Did you know that it takes around two hours of gruelling pain before I get to rock something like this?
Balbon — a key trait that has been associated with me since as long as I can remember. I'm hairy literally everywhere... and I mean everywhere.
Media and society has made sure that this trait isn't the most desirable one but for a lot of girls like myself, it's the default. It's normal. It's how we naturally are. Being balbon wasn't always a problem until I hit puberty. Insecurity kicked in, the feeling of wanting to fit in surfaces... all that jazz.
My main problem was my leg hair. I was balbon yes, but lucky me barely had any hair in my pits.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this post might get a bit detailed so if you don't want to hear any of it, you can stop reading right here.
Moving on, yes, my legs were my number one problem. I was very adventurous with what I wear, like, outrageous kind of adventurous and I liked mini skirts which involved a lot of legs. I didn't shave my legs immediately. I was given a lot of warning that once I shave my legs, they'll never be the same and there was no going back. You'll be doing it for the rest of your life (and they weren't lying). So I coped by layering the skirts with a lot of leg accessories. During the time my idol was Avril Lavigne and her punk princess phase so I was all about wearing tights, leggings, stockings, fishnet stockings, and knee high socks in stripes, polka dots, and other crazy patterns. I wore a lot of boots and super high top sneakers for extra coverage too.
I remember during my entrance interview for high school, I wore a crisp white button down with a necktie, plaid mini skirt (think: oops I did it again school girl Britney Spears), fishnet stockings, and super high top converse sneakers.
If you're looking for evidence for the fashion claim above, I'm very sorry but I've destroyed all digital evidences and Friendster is no more so you'd have to look through our ancient family albums for proof ;)
Upon entering high school, the rebellious dresser in me subsided. I guess I got influenced and got a bit shy of dressing outrageously because of puberty, I don't know. Point is, I stopped wearing a lot of leg accessories and pants weren't really my best friend so I started shaving my legs.
I remember there was this pool party back in high school. I've yet to discover waxing and out of utter desperation, I shaved my tummy. I regret doing that until now. Now you might think, "what??? your tummy?? Are you a guy??" Haha, well I did tell you guys that I'm literally a gorilla. Kidding, it was a barely noticeable bit of fuzz but you know how it is when you're an insecure teenager who has yet to accept their body, every flaw gets highlighted in your perspective. So I stupidly shaved and did a permanent alteration to that area.
Now that you guys know my balbon story, let me bullet up the points.
THE CONS
I can't just wear a bikini whenever I want - No, that simple thing isn't very simple for a balbon girl. I need a lot of preparation before I even think about wearing that cute pastel pink two piece. I need to set aside at least two hours of my day and book myself a waxing session one or two weeks before a scheduled beach trip 'cause the skin might get irritated if it's exposed to the heat and water fresh out of a waxing session.
It's expensive - Whenever I need to go swimming, I always go for a full body wax instead of just targeting specific parts of my body. Why? Like I said I have hair everywhere. So it would be weird to have hair free arms and legs but have my chest and back covered with fine baby hair, right? A full body wax costs about P1,600 at cheapest. It's not just a one time thing too, I need to do it regularly unless of course I invest in laser hair removal treatment but even that requires several treatments.
Limited outfit options - I can't wear skirts, shorts, sleeveless tops, low waisted jeans with crop tops unless I've waxed or shaved and there are down times in between where I let the hair grow out so they can be pulled out or removed again.
There will always be that time where I look like a man - Read: mustache. It's happens to me all the time actually during the "down times" and it gets every awkward when people stare at it when I talk to them instead of looking at my eyes. Like hey, aren't my eyes pretty? Let me drop by the waxing salon real quick.
It's painful - Haven't tried Brazillian wax yet? No? Well you should if you want a more complete feeling of what physical pain is. Luckily, I haven't kicked a waxer in their face yet. I just internally squeal and grip the sheets like my life was hanging on it.
It's a big hassle overall - I always imagine what it would be like if I wasn't so hairy. It would really make my life a lot easier. Being hairy just makes me ten times more high maintenance and it's honestly a big hassle sometimes for a girl like me who doesn't like to spend 10 minutes sitting down having her nails done. I rarely even put time in styling my hair and yet I have to lie down for two hours while two ladies rip out all of my hair.
THE PROS (OR SHOULD I SAY "PRO")
Like all things in life, there are always two sides. It's not all bad but really, I don't even have to bullet this up. To be very blunt, the only pro I'm seeing right here is that a lot of my hairiness went to my brows and lashes too. That's the only pro. Haha.
Like a MUA that fixed me up said,
"It's easier to remove hair than to grow it out"
It's true, growing out hair involves some genetics and that's not something that can be easily changed. Whereas removing unwanted hair does takes effort, it's something that can easily be done if you really want it done. So yeah, I guess I can put up with all the struggles I listed above in exchange for this benefit.
I told you guys some stories about how I coped with being hairy during my pre-teen years. Currently, I keep the hairiness at bay by getting regular waxing sessions at Flawless. I've also had a few laser hair removal treatments on my armpits and lower leg and I must say that there are results even after just two treatments. Perhaps if I continue with it I can finally have permanently hair free legs I've always been dreaming of??? Hahaha. Do check out their newly renovated site, I think it looks beautiful. You can book appointments directly on the site or on their app from the iTunes store or Google Play.
Now, I'm not really saying that hair free equals beautiful. I definitely don't want my face to be hair free without my brows and lashes?? Personally, I think it's all a matter of preference. If you're comfortable with your fuzz and don't feel the need to go through all the hassle of removing them, then good for you. If you prefer to go on without the fur, then by all means, do what you want with them (but I highly recommend that you don't shave them, have them waxed instead). As for myself, I am legit hairy and I naturally have dark hair. If my fuzz was blonde or if they weren't as thick, I would definitely be comfortable leaving them as is and embrace the slight hairiness but no, I don't want to seem like I'm part gorilla. Hahaha. So I have them removed at some parts.
I'd like to hear it from my fellow balbon girls, do you experience the same struggles as me? Do you see your being hairy as a flaw or a gift? How do you deal with it? Any tips? Let me know in the comments below!