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This Pakistani Instagram influencer wants to normalise body hair

This Pakistani Instagram influencer wants to normalise body hair

Pakistanis have a gora complex but we also have a body hair complex. Baemisaal is calling it out.
Updated 01 Apr, 2019

If you don't already follow Baemisaal by now, you need to get on it.

The social media influencer and fashion blogger is a rare Instagram find; whether it's preaching body positivity by being a plus-sized model or keeping it real, talking candidly about depression, her posts always stand out, including her latest about our societal obsession with women being hairless:

She wrote: "Most of you will cringe and even unfollow. Please go ahead. My life and actions do not exist to define yours. I simple vow to live my life unafraid and carved out of the molds you’d have me fit into. My girls, those reading this, I face the same brunts you do. I fight the same battles if not all. I’m sick of apologising for and being guilty of hiding parts of me that I am made to be ashamed of."

She adds that it took her a month to accept and love herself with hair on a body.

"It was HARD. I put so much pressure on myself to look good not because of society but because I like looking a certain way. This includes the hair on my body. Something I was born with. Something men are told to have to be manly, something we are told to remove to be women. I will remove it on my own terms. I will grow it on my own terms. Let’s redefine what it means to be a woman or a man," she added.

Raise your hands if you've ever felt pressured to remove body hair or were made to feel conscious about it; we know we have. More power to Baemisaal for refusing to conform to ridiculous standards of "beauty".

Comments

Shahzad Apr 01, 2019 04:16pm
It's a free world. You do what you please. I don't see any issues with her choices.
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Laila Apr 01, 2019 04:42pm
Women have body hair? Who knew. For heavens sakes.
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duh Apr 01, 2019 05:28pm
You are my hero. Be proud of who you are and let not others define you
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ahmed Apr 01, 2019 06:30pm
Good. Your body and looks are your business but don't act in defiance. Do what's good for you from inside. Not easy but anyone that prefers to deal with body hair are only doing so because they like it so. This is a free world but decency must prevail.
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Sam Apr 01, 2019 07:03pm
I say if body hair don’t bother a woman personally then don’t even think about what others say or feel about then. I am married and I do NOT wax my legs or arms, only when I feel like. My husband respects my choice and he doesn’t care for them. We are mammals, we have hormones and genetics add to if you get more hair or less. Just do not let them come your way, let your inner self shine my ladies! Obviously if it’s a huge issue and hurts one’s self respect then one can seek medical help.
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Akhan Apr 01, 2019 07:58pm
As long as personal hygiene is maintained.. your body your soul.. your personality.. good luck.
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St. Mercury Apr 01, 2019 09:12pm
You can get hair removed by laser procedure if it bothers you.
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Chandra Shekhar Apr 01, 2019 11:00pm
I think all this taboo of women body hair is product of Western society where women should always shave, should not burp even by mistake and other silly things...
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Newborn Apr 01, 2019 11:12pm
Ewwwwww...is what people with complexes will say.
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Ibrahim Apr 02, 2019 10:33am
Some men like body hair. Others do not.
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Haris Apr 02, 2019 04:14pm
She likes to stay hairy, it's her choice. What's wrong? I don't know any man so far who ridicules a hairy girl. It's more in girls' mind than boys', they need to come out of their self created insecurity.
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Japan Apr 02, 2019 07:05pm
It's funny how every trivial thing on social media is considered 'revolutionary' these days. How is this even worth reporting? Just because this was initiated by a woman doesn't mean that it is an amazing spectacle for everyone to acknowledge and appreciate.
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Kamal Khan Apr 02, 2019 07:57pm
No one has the right to put private things in public, KEEP IT PRIVATE!
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Anon Apr 02, 2019 10:48pm
Not waxing arms and legs is fine but I think hair that thick on the side of face is not normal. Some women have them because of underlying hormonal issues or pcos. Better get that checked.
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Teepu Apr 02, 2019 11:18pm
Honestly i love the hair on my lady. They sort of turn me on. Was a surprise for her when we got married. She doesnt wax herself ....
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Laila Apr 03, 2019 05:40am
@Chandra Shekhar Not really body hair removal is pretty firmly rooted in Eastern culture too. In the Middle East for instance the techniques for body hair removal incl. facial hair for ladies have been practised and perfected for centuries going back thousands of years even. Only now being embraced in the West. Why blame the west for all ills? It makes no sense. They don't blame us for every ill, after all.
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Laila Apr 03, 2019 05:41am
@Kamal Khan Who are you to dictate to others what right they have or not? Why don't you not click on this article and not read it if it bothers you so much?
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Laila Apr 03, 2019 05:46am
@Ibrahim Well if men don't like hair they are free to remove the hair, on their backs, on their hands, feet etc. Nobody stopping you. But men have no business telling a woman what she should or should not remove on HER body. You don't own her body. It's hers. Thank you very much.
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Tango Apr 04, 2019 03:00am
Everyone trims, shaved, waxes, plucks or grows hair on differed parts of their bodies. Different strokes for different folks. I personally prefer the 70s hairy styles.
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