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Welcome to Januhairy! The acceptance of body hair on women is unfortunately still a predicament. We are displayed in the media as feeling ‘confident’ when our legs are smooth, eyebrows plucked, armpits waxed etc. Society seems to be behaving as if the natural hair we grow on our bodies is unattractive and distasteful. We are so used to removing our body hair that we are becoming unfamiliar with our authentic selves. Januhairy, is an experiment for women to come together, encourage one another, and be sponsored to grow out our body hair for the month of January. All too raise money for the charity, ‘Body Gossip’! #januhairy #bodyhairmovement #happyandhairy #loveyourbody #thenaturalrevolution #hairywomen #womanpower #selflove #feminine

A post shared by Januhairy (@janu_hairy) on Dec 10, 2018 at 3:40am PST

Niet meer scheren

Laura studeert drama en moest haar oksel- en beenhaar laten groeien voor een optreden. Na een aantal weken begon ze te wennen aan het haar en vond ze het zelfs leuk dat ze zich niet meer hoefde te scheren. ‘Hoewel ik me bevrijd voelde en meer zelfvertrouwen had, begrepen sommige mensen om mij heen niet waarom ik me niet scheerde. Ik realiseerde me dat we nog een lange weg te gaan hebben voordat we elkaar volledig en oprecht kunnen accepteren’, schrijft ze op Instagram.

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Geld ophalen

Ze introduceerde de actie ‘Januhairy’ vorige maand. Volgens Laura doen onder meer vrouwen uit Engeland, de Verenigde Staten, Canada en Rusland al mee. De studente wil geld ophalen voor Body Gossip, een organisatie die jongeren leert over hun lichaamsbeeld. ‘Ik wil gewoon dat vrouwen zich op hun gemak voelen in hun eigen lichaam. Dit is geen boze campagne voor mensen die niet zien hoe normaal lichaamshaar is. Het is een krachtig project voor iedereen om meer te weten te komen over hun mening over zichzelf en anderen.’

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Hi I’m Laura, the gal behind Januhairy! I thought I would write a little about my experiences and how Januhairy came about… I grew out my body hair for a performance as part of my drama degree in May 2018. There had been some parts that were challenging for me, and others that really opened my eyes to the taboo of body hair on a woman. After a few weeks of getting used to it, I started to like my natural hair. I also started to like the lack of uncomfortable episodes of shaving. Though I felt liberated and more confident in myself, some people around me didn’t understand why I didn’t shave/didn’t agree with it. I realised that there is still so much more for us to do to be able to accept one another fully and truly. Then I thought of Januhairy and thought I would try it out. It’s a start at least . . . I have had a lot of support from my friends and family! Even though I had to explain why I was doing it to a lot of them which was surprising, and again, the reason why this is important to do! When I first started growing my body hair my mum asked me “Is it you just being lazy or are you trying to prove a point?” . . . why should we be called lazy if we don’t want to shave? And why do we have to be proving a point? After talking to her about it and helping her understand, she saw how weird it was that she asked those questions. If we do something/see the same things, over and over again it becomes normal. She is now going to join in with Januhairy and grow out her own body hair which is a big challenge for her as well as many women who are getting involved. Of course a good challenge! This isn’t an angry campaign for people who don’t see how normal body hair is, but more an empowering project for everyone to understand more about their views on themselves and others. This picture was taken a few months ago. Now I am joining in with Januhairy, starting the growing process again along with the other wonderful women who have signed up! Progress pictures/descriptions from our gals will be posted throughout the month. Lets get hairy 🌵 #januhairy #bodygossip #bodyhairmovement #happyandhairy #loveyourbody #thenaturalrevolution #natural #hairywomen #womanpowe

A post shared by Januhairy (@janu_hairy) on Jan 2, 2019 at 10:35am PST