i was babysitting my niece today and, as yall know, i do not shave my body hair. well, she was sitting inside my crossed legs, pulled on my leg hair, and asked why it was there. at first, i thought it was a funny question, typical for how blunt she is. but this is the first time she's seen me in shorts, and she's never asked her dad that question.
then i really though about it, and i had a huge revelation: whether conscious or subconscious, her brain has identified a pattern that the men around her are hairy but the women aren't. my body hair isn't normal to her because i'm a girl. she is three years old.
this is how gender roles and beauty standards continue on to new generations. children are very perceptive and very curious, and they notice everything. they internalize the patterns around them from a very early age, despite not understanding why just yet.
i explained to her that the hair on my legs grows just like the hair on her head. that it's a normal part of growing up for boys and girls. while she doesn't understand the concept of shaving yet, i wanted her to know that it's normal to have hairy legs.
rejecting these stereotypes is so much bigger than just yourself. little girls will see you and learn that girls can exist in many different forms. it's not just leg hair—it's a teaching moment, an act of protest, a threat to beauty standards that perpetuate female subjugation.
let this anecdote be proof of that.
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