and animal, the nature of our body and the cultural codes of society. “Hair removal has become a way for us to declare our identity – social, gender, sexual,” says Olga Weinstein. – Hair is perceived as an animal principle, as a symbol of unbridled instincts – and at the same time, sexual power. Just as a religious society requires a woman to cover her head in order to “mute” her sexuality, so the hairs on the legs, which are too “loud” about the biological life of the body, must be removed.” The situation is somewhat different with the bikini area hidden from prying eyes: if animals equipped with thick hair have hairless areas on their bodies, then these are just the genitals! Therefore, the epilation of this zone can also express the opposite desire – rather, to strengthen the sexual accent. Do not forget that, the culturologist believes, that the female body today is still perceived as a consumer item: “A woman is secretly required to constantly be in shape, and for this it is necessary to practice self-care rituals, even if such procedures are sometimes quite painful.” So, on the one hand, there are hairs growing inexorably on our body, and on the other, more and more numerous and effective means of hair removal. And we ourselves are there – with more or less vegetation on the skin, depending on our ideas, fantasies or internal barriers. From time to time, the refusal to epilate becomes for some a form of protest against the expectations of society (for example, reminds Olga Weinstein, for American feminists). Or a way to attract attention: so, an actress Julia Roberts at the London premiere of Notting Hill in 1999, she showed off her unshaven, albeit neatly “decorated” armpits. There are also people who are especially committed to the principle of naturalness – for example, in Germany, Spain or Portugal. But even if these exceptions are admitted, it can still be argued that hair has long lost the right to publicly appear on exposed areas of women’s skin.

Thirst for the ideal

You only need to look at summer beaches, magazine covers or the bodies of models in advertising shots to see who has emerged victorious from a duel of razors and hairs. Today, epilation has firmly entered the triad of skin signs that are considered flawless: without hair, cellulite and wrinkles. That is – without age and gender-specific signs. “Baby-like skin is how we perceive smooth, hairless skin,” notes Olga Weinstein. “Hair removal seems to erase sexual characteristics, and with them age,” explains psychoanalyst Svetlana Fedorova. “The absence of hair in intimate areas creates a feeling of innocence, inexperience, insecurity.” Such skin is associated with a child’s body that has not passed the stage of puberty. And the modern canons of femininity are based on this ideal of delicate skin, causing a desire to caress. Among other things, they express our longing for youth.

Today, the arsenal of hair removal products is enriched with more and more effective technologies. Including auxiliary ones, such as shower gels that make shaving easier, deodorants that slow down hair growth and creams that make the skin smooth and silky … For most modern women, this is a familiar procedure: 66% epilate regularly, 30% from time to time, and only 2% never*. An interesting paradox: in an era of increasing popularity of natural nutrition, natural fabrics and “natural” makeup, the destruction of natural vegetation on the body has become the norm.

So what is it for us – a personal choice, a simple desire to feel better in a body devoid of hair, more or less conscious submission to modern aesthetic requirements? Let’s not forget: to remove hair everywhere or to do with partial epilation, to coincide with the beach season or to do it all year round – we make this decision ourselves. In the end, enjoying the summer lightness, literally feeling the pleasure of the caress of the warm wind and the sun’s rays on your skin is a completely natural desire.

* The survey was conducted on our website in April 2011.