Hello! My name is Grace Clinton and I am 23! I love writing and have created Grace’s Gaze as a safe, creative space where I can post whatever is on my mind on a given day. Content will vary widely. Some of my primary interests include: feminism, politics, socialism, animals, climate activism, climate justice, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, and photography. With that said, welcome to Grace’s Gaze!
-
“Claiming that hair removal is a personal decision, which we make freely with no interference from anyone else, can give us the impression of a certain sense of freedom, but we are deluding ourselves. It would be a personal decision with no further significance only if the consequences of removing hair and not removing hair were equivalent. When shaving has a social reward and not shaving attracts censure, the decision stops being innocent and becomes political.” – Bel Olid, Author of ‘Hairless: Breaking the vicious circle of hair removal, submission, and self-hatred.
I have been obsessed with hair lately. Like, obsessed. Bel Olid’s work has given me much food for thought, and consequently, in conjunction with meditating on their ideas, I have stopped shaving. Everywhere. The experience has been an empowering and validating one overall; however, it has of course not been without its challenges. Whether wincing when the boys I babysit call it “disgusting” and remind me that “girls are supposed to shave,” or bracing myself for an epic cock block when a potential lover’s eyes take in the hair for the first time, navigating life as an unshaven woman requires a substantial degree of courage and tenacity.
Granted, my experiment is tempered by the privileges inherent to being a white, cis, middle class woman. Olid presses this point in their book, arguing not all women (trans women for instance) have this freedom to stray from strict rules of gender expression.
In addition to being relatively protected by my identity in this experiment, I am currently dating a woman. I believe this context to be salient insofar as it implies a certain escape from the reach of the pernicious male gaze – an all powerful gaze which has led me to the razor many times before…
Ironically, in college I attended a discussion on body hair and hair removal led by my now girlfriend. The discussion was held over zoom, and all the participants were anonymous (cameras off). One of the participants and I butted heads a little bit. She was adamant that shaving is simply a personal choice with no further consequence or implications. I disagreed, arguing that our choices are informed and conditioned by the societal context in which we live, and that we are influenced (subconsciously or otherwise) by social forces such as patriarchy and beauty standards. After the call, I went to my friend infuriated and frustrated. “Yes feminism is about choice,” I huffed. “But we still need to interrogate what those choices are and why we’re making them!”
Aside from telling my girlfriend, I decided to keep my strong opinions to myself, not wanting to rock the boat. But I just could not shake the angst I felt whenever I heard the term “I shave because I want to.” YES BUT WHY DO YOU WANT TO? I would scream internally. Riddle me this.
But then I stumbled across Olid’s book at Powell’s Bookstore in Portland. Before even reading a page, I instantly felt validated. Flipping though the book in the store, a chapter literally entitled, “Because I want to. But why do you want to?’ sealed the deal for me.
I share all of this because I think hair and hair removal is an important window into gender equality. My thoughts have evolved to a point where I do not think the feminist precept of choice is enough anymore. This might make some people upset, and I understand that. But ultimately, I believe examination is warranted in any area in which patterns are disproportionately observed for one demographic. I believe we do the collective a disservice when we reduce certain, systemic trends to choice alone.
-
saturday night I get the grand idea to wash you off of me
so i fall into a bath of bubbles and carnations and an
excessive amount of epsom salts
only to be reminded that you cannot
wash away scars
turn around on a one way street.
-
Lotus flower among lilies at Soledad Mission; (phot cred: Grace Clinton)