Camille Alexander for 'Natural Beauty' by Ben Hopper (2019)
"I have very pale skin and dark contrasting Mediterranean hair. I used to be very self-conscious of my body hair and I started waxing regularly at the age of 11.
I was never one wanting to follow the norms and I never took shit from anyone so why was I so ashamed of the hair that grows naturally on my body?
When I was 17 years I played a show with my band A VOID for a competition and I took off my shirt on stage at the end of the set, revealing my bare chest. It was a big thing for me and it made me feel so free.
If I was a dude, it would've been insignificant, but I’m a girl. I realised there are a lot of things completely acceptable for men to do, but for women; still a taboo ...and that’s fucking bullshit.
I stopped shaving about 3 years ago when I moved from Paris to London. One day I waxed my armpit hair after letting it grow quite a bit and my partner at the time was like ""where are they???"" with a sad face. I was extremely surprised he could find something attractive which I’ve been despising about myself my whole life.
I started working as a nude art model about a year ago. My body hair became a selling point. It also acts as an extra layer which makes me feel safer because I don’t want any genitalia displayed on pictures and my pubic hair is so thick it covers absolutely everything. It gives me more freedom with my posing without having to worry about showing too much. A lot of photographers tell me that nowadays it’s very rare to find a model who doesn’t shave.
We’re in 2019.
Female hair is CENSORED everywhere. You don’t see it on TV. You don’t see it in magazines or adverts.
There is an injunction of society for women to remain 'soft' and completely hairless. Just like a little girl. I don’t believe that’s a coincidence.
Young, skinny, hairless girls have been very popular in the media for years and it makes me wonder. Who's behind it all? Who's perpetuating this message about women looking like adolescent girls? It sometimes feels rather paedophilic. It worries me."
– Camille Alexander. Musician (2019)