Why did G-d create us with facial and other hairs

amother

Seablue

Yesterday at 5:44 pm

amother Cherry wrote:

The misogyny of this skeeves me out. Like it’s a moral failing and therefore a moral imperative to get rid of body hair.

Ew. Ew. Ew.

I forgot who said this (I think the G"ra)
In megillas Esther it says that they spent "ִShisha Chadashim BiShemen HaMor, ViShisha Chadashim BaBisamim" - 6 months in oil and 6 months in perfumes/scents. The first 6 months they would sit in vats of special oil to remove all body hair, and then the next 6 months they would work on beautifying themselves.

(The lesson to learn from this is that this is how we should approach Teshuva and Rosh Hashanah. The first 6 months of the year we should work on removing indulgances/extras. And the next 6 months of the year we should focus on beautifying ourselves and adding good deeds).

Either way when I learned this the point that struck me is that body hair removal is not a new concept.

amother

Purple

Yesterday at 11:14 pm

amother Cerise wrote:

So facial hair I do remove when I remember to but why would I remove hair anywhere else? No one sees my feet or my underarms or anything else and everyone has hair there. Most people I know are the same way. There are plenty of laser companies, but it's a new thing and mostly for younger women. I didn't realize how widespread removing hair is until reading it online here.

You don't remove armpit or leg hair at all? I also don't do laser or electrolysis, but I do shave my legs and armpits (in addition to waxing facial hair). That's not a new thing at all. Are you sure most people you know are the same way and just leave things natural? I swim a lot and it doesn't look like that to me.

amother

Peony

Yesterday at 11:26 pm

amother Cerise wrote:

We used to get married much younger than 18....

when I was 12 and 13 I was in so much pain that I would lay in bed crying. I thought I was dying. this was before I got my first actual period.
how would that help a theoretical 13 year young bride?

↑ chanatron1000 ↓

Yesterday at 11:38 pm

amother Seablue wrote:

Body hair removal isn't a new concept, but neither is misogyny. Should we take beauty advice from a society that was "beautifying" these women in preparation for the king to rape them?

(And is it a coincidence that hair removal mimics the appearance of a child, rather than a woman, and that historically, that's not the type of thing the Achashveirosh type would have disliked?)

It's pretty ironic that the natural adult female body is seen as unfeminine.

Last edited by chanatron1000 on Thu, Dec 12 2024, 11:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

↑ chanatron1000

Yesterday at 11:40 pm

amother Peony wrote:

when I was 12 and 13 I was in so much pain that I would lay in bed crying. I thought I was dying. this was before I got my first actual period.
how would that help a theoretical 13 year young bride?

Dysmenorrhea is a serious symptom that shouldn't be conflated with normal menstruation. So many girls and women suffer because they're told it's just cramps and cramps are just part of life.