Girls, do you dress up to impress your crush, or do you dress up to feel confident and ready to tackle your day?

   Do you wear makeup to feel good about yourself, or do you wear it because you’re afraid of society shaming you?

   Lastly, do you shave because your partner wants you to, or do you shave because you want to? 

   I hope we all picked options that put ourselves above other people’s opinion. 

   When Elizabeth C. Stanton fought for women’s equality and suffrage, she made momentous strides for women. For example, the 19th Amendment, which allows women to vote, was passed as a result of her relentless efforts. Now that Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and so many other courageous women have done most of the work, we can help them even further by supporting Januhairy. 

   What is Januhairy? 

   Januhairy promotes body positivity and acceptance of body hair on women. Since the early 1900s, body hair on women has been seen as repulsive because it is not traditionally feminine. The opposite goes for men, where body hair makes them more masculine. Now that it has been more than a century, it’s time for a change. 

   Laura Jackson, then a drama student at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, started this movement in 2018. 

   After months of growing body hair for a performance, Jackson noticed that she liked her natural hair, and that she felt liberated and more confident in herself. After sharing her experience on the internet, she got “canceled” due to her socially unacceptable views. This was simply because she was expressing her beliefs and going against what society has built inside girls’ heads since they were little. 

   I admire the bravery Jackson had. Like Stanton, she stood up and supported a movement that she believed in. It is not easy to go against “normalcy,” especially in the beginning. 

   The next time you see a girl with body hair, don’t judge or bully her for it. If she feels comfortable and confident in her own skin, that’s all it matters.

   Guys, please don’t beg your partners to shave for you. Let them make their own decisions, and if you want to shave your body hair for a change, go for it. 

   The best thing about Januhairy is that while it does encourage women to not shave for January, you don’t have to do it if you’re uncomfortable with the idea. The main idea is to support women’s decisions in whatever makes them feel most confident, and that’s something that we can all agree is socially acceptable.