• hansolo@lemmy.today
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    3 days ago

    There is a certain degree of genetics and environmental adaptation here as well. Not all ethnic groups share similar body hair genes. It doesnt even seen to correlate to something like melanin production and higher/lower latitudes since body hair across Africa varies wildliy.

      • hansolo@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        3 days ago

        Of course - what I’m saying is that there’s huge variation within humans. Some ethnic groups simply don’t grow as much body hair, or it’s not nearly as course or pronounced. My partner can go weeks without shaving her legs and it’s almost impossible to tell. Many East Asian ethnic groups have far less hair than Europeans or Levant peoples. People in West Africa have relatively little body hair, while I’ve seen women with full on beards and chest hair in southern African countries.

        If this conversation is between a Maori or Norwegian kid and a Bulgarian or Spanish or Armenian babysitter, that’s a stark contrast that actually would be plausible without the reality of unreasonable beauty standards ruining everyone’s day.

        That variation also means that the “logic” of comparing leg hair to cancer makes as much sense as comparing leg hair to my nipples. They don’t do anything either, but XY bodies still get them. And I would bet $10 that any kid young enough to be baby-sat and say that grows up to get lip filler and joker-esque work done by the age of 28.

        • Velma@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          3 days ago

          If this conversation is between a Maori or Norwegian kid and a Bulgarian or Spanish or Armenian babysitter, that’s a stark contrast that actually would be plausible without the reality of unreasonable beauty standards ruining everyone’s day.

          It’s much more likely that the young boy in the post has picked up on societal expectations that women are supposed to shave their legs.

          The amount of reaching in these comments to avoid assigning any blame to the patriarchy for these standards women are held to is astonishing.

          • hansolo@lemmy.today
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            3 days ago

            For sure, patriarchal beauty standards are to blame here. However, it’s also sort of weird to suggest that ALL woman, and in fact, all humans, have roughly similar body hair. That’s simply false, and easily proved false if anyone cares about facts.

            This isn’t some black and white issue, it’s something with degrees of truth, that’s all.

            • Velma@lemmy.today
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              3 days ago

              I never claimed all women have the same type and amount of body hair, but all women do grow body hair.

                • Velma@lemmy.today
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  3 days ago

                  You and I are having a back and forth direct conversation. Keep up or be more clear.

                  Everyone in this thread is, though.

                  Really? Because mostly I’m seeing a bunch of men arguing that we should all ignore the societal pressure on women to shave their body hair because this is actually an argument about whether hair growth can be compared to cancer.

                  • hansolo@lemmy.today
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    arrow-down
                    1
                    ·
                    3 days ago

                    OK, well you responded to a comment that wasn’t for you anyway and seem to have misunderstood the point of the comment all along.

                    And it’s me that should “keep up”?