A Retrospective Look at Women’s Body Hair in Pop Culture

Via Loren Savini at Allure:

It’s personal, it’s political, and it can get prickly. For centuries, we’ve teetered on what to do with the hair that covers our bodies. We’ve gone from ripping it off with tacky goops (fun fact: the Ancient Egyptians used to use waxes like beeswax) and hacking it off with any sharp edge we can get our hands on, to wearing it proudly on red carpets and on social media in order to make a statement. We’ve even gone as far as to faking it with merkins (Google the term and be amazed). In the past decade, the great body hair debate has shifted, as the sight of it becomes more and more mundane. Regardless of whether we like our skin smooth or with a little scruff, body hair has proven to be a force in history. Below is a look at the complicated story behind the hair below our heads.

Read the rest

New book: Unwanted Hair and Hirsutism

Alison Amoroso has just published a new book on hair removal. She was kind enough to mention this site and some other writing I have done on the topic.

Laser injury lawyer starts own firm

New York lawyer Susan Karten has helped several hairfacts readers who have been injured during hair removal procedures.

She has just started her own firm and is handling laser cases and similar injuries.

Susan M. Karten & Associates, LLP
355 Lexington Avenue
Suite 1400
New York, New York 10017

“Kitty” from Kitty’s Consumer Beware has died

My hairtell.com hair removal forum was founded in response to a now-defunct forum called Kitty’s Consumer Beware. The site owner, Cathey Annette Baker, was a tenacious defender of “no-needle electrolysis” in the days when the internet was the Wild West in terms of advertising. She also allied herself with a number of hair removal practitioners who saw this forum as a threat, because consumers weren’t censored and we discussed pros AND cons of various forms of hair removal.

A reader alerted me to an email they received regarding the death of “Kitty,” and I confirmed it with an announcement in the Dallas Morning News:

http://www.legacy.com/dallasmorningnews/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=123842906
Cathey Annette Baker
Baker, Cathey Annette Age 60, of Garland, passed away February 5, 2009. Restland Funeral Home 972-238-7111.
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 2/8/2009

The funeral home had a page on her:

http://www.restlandfuneralhome.com/obituaries/tribute.html?urlName=Cathey-Annette-Baker-Garland-TX-2009&urlID=85226096

* BORN: January 3, 1949
* DIED: February 5, 2009
* LOCATION: Garland, TX

She was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Ouita Baker. She is survived by brother, Reginald Baker and wife Tanya; sister, Schari Baker Bibb and husband Ryan; nephews, Jared and Jordon Baker; nieces, Jessica Bibb Girard and husband Adam, and Megan Bibb; nephew Schuyler Bibb; greatniece Madison Grace bibb; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The super-expensive no-needle devices are almost completely obsolete at this point. Both major manufacturers, Guaranty Hair Removal and Rejuvenu, are out of business. Rejuvenu founder Lee Cole died in October 2004.

These devices were especially problematic, because they sold for thousands of dollars and were advertised as home businesses. That meant that an unwitting practitioner would rip off their friends and neighbors before determining the device did not work as claimed, thereby ruining their reputation and business. The only people who made money were the people running the Multi-level marketing plans to sell the devices.

It’s a shame that “Kitty” spent such a large portion of her life fighting to promote questionable products and services. Imagine if that energy had been put to more productive use, even just spending more time with friends and family. Perhaps there’s a lesson in that for each of us.

The un-doctor’s office: Practice aims to soothe

By Annie Reed of the Westmont Progress profiles a local practitioner of cosmetogynecology, where gynecologists’ offices have become centers for cosmetic procedures including hair removal

Herbert worked as an OB/GYN at Midwest Physician’s Group in Orland Park for 13 years. In addition to her new practice in Westmont, she is an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove.
Office location: 700 Pasquinelli Drive, Suite B, Westmont
PHONE (630) 920-2600

Full article

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/westmont/homepage/x185288786

Bodygroom Manalogues with Brian Callen

Matt at MediaBistro points out a fun campaign for male hair removal:

http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/tribal_ddb/manicuring_the_wood_with_brian_callen_95485.asp

Bodygroom Manalogues (sponsored by Philips)

http://www.manalogues.philips.com/

Update:

Some people report an error:

The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because it uses an invalid or unsupported form of compression.

Can’t wait till people start using standardized video compression. PS: Flash sucks.

Threading in Birkdale (UK)

Amy Salter of the Southport Visiterprofiles a local threading practitioner:

Carole Todd, who works from her home on Waterloo Road, trained in the Indian practise of threading, after struggling to find anywhere in the North West that did it.

Full article

http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/southport-southport-news/2009/01/23/birkdale-beauty-therapist-has-threading-hair-removal-treatment-all-sewn-up-101022-22754294/

Laser hair removal for ear hair?

Editor Marv Knox of the Baptist Standard has a cute piece on his visit to the dermatologist, where he sheepishly asked about laser hair removal for his ears. His doctor said:

“You see, laser hair removal … only works on hair with pigment. It looks like the hair on your ears already has turned gray, and you don’t have enough pigment. I’m sorry; I think it’s too late.”

He really knows how to hurt a guy. Getting older is bad enough. First, I started losing hair where I wanted it, like on the top of my head. But then I started growing it where I didn’t, like on my ears.

Full article.

http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9090&Itemid=9

How hair laser treatment ‘puts millions at risk of being scarred’

Jenny Hope at the Daily Mail has the story:

Millions of women could be at risk of scarring and burns because they are unaware of the risks of laser hair removal treatment, warn researchers.

Full article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1127082/How-hair-laser-treatment-puts-millions-risk-scarred.html

Eco-friendly shaving tips

MaryJane Butters at the Salt Lake Tribune has an excellent piece on eco-friendly options for getting a good shave. Among the products reviewed:

Full article (sltrib.com)