Today, almost every high school girl will be quite familiar with the methods of hair removal. I have had my share of shaving, waxing and lasering, but I’m not one to advocate the removal of body hair on a woman.

This past month I participated in the event known as No Shave November. I thought that I would participate because . . .  why not? I didn’t have anything against body hair and plus it would probably be cold and I would be able to cover it up.

No Shave November was originally created for men’s health awareness, but most people do not know it for that reason. When I look up the phrase “No Shave November,” my results all tell me the same thing. According to the many definitions from Urbandictionary.com, No Shave November is just a month for people to use as an excuse to not shave.

In a story aired by an Australian news network, Seven Nightly News, the idea of No Shave November originated in Australia in 1999 by a group of friends who wanted to grow out their facial hair for charity. They dedicated the whole month of November to growing out beards and mustaches. This idea soon spread and gained a lot of popularity. The Movember Foundation was then created to raise awareness and money for men’s health research like prostate cancer.

However, over the course of the month I began to reassess the shaveless month. By the second week I was asking myself, what’s the point of partaking in the event if I’m not showing that I am? If guys get to show their facial hair, then I should be able to show off my unshaved legs.

The first week was not a new experience for me, because I have gone a week without shaving before. At the beginning of the week, I enjoyed my smooth legs and the pleasures of snuggling in bed with a fuzzy blanket. Although by the end of the week my legs began to get a bit stubbly, I was still able to comfortably move them underneath a fleece blanket. I had no problem with wearing shorts and skirts.

During the second week of November, the weather began to heat up. I wore shorts at the beginning of the week, but towards the end I wore socks with them that ranged from mid-calf to above the knee. I ran into a little problem when I was getting ready to attend an orchestra concert. The first outfit I had in mind was a black dress with lace lining, however I felt a little embarrassed by my leg hair. It wasn’t even that noticeable, but for some reason I didn’t feel comfortable enough to wear the dress. I wore black dress pants, but I liked it and it fit the dress code.

At this point, I was wondering what my boyfriend was thinking about my participation. He said that body hair is normal and that a woman should decide whether or not she wants to keep the hair on her body. “Your choice to let your body hair grow out didn’t change our interaction with each other in any way,” he said.

Before the third week began, I began to realize that I shouldn’t be embarrassed about my body hair. Being ashamed of a natural occurrence on my body is the same as being ashamed of my body as a whole. I decided from then that I would take pride in my experience.

Some people, men in particular, may say that women are not allowed to participate in the event, but this is not true. There are many groups in the No Shave November community who commend women for their participation.

My hair was a lot more noticeable during the third week. Some of my friends asked me how it was going and I had no problem pulling up my pants leg to show off my hair. I got a few grimaces and ew’s, but it didn’t bother me. I just responded with a smile and told myself that some people just don’t understand the body in it’s natural form.

There were only about four days out of the whole month when my legs felt uncomfortable. Surprisingly enough, I felt most comfortable with my leg hair at the end of the month than I did at the beginning. It wasn’t stubbly, so when my legs rubbed against soft fabrics it didn’t feel weird. I guess that since the hair was longer, it was more flexible. Instead of catching on to fabric, it just ran along the material.

Through my experience I’ve learned that I don’t have to follow the traditional physical characteristics of women in order to feel feminine. Not once did I feel less feminine during this past month. I didn’t feel any different from the way I felt in October or the way I felt last November. If anything, I felt more confident about my body. I loved that I could still feel drop dead gorgeous at a party, even though I hadn’t shaved in a few weeks.

In a Mental Floss magazine an article on the history of shaving, the authors noted that most women did not start shaving until the 1920s. Hemlines were rising and sleeveless dresses were becoming popular so shaved legs and underarms were becoming a trend. By the 1940s, it was rare to see a woman with a single hair on her legs.

Our generation is filled with a variety of short and sleeveless clothing, so it has become a typical coming of age occurrence in a girl’s life. Despite celebrities’ inspirational quotes which are meant to empower young women, the media and pop culture have created the ideal woman.

My experience has made me rethink a lot of my actions. I’ve spent money on getting my nails done, lasering hair, makeup and so much more. I was asking myself ‘Why did I do this?’ and ‘Why did I do that?’. I finally realized that the reason I did all of these things was not because I was trying to enhance my physical attributes as a woman. I did these things because I just wanted to. I like the way my nails look with bright red nail polish and I like how my smooth legs feel when I rub them against a fuzzy blanket.

Shaving is like makeup. Some girls wear makeup while others do not. These reasons for doing so could be about beauty or simply a girl’s mood. People have no problem accepting a girl’s choice in to use makeup, so they should have no problem in her choice to shave.

Although I have chosen to continue removing my body hair, I now know that I do not need to be conscious of doing so every few days. I think that it is a great experience for all women, especially teenagers, to undergo. Whether you do it in November or not, just choose a time interval and see how the hair growing goes. All that matters is that no one can take a girl’s femininity away, despite what her physical appearance may be.