[The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Alligator.]
It’s my favorite time of the year. The leaves are changing color — as much as they can in Florida — it’s chilly enough to drink hot chocolate, and the beards — oh, the beards! — are growing again, thanks to No Shave November.
I’ll admit it: I’m a big fan of the scruffy look. No Shave November is what I look forward to post-Halloween and pre-Christmas. Forget about turkey — November’s all about hair.
The premise behind No Shave November is to raise awareness for cancer — most often cancers affecting men, like prostate or testicular — by growing out your body hair.
In terms of what hair you can quit grooming, here’s what my extensive research — namely reading blogs and tracking #NoShaveNovember on Twitter — found.
Beards are totally acceptable to grow out. Men’s facial hair? Go for it.
Woman-identified individuals can grow out leg hair, as long as they’re prepared to participate in “No D December,” too.
But pubic hair? For any gender on the spectrum, don’t even think about growing that out.
One Yik Yak user anonymously posted a more accurate name for the month: “no-shave-except-for-your-genitals-please-for-the-love-of-god-shave-your-genitals November.”
Why have we adopted this “hair today, gone tomorrow” attitude, though?
A 2011 article from The Atlantic asks the question, “Has pubic hair in America gone extinct?” While pubic hair might not be gone for good, per se, the below-the-belt-grooming routine has become more popular. The Atlantic article blames this mainly on porn and skimpy lingerie and bathing suits.
I’ll play devil’s advocate and represent the unpopular opinion here: put the razors down, folks.
I’m going to be honest — probably a little too much — with you all. You’ll never find me at a waxing appointment. I’m a poor college student who’s afraid of pain, I hate shaving, and ingrown hairs suck.
As is, my shaving routine is exhausting. If you shave, you probably know this to be true. Shaving just my legs and underarms takes about 20 minutes every other day.
Shaving my nether regions takes about another half hour if I actually want it to look nice, a whole lot of patience and probably a glass of wine to cut the frustration.
I don’t like the look, either. I already look pretty young — seriously, I could order off the kid’s menu and no one would think twice — so shaving everything off makes me feel too much like Lolita for comfort.
I used to put more effort into the bare look, but it got too tiring, especially because I was doing it since I thought that’s what was expected of me.
I thought my partners would be super disgusted by the natural look, and while I’m sure some people definitely are, I haven’t had a real problem with it. No one has made any comment about the state of my pubic hair, probably because, well, it’s not a big deal.
On the flip side, one story from The Atlantic article recalls a student who “had never hooked up with a girl who had pubic hair, and would frankly be disgusted to undress a woman and discover a veil of genital fur.”
The article doesn’t mention the fact that this guy shouldn’t even be seeing naked people because he’s clearly 13 years old.
If a little hair is all it takes to turn you off, you’re not mature enough to be having sex.
When it comes down to it, the best thing about your pubic hair is that, well, it’s your pubic hair, so do what you want with it!
If you think you look great with a bush, grow it all out. If you prefer it bald, shave everything. If you’ve got some creativity and you’re nimble with a razor, turn your hair into a work of art.
Don’t plan your grooming ritual around what you think is expected of you — just do what makes you comfortable.
And be my guest if you want to match your carpet to your drapes and shave your pubic region along with your beard.
Robyn Smith is a UF journalism junior. Her columns appear on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 11/13/2014]
