Mery (English)

PROJECT WWHA: In what different ways has the conversation about arm hair come up in your life?

MERY: It started from comments like "you're very hairy," "you have a lot of hair," to "you're extremely hairy, it's unbelievable!"

PROJECT WWHA: When was the first time you remember noticing your own arm or body hair?

MERY: I remember noticing it when I was around 6 years old.

PROJECT WWHA: What emotions did you experience when you first noticed your own arm or body hair as a child?

MERY: At first, I couldn't distinguish an emotion because I was very young, and I saw it as something natural. But over time, I started feeling sadness for not being like the other girls.

PROJECT WWHA: Did any of these events become traumatic for you?

MERY: Yes, of course.

PROJECT WWHA: Were you afraid to show your arm hair in public?

MERY: Actually, it was more embarrassment and shame for being hairy, which generated a fear of not being accepted.

PROJECT WWHA: Did you specifically dress to hide it?

MERY: Yes, I dressed in long-sleeved high-necked clothing, focusing on my arms, where hair is most prominent.

PROJECT WWHA: Have you ever spoken negatively to yourself in the mirror about how your body looks?

MERY: Yes, on several occasions (more so in adolescence).

PROJECT WWHA: Have you ever removed your arm or body hair?

MERY: Yes, more than once.

PROJECT WWHA: What was it like after the first time you removed it?

MERY: At first, I felt good because I looked like most women, with smooth hairless skin. But then I felt sad and angry because I knew that person wasn't me, and it wasn't what I really wanted.

PROJECT WWHA: How did you find the WWHA Project?

MERY: It's funny because I didn't find it, it found me. I remember very well that it was in a shopping mall, in a clothing store. I had gone shopping, and at the checkout, a man respectfully approached me, telling me how beautiful my hairy arms were. Hahaha…

PROJECT WWHA: What did it mean to you to see other women with arm and body hair in the WWHA Project?

MERY: It brought me happiness to see that I'm not the only woman with body hair, that we are truly unique, gifted with unparalleled beauty.

PROJECT WWHA: What tools do young women need to free themselves from oppressive social constructs of beauty?

MERY: I believe that the greatest tool is given from home, that is, from their family nucleus where self-love, confidence, respect, and acceptance are taught. If we start from there, any external factors will be overcome.

PROJECT WWHA: What advice do you have for young women who have just noticed their arm or body hair at this moment in their lives and feel different?

MERY: Love every part of your body, respect it, value it, embrace it, admire it. Know that you are beautiful just as you are. Creation is wise, nature knows why it created us, and we are part of that natural beauty.