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Move over Dry January, it’s time for Januhairy
Razors, epilators, wax and other hair removal accessories will be taking a break this January, at least for anyone who decides to take part in the "Januhairy" challenge.
Picture: Laura Jackson/ Instagram 2019©
In the past, the New Year was synonymous with resolutions. But today, this notion of a fresh start is increasingly driven by challenges. This has been seen with the growing success of Dry January, which involves giving up drinking alcohol for the first month of the year, as well as its many derivatives. One that may have escaped your radar is Januhairy.
A contraction of the words “January” and “hairy,” this challenge has all the hallmarks of the now-famous Dry January campaign. The only difference is that it doesn’t involve abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year, but rather… ditching all forms of hair removal.
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What you need to know about Januhairy
Although less well-known than Dry January, the challenge is not actually new: it was launched five years ago on social networks by a British student named Laura Jackson. The idea is to stop shaving, and to embrace the results with pride! “I grew out my body hair for a performance as part of my drama degree in May 2018,” she explains in an Instagram post dating from 2 January 2019.
She continues: “Though I felt liberated and more confident in myself, some people around me didn’t understand why I didn’t shave/didn’t agree with it. I realised that there is still so much more for us to do to be able to accept one another fully and truly. Then I thought of Januhairy and thought I would try it out. It’s a start at least…”
Granted, it’s a lot easier to come to terms with your body hair in January (at least if you live in the Northern Hemisphere), than in the middle of July by the pool. But that’s precisely the strength of this resolutely feminist challenge. The ultimate goal, of course, is to begin to accept your hair at your own pace, without getting discouraged, and then to gradually embrace it until you no longer feel the need to wax! That might be easier said than done, of course, especially in a society where women’s body hair is still subject to great stigmatisation.
“This isn’t an angry campaign for people who don’t see how normal body hair is, but more an empowering project for everyone to understand more about their views on themselves and others,” the founder of the challenge explains. On Instagram, the #januhairy hashtag counts over 13 000 posts to date.
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