In Which I Battle Body Hair

The area known as the Mediterranean Crescent has long been renown for its sunny climate, healthy cuisine, and fabulous beaches. But as any female born or descended from Spain, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Israel and the other countries that rim the iconic sea, there is a price to be paid for olive skin and lush hair. For the dark hair that gives us enviable eyelashes is often not restricted to our eyelids alone. Rather, it grows, unbidden and unrestrained, on arms, legs, upper lips, brows... It's a hard lyfe. But someone has to do it.

Once puberty hit, I realized that I was different from my white friends whose families came from inherently hairless places like Ireland and Scandinavia. Whatever, your eyebrows will fall out by the time you're 40. By the time I turned 12, I was frequenting beauty salons for a monthly wax, feeling ugly, hairy, manly. Now, as a 21 year old, I am fighting to let go of my insecurities and take pride in my rich, albeit hairy, heritage. No, I will not be growing a full beard to challenge societal and ethnic norms. But I am going to stop complaining about my body hair and do something about it.

Today begins my quest to find a workable beauty regimen, one that will rid me of excess hair and enable me to feel confident in my body. Because though Mediterranean women are hairy, they are also determined.