Although it may shock some people, human beings are mammals. Mammals grow hair, including the female ones. I know, it’s shocking. Some people react to this news better than others. Suraiya, otherwise known as Twitter user @iranikanjari, has first-hand experience with the ignorance surrounding body hair on women.
With over 9,000 Twitter followers, she uses her platform towards the greater good. Suraiya’s account is laden with selfies and threads on racism, feminism, and any other thought-provoking topics that come to mind. On December 24th, Suraiya’s tweeted a couple pictures of her waist and hips with the caption “Walmart underwear vibes.”
Several Twitter users had a problem with this. No, not with the Walmart underwear. They were upset with her body hair.
This set of pictures made waves online. Without receiving Suraiya’s permission, Yahoo was the first major website to post an article about her pictures and the reaction they received. Since then, she has been featured on Vice’s i-D, i100, The Metro, and more.
After tweeting said pictures, Suraiya’s mentions were bombarded with sexist trolls harassing her about her own body. Besides the negativity, the pictures were also met with a tremendous amount support. Young girls are straying away from the confines of self-hate into the light of body positivity. What began as just another pair of selfies soon turned into a broader discussion on body hair and the double standards woman of color face.
In an interview with the Pakola Papi herself, Suraiya discusses intersectional feminism, Twitter, and acceptance.
walmart underwear vibes pic.twitter.com/wo66OQGIdo
— mom (@iranikanjari) December 24, 2015
How long have you been aware of body positivity on social media?
Suraiya: Probably since I actually delved into Twitter- which didn’t happen until June of 2015. I remember the moment I found popular Twitter vividly. And since then I saw the movement.
What inspired you to post pictures of your body hair?
Suraiya: I just wanted to show off my cute curves, and I have hair on those curves. The fight for the right to keep my hair and for others to keep theirs only came out of all the hate I received. And then it was time to smash all those pathetic men.
You’ve posted body pictures before. Why do you think this one particular set of pictures has gotten so much attention both on Twitter and on websites like Yahoo and Vice?
Suraiya: I have no idea. It was the most docile thing I posted. I think it got attention since I reacted to the initial hate I got with that brown boy rant*. Those two things coupled together must have been a recipe for success.
(*The “brown boy rant” is a reference to a thread she made about sexism in Southeast Asian cultures.)
Why is there such a stigma behind body hair on girls, especially women of color?
Suraiya: We’re dealing with a lot of oppressive systems here. I would say to this question is incredibly complex..and I don’t know if i have the knowledge to answer it fully. But we’re dealing with the interplay of racism, sexism, neocolonialism, imperialism, appropriation- all of these systems have to do with hair. Hair exists at the micro level, a domino in the larger equation, but that doesn’t make it less poignant. People see body hair as unacceptable for women of color, I think, because it “others” us. The push to assimilate is definitely a part of being a brown girl in the west- anything that separates us from that assimilation is them frowned down upon by the assimilating party, i.e. white people. Everyone has hair. There are westerns who are just as hairy. But when you add racism into the “othering” factor, the issue becomes more dynamic and it manifests itself like it did on Twitter. Add the third layer or racism, and then imperialism, and appropriation- and we are faced with a topic with no black and white answer. We aren’t educated on our own bodies, we aren’t educated on different kinds of people- so in turn it leads to ghastly amounts of ignorance and hate.
What are some double standards you’ve noticed between white women and women of color when it comes to body hair or body positivity in general?
Suraiya: Well, here is where intersectional feminism comes into play. A white woman with grown out under arm hair is viewed differently than a brown woman with the same. And once again, the reasons for this are vast and complicated. We’re dealing with a difference in rhetoric, morality, upbringing, etc. And I hate boiling this stuff down. The main double standard here, however, comes from the race factor. In the west, it’s easy to accept a white woman who CHOSE to grow out her hair as a statement towards assimilation. That this woman was already part of the norm and she chose to reject some aspect- which is seen as somewhat admirable by masses. She is a shining light of white western- rugged individualism. But the brown woman has always been “other.” she was never part of the norm, her hair is genetic factor, a part of her SHE must reject to fit into this norm. A lot of women who call themselves feminists fail to see that struggles are not faced equally. We all face body hair- but one woman is included in society, the other isn’t. To be inclusive is to understand the different layers around arguments like this one. To be intersectional is to unapologetically crush the double standards that come along with said arguments.
You’ve gotten an unreasonable amount of hate for these specific pictures from both men and women. Does putting yourself out there ever intimidate you?
Suraiya: No. I was bullied like crazy as child. And part of my maturity was to adopt the unapologetic attitude I have today. They can say it to me online or they can say it to my face. They’re still absurd.
Besides the hate, you’ve gotten hundreds of supportive comments. Have you noticed a gradual change in body acceptance?
Suraiya: Twitter is a social organism that is always influx. I’ve been on the site for three years now, and there has been a massive change. People are now acknowledging the dynamic nature of these issues, and that makes dealing with them less taxing. I am optimistic- if we can listen to people of color and use their voices in conjunction with people in power, we can only break down barriers.
Suraiya mentioned her mother’s disapproval of her pictures on Twitter.
If you don’t mind responding, how did you convince your mother that you are empowering women through Twitter?
Suraiya: My whole family knows I’m an artist. They know I’m vocal. I am the black sheep for sure. So this didn’t really surprise her after she calmed down. I just explained that this is doing good. There are 13 year old girls out there who aren’t swimming in self degradation because of me, women like her see themselves in a new light. That to me is only good. And she couldnt disagree.
Besides Twitter, what do you do in your spare time?
Suraiya: Read, eat, sleep, shop- the super normal stuff. I’m always trying to find a reason to dress up in traditional clothes. Always trying to find a reason to go to the bookstore. I write essays for fun- some people find that weird. But in my spare time I just try to balance this website with my worldly pursuits.
Comments are closed.