Annoyingly, body hair is still a widely debated subject — where it is, how much, how little. It can often be fetishised; some religions forbid followers from removing it, while others actively promote it.
Its presence is deeply intertwined with societal norms, perceptions of gender, and cultural standards of beauty and hygiene. Men are expected to have it, and women are meant to remove it. But, regardless of all this, the only person who gets to have an opinion about it on their own body is you.
Bethany Burgoyne, 35, a media producer from London, ditched the razor over eight years ago, and despite a few setbacks and negative comments from other people, she hasn’t looked back.
Initially, Bethany thought they had PCOS, and that was the cause of her hirsutism. However, after various hormone tests came back ‘normal’, they decided it was simply genetics.
Bethany shared on Instagram that one of the reasons she doesn’t like shaving anymore is that she can’t stand the feel of stubble on their face.
They wrote: “This was the first and main reason I ever chose to stop removing my hair. And I’m so glad it was, because it became the catalyst for helping me start to love, appreciate and respect my own fluffy face.”
Speaking exclusively to Four Nine about how her confidence has grown, she said: “The more time that’s gone by, the easier it's become.
"At the very beginning, it was quite difficult because I was just a bit paranoid about people staring, but actually, over time, I realized that most people are in their own heads. If they are intrigued and if they feel an urge to discuss it, they’re usually saying it from a very curious, kind, respectful way, which is delightful.
“You assume that people are going to be mean, so I would say that 90% of the time they're really lovely interactions, and I love seeing the way that other women [approach me and say] ‘I’ve seen your hair, it's so nice to see someone who keeps the chin hair’ and ‘you look great’.
“There's this little solidarity understanding, you know, it's like a relief to finally be able to talk about something.”
Revealing that she sometimes gets negative comments from teenage boys, Bethany says: “It’s that general scoop of society, but as I got more confident, it seems to be that it's not such a big deal.”
Reflecting on how body hair is perceived, she told us: “I actually get quite angry with society and angry with the beauty industry, angry with people close to me who were saying you have to maintain the standard because you're a woman, you're born female.
“It's just hair, and we have so few representations of hair on women, let alone on our face, you know. There are these connotations, and the only images are of a witch or the old hag, because they have hair on their face.
“I want to give people another example, whatever age they're able to see this young woman who actually looks quite sexy and has hair on her face, and she likes it.
"I think it's so important to unpick the stigma, debunk the myths and look at the narratives.”