I Don't Shave Because I'm a Woman. I Shave Because I'm Brown.

Hair is an intrinsic part of being South Asian. As a second-generation North Indian, I have grown up with religious and cultural ceremonies centering around hair. For example, in parts of India the family gathers to celebrate when a baby has his or her first haircut. Hair is even given by some as an offering to the gods, following Hindu custom.

And it's literally all over our bodies. It sprouts out of uncomfortable places, thick, black, and, if left alone, soft. It's not hurting anyone, and yet we employ an arsenal of tools -- razors, wax, tweezers, and middle-aged brown women with thread clenched between their teeth -- to keep it in check.

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