How big of a deal are hairy arms?

i'm a 19 year old girl and i've done alot of work when it comes to accepting myself.
i'm quite happy with my overall looks(body, hair and face) but i'm not totally comfortable
with my arms. they are hairy. it's blonde, thick and pretty long. i've been self-conscious about them
ever since middle school when a few boys used to make fun of me and call me names like 'Wookie' and 'Godzilla', sometimes
infront of the whole class.
i really don't want a guy to run the other way if he comes close and saw them.
i'm not really interested in laser hair removal and shaving them would only make them prickly and i'd have
to do it every day!

last week at soccer practise our college team assistant coach came forward to me and grabbed one of my arms, started to pinch
it and like pulling on my arm hair. "Wow Amy, you've got really hairy arms!", he said. i immedialately felt embarressed and got
furios because as i've told you, i quite self-conscious about my arms and i now i can't stop thinking about the whole thing.
any advice on how to feel less self-conscious about this? and any others who's experienced something similar?

Voting Results
86% Normal
Based on 14 votes (12 yes)
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Comments ( 17 )
  • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk

    "Wow Amy, you've got really hairy arms!"

    "wow coach and to think i respected you until just now so dont touch me and just who the fuck do you think you are???!!!"

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  • _Mehhhh_

    I guess this is what happens when we're so used to seeing literally every woman wax herself hairless. We see one who hasn't and it's like ... "omg women have body hair too?"

    Yeah, duh...

    If it really is excessive and bothering you, I guess you could try waxing, but these guys are assholes and not boyfriend material honey.

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  • ShadowCat

    Hairy arms have always bothered me, I'm sorry to say. That's not to say that you should shave them, but if you wanted to, I don't think you'd find it as big a hassle as you think. You said your hair is blonde so it's probably pretty fine like my blonde arm hair, and I can go 3 or 4 days without shaving my arms and not feel or see much. So if you're self conscious about it, don't be afraid to give it a try.

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  • JellyFish123

    i got teased for having hairy arms in 4th grade....so i get what you're saying....i just didnt let bother me, and you shouldnt let it bother you also. Your hair arms will eventually thin out, mine certainly has. forgot to mention....im a guy

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  • Dustyair

    I had a girlfriend with some hair on her arms, I never really thought about it though. So I don't see a problem with is at all. If you had a big bright red clown nose, that could be an issue.

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  • Pumpurrnickel

    It's not a big deal. All I can say is try to ignore them. School doesn't last forever.

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  • e51pegasi

    Accept your slightly hairy arms & that they are normal. Realise that everyone has & that dark haired women have it even worse.

    And if that doesn't work, cheat & buy one of those NoNo hair removal things.

    If you are worried about guys being bothered about it, trust me if they like you they almost certainly won't notice. Even less, care.

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  • AntiArchon

    I shave my arms and it really isn't thick and prickly when it grows back.. and my hair is black., blonde will blend much more with skin.. and l have to shave every three to four days not everyday..plus l can go weeks without shaving and it doesn't look bad..again, i have black hair and blonde definitely even turns out better.. But still try shaving a patch on your arm and see how it grows first so you know what your gonna deal with and if you wanna go through with it.

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  • RoseIsabella

    I like my hairy arms, it's brown hair and sometimes I bleach it, but it's not, fuzzy, über long or too dark. A couple of times I was dying my hair on my head red, and I dyed my arm hair to match it, but it wasn't that different from what it is.

    Body hair doesn't freak me out. Back hair is kinda gross though. I gotta keep it real, ya'll.

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  • Boojum

    You're quite right to be furious.

    Middle-school boys are asshats by nature, but they at least have the excuse of being generally stupid and vicious due to their raging hormones and their brains not having fully developed. The team assistant coach has no such excuse. Is shaming and humiliation part of his normal routine?

    What he did is just a step away from passing judgement on your breasts, butt or the shapeliness of your legs. I've got a nine year-old daughter, and if she ever tells me of something like that happening to her, I guarantee that I'll go ballistic. Hell, I'm furious on your behalf right now.

    Coaches have the right to comment on and critique your performance. They have no right to pass judgement on the appearance of those they're coaching. The guy is probably such an ignorant jerk that he believes all women naturally have no body hair. And that's probably because his major source of knowledge about women's bodies is the countless hours he's spent whacking off to porn.

    It depends on a lot of factors, but I think you should give serious thought to complaining to the Assistant Coach's boss, or maybe even filing an official complaint further up the chain.

    As for the larger question, I assume you're not the product of genetic experimentation, so the hair on your arms is completely normal for you. Women are born with just as many hair follicles as men, so all women naturally have body hair. The current standards of female physical beauty dictate that women should have no visible body hair, but like all such standards, that's completely arbitrary.

    I've never been at all concerned one way or the other by hair on a woman's arms, but I know that there are men who are actively attracted to it.

    Bottom line: I understand why the stupid, obnoxious coach's comments upset you, but don't let one ignorant, shaming comment set back your efforts to accept yourself as you are.

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  • rayb12

    I don't care and I'm hot

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  • bob7

    show us :}

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  • peepineep

    ^I also reckon using hair removal cream will help you to stop feeling self conscious because I think you may only feel overly aware of your hair because people point it out, not because you actually dislike it yourself

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  • peepineep

    My hair is really dark and thick so arm hair has always been a problem for me as people don't often shave their arms (at least not as often as their legs) but keeping my hair would mean it's noticeable.
    If you really want to do something about it, I recommend using hair removal cream. It has the same effect as shaving but it doesn't grow back prickly. I like the length my hair is once it starts growing back because it looks a lot more normal so I guess if you don't mind a normal amount of hair it's a good idea

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  • Nickvey

    hair on arms never bothered me as i have dated a sasquatch, one of those super model types 6 foot tall thin tiny boobs 10 ish in looks you get the picture she strung me along as plan B for at least 5 years . but i tell you what. she had hair in the crack of her ass. and it most definitely had an negative effect. she had an experienced anal gape and i had never had tried anal sex although i have since then. I could not bring myself to penetrate her ass because of that damned hair. it looked like the ass of a 15 year old boy. i never discussed it with her , i doubt she would have did a damn thing about it if i had. man that would have been a fun ride i tell you what. BTW im 6 feet four tall so it was so nice loving a tall limber woman. my advice is do what you want too. PS. i was plucking out nose hair this morning and I trim ear hair . a Well groomed man has better hunting skills.

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  • It's blonde so it matters even less. If you don't like it, then why don't you just shave it?

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  • BananaInASuit

    Some people don't want to hear this. But for me hairy arms on a women are very disgusting. I would go so far and say that not waxing ones arms as a women is inappropriate behavior. Like not brushing your teeth every day. I know many guys who don't care at all, but you should be aware that there are many who indeed do care.

    Its your body though. So do what you want. If you want to look ugly its your choice.

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