Hair removal and the taboo that we (almost) no longer have Let's talk about it!
For years, hair removal was one of those beauty habits done because it had to be, without asking too many questions. An automatic gesture, passed down as a mandatory step in becoming a woman: waxing before vacations, a razor always at hand, smooth skin as proof of aesthetic education. Nobody really explained why we did it. It just was. Then, suddenly, hair came back. First on real bodies, then in feeds and conversations. We finally realized that it wasn’t the hair that had disappeared: it was the ability to choose what to do with it. Today, the question is no longer how to remove it, but: for whom do we do it? For ourselves, for others, or out of habit?
Hair takes the stage
For decades, the female body was portrayed as a smooth, filtered, and unrealistic object. In ’90s magazines, razor ads, and early beauty YouTube tutorials, hair never appeared. It was considered out of place, outdated, and unaesthetic. The taboo emerged not from direct judgment, but from the total absence of representation. And what isn’t seen automatically becomes something to hide. The taboo doesn’t come from a prohibition, but from silence: if something doesn’t exist, you can’t claim it. So hair wasn’t wrong: it was unthinkable and unnameable. And it’s precisely when something starts to be thought about and enters the scene that it becomes revolutionary.
@aitor.salinas Let’s take a look at Vogue Italia July 1997, a spectacular Steven Meisel takeover featuring his iconic images reimagining the work of Alex Katz. #vogue #vogueitalia #stevenmeisel #90sfashion #fashiontiktok #magazine #fashionmagazine #katemoss #fashion sonido original - Aitor
Hair removal today: a choice, not destiny
Hair removal is no longer a test of femininity. It has become a cultural act, a gesture that reflects how we inhabit our bodies. It’s not about doing it or not, but understanding that both options are valid. The real turning point wasn’t a new product, but a cultural shift: having the right to choose. Hair removal is no longer adherence to an external ideal, but a personal, fluid, and emotional language. And it’s not only ideas that have changed, but also the tools.
The razor that no longer punishes
Modern hair removal has taken the razor out of its punitive role to make it a functional must-have. Brands like Fler have transformed hair removal into a sensory experience: enveloping scents, velvety textures, the feeling of doing something for yourself, not against yourself. It’s no longer about removing something: it’s about adding a moment. Then there’s Estrid, which has reimagined the razor: neutral colors, inclusive messaging, no pinkwashing. It doesn’t tell you how to be: it allows you to be as you want.
@alicebauli ma cosa c’è di difficile da capireee aiutt potrò decidere se dipilarmi o meno
Waxing is no longer trauma, and IPL devices
Waxing has stopped being a hidden and painful ritual. Today, it’s a collective appointment at brow bars and a slow practice with sugar wax: less aggressive, more conscious, almost meditative. The gesture is no longer suffering: it’s agency. Hair removal enters the future with IPL devices. Among them, Philips Lumea has normalized the idea that hair removal can be personalized like skincare: sensors that read your skin, apps that track progress, routines that adapt to the user. No longer everyone the same, but each person in their own way, at their own pace.
@angelicacorradino Consigli per la depilazione
From legs to brows: when hair becomes identity
If body hair tells stories of habits, eyebrows tell stories of intention. They have become the aesthetic signature of the face: thin, bold, natural, laminated… every era had its style, but today there’s no single correct shape, only the one we choose. At Brow Bar Benefit in Sephora, at Douglas, and with products from specialized brands founded by professionals like JColbrow Cosmetics and La Pecchi x Rougj+, the focus is not on tidying up, but on personalizing your style. You don’t correct: you tell the story of the best version of yourself.
Gentle reminder: we remove hair for ourselves
What has truly changed is not the act, but the reason. Hair removal is no longer a moral obligation, a ticket to femininity, or a beauty duty to check off. Today, it’s a choice, and like all choices, it can change in form, meaning, and frequency.
We can:
- Remove hair because we like smooth skin
- Not do it because we don’t feel like it
- Do it only on certain occasions, like preparing for a tan
- Change our minds without having to justify it
The point is not deciding what to do, but recognizing that we can decide. This (not the wax, not the razor, not the technology) is the true cultural shift: having an opinion about our bodies without asking for permission.
@alessiamorellii1 oggi proviamo insieme il brow bar di @Benefit Cosmetics Italy disponibile da @Sephora Italia Il servizio comprende 1. Mappatura 2. Tinta 3. Epilazione con cera e pinzetta 4. Makeup Che ne dite??? A me sono piaciute tantissimo!!! #ADV suono originale - Alessia Morelli
Hair removal does not define who we are. We can remove everything, leave everything, change our minds every month. It’s not a test of femininity, nor a proof of consistency. Hair removal is no longer an obligation, but an option. The real revolution isn’t to stop or continue removing hair, but to no longer feel compelled to justify it. Beauty is always a choice, and the body a space to inhabit as we wish, whenever we want, with the hair we want.
