I'm just going to come right out and say it: shaving my legs doesn't make me a conformist to today's beauty standards. It doesn't make me any less of a feminist. It doesn't mean I've been brainwashed to accept misogynistic standards. It doesn't mean I'm any less body positive than the rest of you. It just means that I like having smooth skin. Shaving my legs and bleaching my mustache is something I do for myself, not for society. I like having a smooth upper lip. I like having soft, silky legs. I don't care if having body hair is more natural. It's not the choice for me. I don't like the way it looks. I don't think it's attractive. And that's not me being a conforming misogynist, that's just my opinion.

I know there are plenty of women out there that have the same sort of dark, coarse body hair as me that don't shave. That's not the point. And I'm not here to bash women who don't shave. In fact, good for them. I'm glad they're comfortable with doing that. I'm not one of those people. But it seems like feminists in today's society are trying to shame women for shaving because they're "conforming" or "doing it because guys don't like hairy women." And that may be the case. Some guys don't like hairy women. Some guys do. Some guys don't care. I'm not about to shave just because a guy wants me to. Like I said before, I'm doing it for me, not for him.

By seventh grade, I was Nairing my legs on occasion. By eighth grade, I had a razor and I was shaving both my legs and my armpits regularly. I didn't start shaving because I was afraid of being judged for having excess leg hair. I did it because my sister was doing it and it made me feel grown-up. It still makes me feel grown-up. It had nothing to do with anyone's opinions about body hair and it still doesn't, in my opinion. It only had to do with me and the way that I wanted to look. I wanted to not have hair on my legs or under my arms. I still want to not have hair on my legs or under my arms. That is simply how I see myself: with smooth hairless legs. Sometimes I don't shave. Either way, I don't care how it looks or who's looking at my legs.

So shave or don't shave. That's your prerogative. If you do shave, don't let anyone make you feel like you're trying to conform. Shave because you want to, not because someone else wants you to shave.