Ever wondered how would it be if you do not shave your legs for an extended period, for instance, four full months? Some people fall in this category simply because they are too lazy, or they want to try something new.
Ana Calatayud-Manglano, a 24-year-old aspiring young woman, decided to stop shaving her legs simply for the fact that she was done with living her life as per the perception of others. She wanted something original of herself. But there was more to it; she was not only tired of the chore, but also wished to be lethargic and see how it feels. And in this current era of online media and technology, you are likely to become a subject of gossip, especially if you are in public domain and if you happen to grow hair on your legs. In Ana’s case, while some came in strong advocacy of her decision, other felt she was trying to make a feminist statement. Some of the comments were very unprofessional only because she was fascinated by her grown hair and wished to post a photo to the online world.
Having realized the perceptions of the society in general, Ana came forward in her defense about her decision to quit shaving her legs and how other women could follow her path if they wished to. She encouraged women to ignore the unlikeable comments and perceptions of people and follow their intuition. She never felt ashamed of how her legs appeared with hair and it never affected her about what people had to say and think. She was strong of the perception that she would shave it only if she felt to and not by the pressure of the society. It is not very common to see individuals, especially women, to take such a strong stand against the prejudices that exist in the society. She also went on to say how her partners never forced her to shave her legs just because they did not look conventionally appropriate. She goes on to say that she has no idea when she would shave her legs again.
People are tuned to the internet these days and get most of the updates from the online platform. Videos become viral and some gets millions of views in just a single day. Even in Ana’s case, it was almost similar. When she uploaded her video, it not only became viral, but also had tens of thousands of shares. People are extremely vocal on the online platforms and Ana, a student, received widespread criticism for her act. It was not any act of boldness from her end; she did it only because she wanted to and was too lazy to shave her legs.
Some of the comments that made her extremely uncomfortable were when people started to question her self-esteem while others equated her to depression. In simple terms, it appears that she has been diagnosed by a stranger from the online word and she felt it to be extremely mind-boggling. Despite of all the negative energy around her post, she also received some praise and support from people. According to Ana, she would be happy to consume all the positive feedback she received from few members and not concentrate on the unfavorable messages that would only lower her confidence.
