Brielle Jenkins spent years shaving and waxing her body hair before deciding to embrace what feels right to her. As an artist, she loves to find unique ways to express herself, and playing with hair is one of them. That said, it didn't happen overnight. "It takes courage to step out of that box and start asking why we feel that pressure," she tells POPSUGAR. Things didn't necessarily get easier when she decided to ignore imposing societal gender constructs. She actually felt an opposing pressure to "go all of the way and never shave again, but it doesn't have to be one way or the other," she says.
Once she decided to do what made her feel comfortable, her "world began to open up." There's no one-size-fits-all answer to body hair, and it took her time to figure that out. "I don't shave my armpits but I still shave my legs from time to time because I love the way it feels," Jenkins says. "It makes me happy to have control over how I present myself."
Jenkins's relationship with her body hair has evolved over the years, but it took some adjusting. "I had to get used to some weird looks and comments, especially from the people close to me," she says. "There was definitely an initial sting, but with time, I've become less sensitive. I'm really happy I took the steps to become more comfortable with my natural self."
