Relay Column: The Image of "Unwanted Hair" Created by Hair Removal Advertisements – Longing for "Smooth & Silky Skin" (Natsuki Kawano)

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PROFILE

Natsuki Kawano

First-year doctoral student in the Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences at Nara Women's University. Specializes in gender studies, representation studies, and body studies. Conducting research on Japanese hair removal culture while addressing representations in hair removal advertisements.

Hair Removal Advertisements Interwoven into Daily Life

Every time I use public transportation, I am acutely aware of being surrounded by hair removal advertisements. When I browse social media or video sharing sites on my smartphone during travel, numerous ads for hair removal products pop up. When I glance up, I lock eyes with a smiling model in the myriad hair removal advertisements displayed inside the train.

The sheer volume of these hair removal advertisements traps me. If I don't remove my hair, I'll be bullied, my boyfriend will break up with me, I'll suffer terribly for not removing my hair, but with hair removal, I can wear the clothes I like, build my self-confidence, and just by undergoing hair removal, I can be this happy. I see it now; the reason I've encountered unpleasant situations today, lack confidence, or feel like my life isn't going well, is that I haven't removed my hair. It fosters such an illusion.

The hair removal advertisements that appeared in women's magazines nearly 100 years ago have continuously depicted the positive image of a "hairless" body and the negative image of a "hairy" body up to the present day[1]. They effectively convey that body hair, except for hair on the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes, is "unwanted hair," presenting women with body hair as ugly, while advertising models with "smooth skin" appear attractive and radiant. Their lives seem to shine brightly as well.

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