THIS woman has officially won Janu-hairy after learning to embrace her body hair despite strangers calling her ‘DISGUSTING.’

Artist, dancer and hula hoop coach, Macey Duff, 19, from Nevada, started shaving her legs and arms when she was just 10 years old to fit in.

9 Macey Duff stopped shaving four years ago after being inspired by fellow hairy women Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

For six years, she felt too ashamed to let her body hair grow and couldn’t bear the thought of revealing her true self in public for fear of being ridiculed.

She explains: “I started shaving around the age of ten. Just because all the women around me did it, being taught it was what women should do.

“I would shave any time hair began to grow; I was fearful of anyone even slightly glancing at my armpits, legs and bikini line if I had any visible stubble. I struggled with accepting myself.

“With every cut and razor burn from the repetitive motion of swiping away, I was silently despising myself for not being who they wanted me to be - I was angry and frustrated with these conditions.

9 She has been approached by strangers in the street who have called her "disgusting" Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

9 Macey said she felt pressured to shave by society, and began doing so at the age of 10 Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

Ditch the razor! Women across the globe stop shaving for Januhairy The challenge sees women ditching their razors and going au natural every January. Proudly showing off their leg, armpit and even pubic hair, the bold ladies take inspiration by Movember and fully embraced the charity challenge. The project was launched by Laura Jackson, a student at the University of Exeter, last year who called it a “project for women to challenge social norms” by going au natural. Money raised goes towards the Body Gossips Education program, with women as far away as Russia and Canada signing up. Laura said of the campaign: " “This isn’t an angry campaign for people who don’t see how normal body hair is, but more an empowering project for everyone to understand more about their views on themselves and others.” Women have been praising Laura’s stance, with one person telling her she’s an “inspiration”.



“I had no idea I could question or defy them at the time. Little did I consider the amount of energy I was reducing each time I shaved.

“I struggled to comprehend why I needed to shave for someone else’s comfort and pleasure.”

It wasn’t until 2016, when Macey and her family moved to Hawaii as her father got a job there, that her sister, Ally, 19, witnessed a woman showing off her thick, hairy legs and armpits on a beach.

Hearing about the woman, Macey felt inspired and after seeing more women doing the same on Instagram, she decided to follow their league.

9 Macey is keen to encourage other women to be their "authentic selves" Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

9 Her twin sister Ally has since followed her sister's league Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

She continued: “My world shook when I witnessed a woman with body hair for the first time.

“I could not even describe the relief I felt knowing that there were women out there defying the standards placed for us to appeal to public eye as ‘beautiful’ and ‘sexy’ - even ‘worthy’.

“I felt inspired and soon experimented with growing out my own body hair. I love it. It was frightening to say the least.”

Whilst it was a challenge initially Macey has no regrets, admitting she has learnt to accept herself for who she is.

9 Initially the dancer says that she was wary of what other people thought Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

9 But she now feels more confident in herself and claims to have a "very personal connection with her body" Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

She added: “Lifting my armpits in public at first was scary. The stubble was uncomfortable during the first few weeks, yet I can hardly even remember that period because now my hair is long and soft.

“But I was able to get past that stage of prickly itchiness. With each new day my hair began to get softer.

“I grew a very personal connection for my own body. I felt this intense awareness because I no longer felt numb to the atmosphere around me.

“I felt a deep appreciation for simply being myself. It took about a month for my hair to comfortably grow out, I have not used a razor blade since.”

Throughout her journey, she has received a lot of criticism over her decision to let her body hair grow and has even had strangers approach her to express their disgust.

9 Macey has felt a surge of empowerment since ditching the razors Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

Macey says that this has only left her feeling more empowered by the impact it’s had on people.

She has since been sharing her body hair in all its glory on her Instagram page, @maceytheearthling.

She wants to prove that being hairy can be a beautiful, feminine thing, contrary to what society has led us to believe.

Since she and her twin sister, Ally, took the plunge, her older sister, Johannah, 21, followed in their footsteps and let her body hair grow too.

Macey admits that while she has felt this surge of empowerment since ditching the razors, most people reacted badly.

I am empowered by the doors it has opened for me, into a happier, less stressful, and inspiring life Macey Duff

One of her pictures ended up going viral on Facebook and the amount of negative comments came as a shock.

She said: "At first I felt sad. I felt confused. But I had an epiphany, and I realised that although their words were painful, I was planting seeds.

"Overall I feel grateful and blessed that this image was shared so widely."

“My family was very supportive, my two sisters and I all stopped shaving and my mother eventually was inspired to stop shaving her armpits,” she said.

“My twin sister and I even dyed our armpit hair for fun in the beginning months. Many friends were inspired and empowered by this, and some of them too, stopped shaving.

9 Macey says that her friends and family have also been inspired by her Credit: MDWfeatures / Macey Duff

“I am empowered by the doors it has opened for me, into a happier, less stressful, and inspiring life.

“I have never known myself so intimately until I stopped shaving. I didn’t really know who I was until I stopped. It is a journey towards deep self-love.

“I had a complete stranger walk by me, stop in front of me, and verbally express their disgust with my body hair.

“'EHHHK, leg hair’, they said. I simply smiled and giggled at their audacity, it felt even more empowering witnessing the affect it can have.

“I have had people directly point at me and whisper over to the group/person they are with, gawking and laughing at me.

“I have had words like ‘you should’ve been thrown away in the trash’, ‘too ugly’ and ‘too disgusting’ to ever have a partner.

“I’ve dealt with mean words through the comfort of being myself and honouring myself for allowing my body to be as it is because I know I am worthy and beautiful, beyond my physicality."

Macey is keen to encourage others to be their own authentic selves.

She finished: “My advice to anyone who wishes to break society’s perception of beauty; be gentle on yourself. We beat ourselves up so much because we’ve been taught to retch at our own natural existence.

“Own the most authentic version of yourself and allow it to free you from the external idea of beauty.

“Create beauty for yourself. Let yourself be in control of what is beautiful. Find beauty within and you will see beauty in everything.

“Lastly - you’re worth it. Don’t let anyone’s harsh words get you down. This is a journey of self-love; questioning the status quo and unlearning old ways. You are strong and born with beauty.”

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