Kenyan women, you should only have hair on your heads

I was in the waiting area in an office building when a woman walked in and sat next to me. From the business chic suit she was wearing, I reckoned that she was probably an important executive in a company. I could easily picture her sharing a podium with CEOs and company directors. She painted a picture of poise and good deportment.

She had an air of importance around her. I had no doubt that she was a person of eminence. After a while, an unexpected blast of hot air came upon us and she casually threw off her statement-making blazer. What I saw next is the stuff horror movies are made of! She had freakishly thick arm hair. I am weirded out by women who have noticeable body hair and hers was like nothing I had ever seen.

I could not keep my eyes off her Neanderthal arms and I guess she noticed because she quickly threw on her blazer despite the sweltering heat.

A good number of people are grossed out by female body hair. Personally, I don’t care for body hair anywhere except on my head. I usually spend hours laboriously plucking, shaving and waxing. I was almost envious of the fact that this woman was unperturbed about society’s standards of beauty and was embracing what naturally happens to her body.

Women are influenced by advertisements of smooth legs, hair-free models and bare armpits, and go on to spend a lot of time and money shaving, plucking and waxing hair away, yet this woman was keeping it au naturel.

You can be as hairy or hair-free as you very well please, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself unable to land a date. I could only conclude that our furry corporate woman is unattached because the common consensus is that body hair is not highly approved of among the male set as it pertains to women. Men like feminine women and a relative lack of body hair is a feminine quality.

Body hair is considered a masculine feature and I think a man would feel emasculated if his girl was sporting more body hair than him.

What you decide to do with your body is absolutely your decision, but ideally, women should not have hair below the eyebrows. You might be a neat freak, but having body hair gives the impression that you are dirty and unhygienic.

A bit of hair is okay provided it doesn’t go into unkempt bush territory like the lady above. Facial hair on a woman is especially unsightly. Hair on your armpits is also frowned upon, especially if you insist on wearing clothes that show your underarms, like tank tops, no-sleeves evening gowns or any other no-sleeve garment.

So, in the question of ‘to shave or not to shave,’ I say, definitely shave. Men prefer a clean work surface. Always ensure that your ‘lawn’ is always manicured.

It is time to reach for the razor ladies.

@roxannekenya