Macey pictured on a beach showing her hairy legs. “Why couldn’t I just be myself and why do I keep doing this? And is this seriously what this world expects of me? I struggled with the ability to comprehend why I needed to shave for someone else’s comfort and pleasure. Little did I consider the amount of energy I was reducing each time I shaved. I had no idea I could question or defy them at the time. “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. Macey pictured looking confident whilst showing her armpit hair.

“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. For what reason? Just because all the women around me did it, being taught it was what women should do,” Macey said. “I started shaving around the age of ten. 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. She has since been sharing her body hair in all its glory on her Instagram page, She wants to prove that being hairy can be a beautiful, feminine thing, contrary to what society has led us to believe. Macey pictured looking happier when letting her body hair grow. Macey says that this has only left her feeling more empowered by the impact it’s had on people. 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. Whilst it was a challenge initially with feeling fearful of the public’s reaction and the discomfort of the stubble, she has had no regrets and admits that she grew a personal connection with her own body and learnt to accept herself for who she is. It was enough to motivate her to stop shaving and let her hair grow.

Not long after, she came across a woman on Instagram featuring her dark leg hair and this shocked her. Even though she was not the one to witness this woman herself, she was inspired. 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 wearing a one-piece swimming suit while showing off her thick, hairy legs and armpits on a beach.

Women with hairy arms flickr