18/05/2026
When I mentioned to friends that I was going to shave, everyone was shocked.
“But Lu, what? Why?”
Someone even said “what about body confidence?”
Listen here: I would never shave my body for the comfort of others, unless I am travelling or I want to.
It’s not about body confidence, it’s about being respectful.
When I travel, I check the local culture, what people find uncomfortable, what’s considered rude and so on. I think that’s fair enough.
So it turns out that Japanese people really dislike body hair, they find it dirty and think it makes you look unkept. I am sure this is not “everyone” but I asked people I know who lived in Japan or have Japanese friends and family, and everyone confirmed this.
Now, I was going to a country I’ve never been to, where they speak a language I don’t know and is pretty alien to me, of course I’ll do my best to make the locals feel comfortable around me.
So I shaved. My armpits for the first time in about a year, and my legs for the first time since I can actually remember.
Would I ever shave for a man? No.
Would I shave for people’s comfort in England? Maybe, in very limited situations.
Will I shave for the comfort of Japanese strangers? Absolutely, 100%, without a doubt.
Does it make me less of a feminist? Nah, I don’t think so.
At the end of the day, it’s my body my choice: I chose to do something I don’t normally do to be able to connect with locals with one less barrier.
Little secret: I can’t wait to grow it back.
