20: Stop Policing Our Body Hair, With Rhyannon Styles And Aisha Mirza

Am I Making You Uncomfortable?

Why does body hair make us so uncomfortable? Because it’s about so much more than the decision to remove it or let it grow. (Although waxing is uncomfortable, I’ll give you that.)

Body hair is political. It’s also social and cultural. For some women – particularly trans women – the absence or presence of body hair can even be a safety issue. Messaging around body hair is insidious and the policing can begin at a young age, perpetuating narrow beauty standards and an even narrower understanding of gender identity.

It’s been a hotly debated topic for decades, but there are voices and experiences that still go unheard. We are joined this week by two great guests: trans writer and performer Rhyannon Styles, as well as self-described “mental health nerd” Aisha Mirza, who has been writing about body hair for over a decade from the perspective of a queer, non-binary person of colour.

Full transcript available here.

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