Trolls call me ‘disgusting’ and say ‘no man will ever love me’ for not shaving my body hair – but the hate doesn’t bother me
A 21-year-old woman facing ‘crazy’ hate and being called ‘disgusting’ for not shaving her body hair has hit back at trolls.
Canadian influencer Spencer Barbosa has nearly 10 million followers on TikTok, where she racks up hundreds of thousands of views on each video.
However, not everyone is taking kindly to the social media star’s body positive content, and she has been met with a lot of backlash for refusing to shave her back and arm hair.
Spencer says she spent ‘years’ hiding and grooming her body hair, but by the age of 17 she had had enough of feeling embarrassed.
Choosing to embrace her body in its natural state, she began sharing photos and videos of herself on social media, which has proven controversial.
A 21-year-old woman facing ‘crazy’ hate and being called ‘disgusting’ for not shaving her body hair has hit back at trolls
Spencer says she spent ‘years’ hiding and grooming her body hair, but by the age of 17 she had had enough of feeling embarrassed
While she says the backlash has been “crazy” — including trolls saying “no man will ever love her if she’s hairy” — Spencer is on a mission to get other young women to accept their bodies as they is, and shares clips to her growing following. .
“I get a lot of negativity telling me to shave or that no man will ever love me if I’m hairy,” the Toronto content creator told What’s The Jam.
‘I get some pretty crazy reactions online when I post my back hair or when I embrace my arm hair.
‘A lot of people comment on how disgusting it is, or say how they throw up and that it’s not that hard to shave.
‘I decided to embrace my body hair when I was 17, after years of hiding my arm hair (and) feeling embarrassed about what my body naturally grows.
‘I shaved, waxed and lasered all the time – not because I wanted to, but because I felt pressured to.
‘I think it’s really interesting how disgusting and scary people view something that naturally grows in your body. You should never be afraid of your own body.’
She added: ‘But honestly, as the years go by being a content creator, I’ve kind of gotten used to the heat and it really doesn’t bother me.’
While she says the backlash has been “crazy” — including trolls saying “no man will ever love her if she’s hairy” — Spencer is on a mission to get other young women to accept their bodies as they is, and shares clips to her growing following.
In one clip, Spencer reveals she already has crow’s feet and smile lines (LEFT), and in another she shares some of the hate comments she’s received (RIGHT)
The Canadian influencer has nearly 10 million followers on TikTok, where she racks up hundreds of thousands of views on each video
Spencer regularly goes viral with her confidence-boosting posts on TikTok, garnering millions of views and sparking debate in the comments section.
In one clip, she makes fun of people who say ‘Girls shouldn’t have back hair’ and dances around with her back bare to show off her dark hair.
In another post, she shares an insight into the kind of trolling she receives – including ‘her poor boyfriend’, ‘body hair is disgusting’, ‘women don’t have moustaches’, ‘please shave’ and a number of comments about her weight.
Spencer also advocates for body positivity across the board, sharing clips of her wrinkles, crow’s feet and developing smile lines, as well as close-ups of her skin.
In a TikTok, which garnered 134,000 likes, she shows the difference between her body in its posed state versus more candid shots.
Spencer added: ‘Writing about body hair is very important to me because I remember being 10 years old and begging my mum to let me shave my legs because the boys in my class started pointing it out.
‘I fell into a terrible trap of shaving my whole body because I was afraid of being bullied or I was afraid people would think I was ‘hairy’.
‘I want to make it very clear that I’m never telling other people what to do with their bodies or how to care for their body hair, I’m just trying to educate people that it’s not unhygienic or ugly to grow natural body hair.
Spencer advocates body positivity across the board, sharing clips of her wrinkles, crow’s feet and developing smile lines, as well as close-ups of her skin
Spencer added: ‘Writing about body hair is very important to me because I remember being 10 years old and begging my mum to let me shave my legs because the boys in my class started pointing it out’
The influencer insists: ‘You only have to shave if you want to – it’s your choice, it’s your body’
‘It’s actually growing for a reason. Even though I post about body hair all the time, I still choose to shave my armpits and legs because I want to.’
She insists: ‘You only have to shave if you want to – it’s your choice, it’s your body.
‘It’s really important to love your body, understand your body and not be afraid of it.
‘Body hair grows naturally on your body. It’s normal – it’s not embarrassing.
‘You are allowed to raise your arm if you forgot to shave your armpit. You should never let body hair hold you back from anything.
“And if you choose to wax or laser, please make the choice for yourself and not because you’re afraid of what other people think.”
And Spencer isn’t the only woman reshaping how we think about female body hair.
A hairy lady revealed that while people are constantly staring at her bushy pins, men are allegedly obsessed with them.
Aria Loca from Mexico is tired of society reinforcing the idea that women should have hairless bodies – so she rebels against the norms.
The 34-year-old has opted for a more low-maintenance look, and she doesn’t care who can see her fuzzy parts – at all.
Although her hairy appearance attracts some confused looks, Aria says men online are totally loving her bushy style.
But despite receiving daily messages from men professing their love for her soft pins and armpits – her natural look has still brought excitement into her dating life.