Leg hair, don’t care! ■
American singersongwriter Madonna’s eldest daughter Lourdes Leon made a strong statement at the recently concluded New York Fashion Week, when she walked on the fashion runway showing off her unshaven legs. The 21-year-old, who made her fashion week debut, took to Instagram to share a picture from the ramp. While a lot of followers applauded her step, others called it “disgusting and ridiculous”. Leon seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps. Earlier in the year 2014, Madonna, too, had posted a picture showing off her armpit hair with a caption: “Long hair ...... Don’t Care !!!!!! #artforfreedom #rebelheart #revolutionoflove.”
Are women finally going to be free of the compulsion of removing body hair? Fashion designers think so.
Designer Rina Dhaka feels that while the step is really bold and laudable but in the current situation, it can be a bit extreme. “People may take some time to get a hang of it but maybe in the future, women would just not care about shaving their legs or armpits and go au naturel,” she says.
Designer Nachiket Barve says that norms of beauty keep changing with time. “We are a progressive society and we are now more willing to accept people the way they are. Frida Kahlo’s unibrow is considered beautiful now. In her time, it was a sign of rebellion. With people getting less judgemental, what Madonna’s daughter is doing now, will inspire a lot of other girls, who try and hide their unshaven arms and legs,” he says.
“Women are getting comfortable in their own skin. It is certainly true that the pressure of removing body hair is off women and people like Madonna and her daughter Lourdes Leon are making it easier for other women too,” says designer Anvita Sharma.