WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
We are constantly redefining our own perspectives, and therefore tend to write a lot about our personal experiences. Many followers and contributors are living with anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, depression, and a variety of other body image disorders or mental illnesses, so please be respectful and remember that health applies differently to everyone. Any and all potentially triggering content will be prefaced with a trigger warning.
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We are not health professionals. Any and all advice provided on this blog is supported only by our own research, studies, and personal experiences; nothing more.
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1. Part hair from ear to ear across the top, pin both sides up(should have a mohawk appearance).
2. Part back in 3 sections, pull the middle section up and secure with pins (or combs).
3. Starting from the nape, grab a section of hair and pull to the opposite side and secure. (If your hair is long enough, bobby pins won’t be needed.
4. Grab section the section at the nape on the top of the opposite and cross over previous section.
5 Continue criss crossing until you reach the top
6. Grab a section (on right or left) of hair in the front roll forward, tuck inwards and under, and secure with pin (loosely).
7. Take the front section on the opposite side, roll forward, and tuck into the opening of the previous roll. All others rolls should be towards the front expect…
8. The last rolls will be going backwards to cover the left over hair in the back.
9. Slightly lift rolls to add volume and that’s a wrap!
I dream about this sort of dye job.
I feel like maybe I need to find someone to give me a weave. I would dye the hair myself.
Things parents forget to tell their children:
- Bodies are hairy. No matter the gender, your face will have hair and that is more than okay.
- Your butthole is going to have some hair too. And maybe your nipples. And your tummy. And where ever else.
- Stretch marks. Those are a thing. Everyone gets ‘em. If you don’t, you probably don’t have skin.
- Vaginas smell. Every vagina has a scent. Don’t worry about it! (Unless something seems wrong, then go get it checked out! No need to feel embarrassed or ashamed.)
- Vaginas come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors. All are beautiful.
- Penises come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors. All are beautiful.
- You don’t need to shave anything if you don’t want to. It’s tooootally not mandatory.
- Sometimes people get butt acne.
- You can have a vagina and want short hair and think dresses are just the worst.
- You can have a penis and want long hair and think dresses are just the best.
- You can wear whatever you want and style your hair however you want.
- You can even think whatever the hell you want.
- People might tell you that you are a girl because you have a vagina. People might tell you that you are a boy because you have a penis. People will tell you what your gender is. But in reality, you don’t have to be that gender. You don’t have to be either of those genders.
- You are what you are and it’s just the worst thing if you try and hide that.
Embracing Your Outer Foxiness: Going Silver
I absolute love white hair, it’s my favorite part of aging. I’ve had white hairs for awhile now and always encouraged my mother to stop dying her hair. She finally did this year and I have to say, her natural gray/white hair gives her a glow that the one-dimensional flat brown hair dye took away. However, accepting and celebrating grey and white hair is still difficult for many women. Read Sharon Haywood’s article from Adios Barbie “Going Grey: Not a Black and White Matter” to hear her struggles.
“On bad days, the external pressures to follow the female hair norm clouded my vision and extinguished any positive thoughts I had of my authentic hair. The number of unsolicited opinions and conclusions about my decision to go natural astounded me. Some insisted I was a rebel making a political statement. Others promised I would hook horrible.
“Women with long gray hair look like hags.”
“You’ll have to cut your hair short.”
“Don’t do it, Sharon, you’ll look so old.”
This is my third post to Our Skin, and I’m thinking of it as a kind of closure on my self-consciousness about my body hair. I committed to uploading a photo of my re-grown arm hair in the previous post, and I planned to keep my word. I often still wish it wasn’t so dark (and the photo really doesn’t show that well), but at least it’s pretty soft! Since before March, I have completely stopped attempting to shave/pluck my navel area, butt, and arms and hands! When I think of the maintenance I’m still doing for the rest of my body hair, a lot of it seems unnecessary, but right now I’m okay with the balance—I’m content with the amount of hair I have and the amount of hair I put in a bit of effort to remove. Even when the stuff I normally remove grows out a bit (like when I stop shaving my legs for two weeks), I don’t really care much anymore! Visible stubble around my ankles peeking out from my jeans? Oh, well.
Another intention of this post is to address something that I struggled with until recently, and I’ve seen submissions here touching on the subject: Excess body hair and relationships/sex. So many people (and myself included, until recently) wonder how anyone could see them as attractive with their extra hair. Well, I found someone who thinks I’m beautiful and sexy, hair and all. In no way am I saying this to boast, or to say something silly like, “Well I got validation from a man so everything’s peachy now.” I’m sharing this to give you all hope that there are people out there who just don’t care—in the best way! My current partner doesn’t ignore my body hair—sometimes he seems curious about it, in a way. But always, he is accepting. He touches my treasure trail all the time. Strokes my hairy arms. Examines my hairy knuckles. And still thinks I’m attractive. At first I was mortified whenever he would touch my butt, but it’s his favorite part of my body! I never thought I would find this kind of person, and I sincerely hope the fact that I did gives the rest of you struggling with low self-esteem or body-image issues hope for yourselves!
Again, I have to express my appreciation for this blog for allowing me to share my journey, and helping so many others like myself. I wish the best for all of those involved here!
Love.
Those who truly love you should not care one bit about the amount of hair on your body.
You are wonderful.
This is me this morning. It’s been 3 days since I’ve shaved my face or my chest, a week since I’ve shaved my legs, pits, or stomach.
The first day I was in post two-nights-of-Halloween-parties lazing around in my jammies mode, and I’ve gone a day without shaving before, so it wasn’t really a big deal. By yesterday, however, I realized something I’ve suspected for a while: there is a direct correlation between how much energy/will to be productive I have and how much hair is on my face. When my face is full of hair I don’t feel like doing anything.
Yesterday I didn’t get out of my pajamas or shower. I got up late, worked a 4-hour shift (I work from home, so this merely required sitting down at my computer) and then interneted in bed for the rest of the day despite the fact that my house still desperately needed to be cleaned from Saturday’s party and the baby blanket I’m knitting for my sister’s shower next weekend isn’t even halfway finished. It was kind of gross.
This is the first time I’ve ever taken pictures of myself with my hair grown out. Because I realized that though I’ve come a long way in the 18 years since the hair showed up, I’m still letting it hold me back in small ways, and I’m done with it. I don’t want to feel unclean if I haven’t shaved. I don’t want my energy levels and enthusiasm for life to be affected if my hair is grown out. I don’t want it to have that power over me anymore. I want to feel just as beautiful hairy as I do clean shaven.
So, I’m starting with this one day. Today I woke up, took these pictures, showered, put on an outfit that made me feel like me, and did the shit out of my day. Unshaven. Hairy as fuck. And it felt good. It felt really good. So good I even put on make up and did a naked photo shoot with my fiance (pictures to follow).
I’ll probably shave when I get up tomorrow. But in a week or so I’d like to try to go at least a week without shaving. Maybe even leave the house. Which would have been unthinkable not that long ago, but doesn’t seem quit as panic attack inducing now. Because I made it through today. I made it through this one day.
Day 5: Your dream hairstyle
I am dreaming about styling my hair into Havana Twists. Havana Twists are a gorgeous! The best part: they are a protective hairstyle! You can’t go wrong with a beautiful hairstyle that protects the hair too. (:
What’s your dream hairstyle?
The beauty is just too much for me right now.
Tika Simone
Singer/Entertainer
Photography by: @ArtfullMUG
Skirt: Vintage
Top: Calvin Klein Corsette
Bow Headpiece: @banoobymesa [http://banoo.trulyyoursmesa.com/]
PROUD US Size 18/20
teacupsimone.tumblr.com
TREAT YO’ SELF.
Today has been the best self care day. Slept in, spent time with my sister, showered, shaved (I don’t mind the fuzz but gotta change it up), rubbed some lovely whipped lavender shea butter all over my bod (thanks to newwavefeminism’s store, self love beauty), got some delicious sushi, then treated myself to a deep conditioning treatment and hair cut at the salon. I haven’t had my hair cut in probably over 6 months.
I also wore a pencil skirt without shorts underneath it for the first time in a long time which was pretty much the most liberating thing ever, especially in this heat!
Do something good for yourself this weekend, babes! I highly recommend it. <3
That’s why her hair is so big.
Pen and watercolour. Available to buy as a print.
The hair treatment felt lovely, but did nothing for my dermatitis.
Tomorrow I’m trying a new apple cider vinegar rinse recipe I found.
Feels good to be taking care of me. I’m trying very hard not to let my anxieties take over. Making myself feel nice seems to be a healthy method of distraction.
