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.