It was the night before an interview. Normally, one would expect that I’d be preparing for the interview, going over the company details, refining my resume, but no. I was wondering what outfit to wear that will cover my arm and leg hair. My week had been extremely exhausting with household errands, work, and assignment submissions that shaving was the last thing on my mind.
As an Indian, I am blessed with thick, long hair — unfortunately, on my face, arms, and legs too. But being a freelancer meant I could work from home and not have to deal with ‘looking the part’ to get the job done. Going to a workplace, however, was a completely different deal. So, I dug through my closet and decided on a full-sleeved shirt and a pair of full-length office pants. Who cares for the 40-degree heat? As long as I look ‘presentable’.
This wasn’t the first time I felt conscious about my body hair. I remember reaching to uni for a team meeting, having prepared a brief for an important project, only to realise I had worn a half-sleeved shirt and forgotten to shave. All the late-night preparation came down to, “Everyone will see my hairy arms.”
It might seem ridiculous to men because they never had someone stare at their hands while they spoke. But every time I worked at or entered an office, all the women were hairless, had some amount of makeup on, and perfectly blown-out hair. The men were dressed in business casuals too, but it was okay for them to show their zits, dark circles, or their unkempt hair…
