Body hair and dating: How do women navigate the dating world when they don’t conform to patriarchal beauty standards?

Honestly, it has always been mind-boggling to see how women navigate dating culture, even marriage in general as someone who is 4B.

My friend went on a date a few days ago and had a horrible experience because she had body hair lol.

She said to me, "I honestly thought these kinds of conversations weren’t real." I thought people were exaggerating about it.

It was going fine getting to know each other but that man started making unnecessary comments about her body hair.

He said it was weird and gross and asked why women want to become like men these days. He said feminism has gone too far, no one likes this, and shaving isn’t even expensive or difficult, so it should be mandatory for women meanwhile he himself has body hair.

She said Why do I have to shave? You have hair as well and I don’t want to fall into these patriarchal norms. I can say the same about you you should always provide and pay the bills since that’s traditionally a man’s role. He got pissed and was like, “Why would I pay for anyone, especially a man? Basically, try to belittle her by calling her less feminine.

She said the food was good so she focused on the food she ordered for herself while he kept blabbering nonsense. She finished it, paid her bill, and left even blocking him when she reached home.

I know many men who preach 50/50 are the same ones who want women to perform traditional roles at the same time. They want 50/50 on bills but still want women to shave, do the full household labour so and so. The hypocrisy is funny.

Body hair in general is still not accepted for women. Even women try to make other women feel bad or shame them, calling it unhygienic or unattractive, when all it takes to be hygienic is a shower and deodorant and perfume.

Even the defence of the removal of body hair can become strong in some feminist circles, but no matter how much we talk about it, body hair is still seen as a taboo.

The Prachi case was one where she was a 10th-grade student, but people ripped her apart, made unnecessary comments, and suggested she get laser hair removal, even though she was just a kid. Seeing her interview was sad as well but she is a smart kid who deserved all the recognition for topping the exam but rather the facial hair she had became more of a sensational conversation.

Have any women faced this when they don’t conform to traditional values, patriarchal standards, or conventional beauty standards?

And how do women with PCOD/ PCOS who have more hair navigate this? Even some teenage girls get shamed for having body hair.