Similarly, for many women, hair removal is a deep-rooted expectation. “Shave my facial hair with me!” Hemali Mistry captioned a recent viral video on TikTok. “As a hairy brown girl, I always felt an immense pressure to maintain my hair removal upkeep,” Mistry captioned the clip. “For the longest time, I thought if I didn’t, people would find me gross and not feminine.” Happily, Mistry soon realised that “beauty standards are bullshit”. They added, “Personally, the main reason I love dermaplaning [face shaving] ’cause it leaves my skin feeling so smooth, which allows for a better makeup application.” But other forms of hair removal can be expensive and laborious. Take laser hair removal or IPL treatments. A common misconception is that they are permanent — hence the “low maintenance” label on TikTok — but in actuality, require regular appointments and expensive top-ups. Preparation also includes avoiding plucking, threading and waxing, staying out of the sun entirely and laying off potent skincare ingredients like retinoids and exfoliating acids.
