In writing this post, I'm going to confess something I'm pretty embarrassed about. I figure that since we're quite a few blogposts into our relationship I can be honest with you. But in exchange I ask one thing of you: please comment on this, please tell me what you think. If even anonymously, I'm genuinely curious to hear what you have to say.
I usually save the cultural commentary to my friend Val - we spend a fair amount of time together and usually end up dividing who will post about what. Who am I kidding? She posts about restaurants and fashion, I post about cooking and random shit I like. But this is a post I would usually leave to her - the dos and don'ts, yeses and nos, allowances and faux-pas of body hair. I like to be relatively manicured if I know someone is going to feel my legs, but I'm also not obsessive about it. If it's a cold day in the middle of the winter and I have no qualms about leaving a couple of millimetres of reddish-blonde hair on my legs at the gym. I kind of figure that if anyone's going to write me off or think I'm a bad person based on a bit of leg hair, then I don't need them in my life. Then again, as much as I'm a feminist, I have absolutely NO desire to grow out any smidgen of armpit hair to assert my sisterhood with other females.
The reason this all comes up is because I recently started tutoring the little boys who live in the house across the street from me. Blonde haired, and blue eyed, they seem to be rambunctious little angels. With a little more time to get to know them, they shed the overly polite attitude and essentially act exactly as 7, 10 and 12-year old boys do - totally batty, a little ADD, and always endearing except for when you have a momentary lapse in judgement and want to pull your hair out.
In a recent tutoring session, the 10-year-old was rolling on the ground and I was leaning over him, desperately trying to make multiplication tables seem artfully enticing. With a momentary pause, and then out of the middle of nowhere he exclaimed, "You have a hairy chin!" Ummmm, what?? I was completely taken aback. I mean, I know I have a touch of peach fuzz, but hairy? I don't think it quite qualifies as that. I brushed it off as a joke, saying, "Hey now! Everyone has a bit of fuzz on their face, even you do! Just you wait a couple of years and you'll have a LOT of hair on your face!" (This poor kid has no idea what's coming to him in the next 8-10 years...Good luck with puberty, buddy!).
It got me to thinking though - how do kids know exactly what to say, with brutal honesty, that cuts right to your very insecurities? Of course I've noticed a bit of peach fuzz on my chin before, but I never thought that anyone else noticed it apart from myself. And while part of me is like, "If you don't like it, deal with it," the other part of me wonders if maybe this little 10-year-old hyper-energetic munchkin of a bratty, adorable boy is right. Maybe he's the only male who is telling it to me like it is. Maybe I should listen...
So that's my story. Embarrassing to share? Yes. But what are your thoughts, body hair or otherwise? And come on boys, you know we want to hear your perspectives too...
Definitely don't listen! If it's something that you've noticed and doesn't bother you that much, chances are it doesn't bother anyone else (as we are our worst critics). Besides, the only reason why Munchkin #1 noticed it is because he's shorter than you are, by a long shot. Chances are you won't have any members of the opposite sex staring up at you from that level! And kids are just masters of observation, don't let it get to your pretty red head! PS. Hi!! xo
ReplyDeleteI agree, remove only if it bothers YOU! He could've spotted one tiny hair and then made a stupid/silly comment cuz that's what kids do. They don't exactly think things over. I got told I had a mustache once. It didn't bother me then, but sometimes when it bothers me, I'll have the tiny hairs threaded.
ReplyDeleteignore him! my relatives of the small persuasion always tease me about my increasing gray hairs at which point i tell them to go do the dishes lol!! i haven't seen you in a minute but the only adjective that comes to mind when i see Maxime is "adorable". i haven't examined your chin with a magnifying glass as i'm sure you have (as we women tend to fixate on our flaws or perceived flaws!). keep cooking and blogging and move on :-)
ReplyDelete--Namaala
xo
tell him he has an unfortunately small penis and that no 10 year old girl is going to want to have sex with a q-tip.
ReplyDeleteI've been told I have a big nose, ate too many carrots, belonged in an ocean with the other whales... working in a day camp has dealt quite the insecurities but if we took everything kids say to heart we'd be destroyed.
Especially since they take something small and blow it up, they don't know how to say things otherwise so you have to take it lightly.
And don't worry, so not embarrassing to share, pretty sure we alllllll have peach fuzz on our chin and in other, more embarrassing, female places. At least your dad didn't see that one ;)
ReplyDeleteI came looking for food and found a hairy issue. I'd say consult a professional and see what you think together. In the long run, it will reassure you and give you more confidence
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for going public in such a well written and touching story. I'm all for full disclosure. In this global village we may as well be sharing and helping each other out.
My esthetician of choice is Elena 438-881-6482
1347 Greene Avenue, Westmount, 3rd floor, above Olivier.
You can text message her for an appointment.
Tell her the Jittery Cook sent you.
And please check out jitterycook.com
I really welcome comments as well. Most people send me comments directly through email, but as bloggers we like the public forum.
Cheerio. I'm off to explore your food related posts.