Nothing cuts a person down to size like a "mom" insult. You know what I mean? When your mom insults you? Yeah. That. My mother is generally pretty supportive, open-minded, and queer-friendly, but she really, really, REALLY hates that I don't shave my legs. That's right, I quit shaving a few years ago--kind of a feminist-lesbian statement combined with the fact that my hair grows so fast I'd be prickly right out of the shower. So I gave up shaving, and it bugs the hell out of my mother.The other day, she said to me, "It's okay for your brother's legs to be that hairy, but not yours!" Why? Because he's a BOY and I'm a GIRL. It irked me to no end that my mother would not only say that to me, but think that way. Whether I shave my legs, whether I wear skirts, whether I wear make-up (yeah, I don't do any of those things) is MY CHOICE. My girlfriend doesn't mind, and she had a hell of a lot more up-close interaction with my legs than you do, maman.
So, thinking about all this, I decided it was time to show my hairy legs some love. They deserve it! Hence, this little photo shoot showcasing my wonderfully hairy legs. (Look how white they seem! Must be the lighting.) If you ask me, there's nothing more genderqueer than hairy legs and heels...and satin! Except maybe a beard and a ballgown, but mine hasn't grown in yet. ;-)
On a side note, which could probably be a whole other post, I should point out that my mother loves my transsexual girlfriend to no end. Seriously, she and Sweet get along better than I even could have imagined. I thought my mom might have trepidations about spending so much time with an MTF trans person, but she interacts with Sweet the same way she would with any other woman.What does this have to do with my hairy legs? Well, Sweet is a good girl. She doesn't have hairy legs. She wears make-up and skirts and jewellery. She fulfils social expectations imposed upon and desired of women. There's really nothing jarring about her appearance. She looks the way a woman should. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that if it's a woman's choice (and, having been raised a boy, it's obviously been a more challenging choice to put into action for Sweet than it might be for biological females) I'm only saying that I'm exerting my own choice: I choose cargo pants and running shoes (well, except in this photo shoot where I wanted to establish a certain genderqueer dissonance), I choose no make-up, and I choose hairy legs. Here's to choice, here's to legs, and here's to all things hairy!
Big Hugs,
Giselle
"Loving the Legs bonus pics:"
Hairy legs are my one major unfemme thing (which annoys my mom and sisters for some odd reason). I don't count not wearing makeup, because neither of my sisters do (and when I confessed that I'd stopped, my little sister whom I adore with all my heart said, "Oh, our little Katie is all grown up!"). But... leg-shaving is just such a time-sink that I seldom remember to do it on anything resembling a regular schedule!
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