Markup View

Author: WaterBlap

Jun 5th 2014 at 3:17:13 PM

* I brought the word count down from 600 to 399.
* I tried to keep the points made in the original version, but some of the original phrasing implied the article was about the RealLife phenomenon rather than the portrayal of the phenomenon in fiction, which would belong either in this trope's analysis page or a separate UsefulNotes page.
* I reorganized some of the points the original article made to keep the paragraphs focused on one overall topic[=/=]purpose.
* A few lines in the original made it clear this trope is more prevalent in Western culture but then others implied that this trope (i.e. hairy females are taboo) is world-wide, so I took out the world-wide phrasings.

I think this trope still has two issues other than the wordiness that need fixing:

I think this trope has another issue, though, concerning examples in the future: The description doesn't make it clear that a female character having body hair is not enough to be an example.  In other words, a female character with a lot of body hair but without any event, plot point, character reference, etc., making that fact more than [[PeopleSitOnChairs the fact that she has body hair]].

Please remember that this is just a suggestion!  Just trying to cut down on the walls of text, really.
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In Western culture, the majority of women tend to shave their body hair (e.g. leg, armpit, and pubic hair) for cosmetic reasons.  Various media reflect this in fiction, as most female character have smooth, hairless skin in the aforementioned regions.  Portraying a girl as the Hairy Girl is generally a way to depict a girl as being different or unique.

Some reasons a character may choose to abstain from shaving or waxing include sticking it to the man, simply expressing their womanhood, or simply being lazy.  As this is a common [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys Frenchwoman stereotype]], one reason a character may be a Hairy Girl is, unfortunately, because she's French.  Sometimes, it is simply a part of who the character is and not a conscious decision on the character's part, possibly for the writer to make them unique.  Other times, the Hairy Girl is not a taboo in the context of the work's setting (perhaps its region or time period).

Some writers portray female hippies and feminists as Hairy Girls, but this is frequently just PlayedForLaughs as it's a social taboo in Western society.  Some shows may employ this trope by utilizing obviously fake hair on the actress in question.

Interestingly enough, many men in cartoons, anime, comics, and other non-live media will be depicted without body hair despite the fact that it's generally acceptable for men to appear on TV featuring their CarpetOfVirility (or other body hair).  This can be accompanied by women also not being portrayed with body hair, and may simply be because of the difficulty of drawing the hair.  If the Hairy Girl is the only non-live character with body hair, that may be the reason.

In RealLife, girls who choose not to shave their body hair are generally associated with some forms of counterculture.

Compare the NewAgeRetroHippie and GranolaGirl since there's much between these tropes crossing over in many RealLife societies.  Also compare this trope with BaldWomen, in which females are depicted as bald for the sake of appearing strange and alien, demonstrating the RealLife conundrum of girls being expected to have long-flowing hair on their head but nowhere else.  See also WartsAndAll.  Contrast PermaShave, which is often the complete inversion of this trope especially when in a situation where the women depicted are in situations where shaving would be impossible.  Not be confused with GirlsWithMoustaches, which focuses on the unnatural phenomenon of women possessing ''facial'' hair.