A composition showing two pictures of a woman: one of her in a dress and the other in a bikini, with an unshaved bikini line and chest
Esther��s body hair doesn’t stop her from wearing a bikini (Picture: Jam Press/@queen_esie)

‘It’s part of me. It’s part of my ancestors and it’s part of my beauty and that’s how I view it,’ says Esther Calixte-Bea about ditching razors to embrace her natural body hair.

The 28-year-old grew tired of the social media norms that expect women to have completely hair-free bodies and she made the change six years ago. 

And having body hair in the summer doesn’t put Esther off her enjoyment of any activities she chooses to do. Gone are the days when she refused to go swimming because she hadn’t shaved.

‘For me, my body hair makes me beautiful,’ she says, stating that her body hair doesn’t get in the way of her femininity.

‘When I’m wearing a dress, when I’m wearing a skirt or whatever, I feel beautiful with my body hair because I know it’s feminine on my body.’

In the summer of 2022, Esther travelled with her family from her home in Canada to Ivory Coast, where she wore a bathing suit with her hair on show for the first time.

Story from Jam Press (Female Body Hair) Pictured: Esther Calixte-Bea. 'People stare at my hairy legs in summer but I show off my bushy pins with pride ??? if men can do it, so can I' A woman who embraces her body hair has shared her summer experiences. Esther Calixte-Bea, 28, grew tired of the social norms that expect women to be completely hair free, so decided to ditch the razor six years ago when she was in her early twenties. And having body hair in the summer does not faze Esther or impact her enjoyment of any activities she chooses to do. Gone are the days when she refused to go swimming as she hadn???t shaved. Now, she completely embraces her fuzz and doesn???t let it get in the way of her femininity. ???It's part of me. It's part of my ancestors and it's part of my beauty and that's how I view it,??? Esther, from Canada, told What???s The Jam. ???For me, my body hair makes me beautiful. ???When I'm wearing a dress, when I'm wearing a skirt or whatever, I feel beautiful with my body hair because I know it's feminine on my body.??? In the summer of 2022, Esther travelled with her family to Ivory Coast, where she wore a bathing suit with her hair on show for the first time. She says she felt incredibly confident ??? like it was a challenge she???d overcome ??? and it has become one of her most memorable moments. Esther???s advice to others who want to embrace their body hair is to think about wanting to be the best version of themselves. She said: ???If hating your body hair is having a negative impact on your mental health. It's important to deal with that first. ???For me, it was all about starting to encourage myself and embracing my body hair, which made me more comfortable. ???No one's going to question a man who's wearing shorts when it's summertime. If a man can do it, why can't I? ???I'm not afraid to go out in shorts or a skirt that might show my leg hairs. ???My advice to somebody who's self conscious about their body hair during th
Gone are the days when Esther refused to go swimming as she hadn’t shaved. (Picture: Jam Press/@queen_esie)

She says she felt incredibly confident – like it was a challenge she’d overcome – and it has become one of her most memorable moments.

Just like Esther, there are thousands of women embracing their natural body hair while encouraging others to follow suit on social media.

A shift towards embracing body hair has been gaining traction over the years as well, with celebrities like Madonna’s eldest daughter Lourdes Leon and Cara Delevingne proudly sporting armpit hair.

Research from beauty app Cosmetify in 2021 also found 45% of women stopped buying hair removal products such as razors and wax strips during the pandemic. 

And women on social media are forming movements in which armpit hair, leg hair, facial fuzz and hair on arms, chests and other regions are things that should be embraced.

The Instagram community @januhairy, which was founded by Laura Jackson in 2018, boasts over 40,000 followers. It promotes self-confidence and challenges beauty standards by sharing posts of women embracing body hair. 

When previously speaking to Metro.co.uk about why she started the movement, Laura said it all started after she attended a talk about the politics of body hair at the Women Of The World festival. 

‘One woman said she believed if she turned up for work in a skirt without shaving her legs, her boss would have an issue with it,’ she said. ‘Another woman explained that she had polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can lead to increased body and facial hair. It started me thinking, why are we shaming ourselves?

‘Januhairy is liberating because it gets you thinking about the way you treat your body and why you do it. We’ve long suspected that women mainly remove hair for other people, not themselves, and lockdown proves that.’

Esther’s advice to others who want to embrace their body hair is to think about wanting to be the best version of themselves.

Story from Jam Press (Female Body Hair) Pictured: Esther Calixte-Bea. 'People stare at my hairy legs in summer but I show off my bushy pins with pride ??? if men can do it, so can I' A woman who embraces her body hair has shared her summer experiences. Esther Calixte-Bea, 28, grew tired of the social norms that expect women to be completely hair free, so decided to ditch the razor six years ago when she was in her early twenties. And having body hair in the summer does not faze Esther or impact her enjoyment of any activities she chooses to do. Gone are the days when she refused to go swimming as she hadn???t shaved. Now, she completely embraces her fuzz and doesn???t let it get in the way of her femininity. ???It's part of me. It's part of my ancestors and it's part of my beauty and that's how I view it,??? Esther, from Canada, told What???s The Jam. ???For me, my body hair makes me beautiful. ???When I'm wearing a dress, when I'm wearing a skirt or whatever, I feel beautiful with my body hair because I know it's feminine on my body.??? In the summer of 2022, Esther travelled with her family to Ivory Coast, where she wore a bathing suit with her hair on show for the first time. She says she felt incredibly confident ??? like it was a challenge she???d overcome ??? and it has become one of her most memorable moments. Esther???s advice to others who want to embrace their body hair is to think about wanting to be the best version of themselves. She said: ???If hating your body hair is having a negative impact on your mental health. It's important to deal with that first. ???For me, it was all about starting to encourage myself and embracing my body hair, which made me more comfortable. ???No one's going to question a man who's wearing shorts when it's summertime. If a man can do it, why can't I? ???I'm not afraid to go out in shorts or a skirt that might show my leg hairs. ???My advice to somebody who's self conscious about their body hair during th
Esther grew tired of social norms (Picture: Jam Press/@queen_esie)

‘If hating your body hair is having a negative impact on your mental health. It’s important to deal with that first. For me, it was all about starting to encourage myself and embracing my body hair, which made me more comfortable.

‘No one’s going to question a man who’s wearing shorts when it’s summertime. If a man can do it, why can’t I? I’m not afraid to go out in shorts or a skirt that might show my leg hairs.

‘My advice to somebody who’s self conscious about their body hair during the summer is that no one’s forcing you to keep it.

‘It’s important to understand that you must be ready to change and you must want to change. You must want to challenge yourself.’

She adds: ‘I didn’t want to be insecure anymore. I didn’t want to feel that anxiety, ‘Oh, it’s summertime I need to remove everything.

‘If you personally love your body hair, you shouldn’t be afraid just because it’s summer.’

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