‘I’ve never waxed them since’: Zoe Ball shares waxing horror story as she debates ‘double standards’ over body hair acceptance
If you've ever had a bad waxing experience, you'll agree with what the presenter has to say about getting rid of body hair
Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley are well known for discussing hugely relatable topics on their Dig It podcast, covering everything from menopause and HRT, to the grief of losing loved ones.
Most recently, the pair discussed something that many people have increasingly strong opinions about: Getting rid of unwanted hair as a woman.
The pair weighed in on the double standards of this beauty ritual, while Zoe shared a horror story that saw her not wax a particular part of her body again.
Zoe says that while she used to always "tidy myself up" in the past, her current mantra when it comes to body hair is, "Let it grow, let it grow!"
Hailing a benefit of ageing, she says, "The good thing is that I can't see as I get older, and I can't see how hairy my armpits are."
She adds, "And also with my legs, I can't be bothered - I shave them and I blink and they've grown again." Telling the story of a friend who insists women should "shave every other day," the horrified presenter asks, "who shaves every other day?!"
Revealing how often she tends to the hair on different parts of her body, Zoe shaves her armpits "once a month," and her "lady area" is tidied "If I think I might get lucky," as she quips, "which is not that often."
Jo reveals that she's reached an age where her hair "has stopped growing," with underarm hair being a "thing of the past."
Unsurprisingly, she sees this as "fantastic" because it takes having to think about it out of the equation and is one less step when getting ready.
Jo suggests her hairs have stopped growing because she was "very religious" about getting everything waxed - this can sometimes reduce the density and thickness of the hair and slow growth altogether.
Talking about her armpits and sharing a waxing horror story, Zoe says, "I had that done once when I was hosting the Big Breakfast, and I had to host it with my arms out because they [her armpits] were in agony."
The presenter held her arms out at shoulder height to demonstrate just how much pain she'd been left in, that she couldn't have her arms at her sides.
"I've never waxed them since," she says. Zoe and Jo discuss fellow celebrities who have been pictured at events with their body hair intact, such as Phoebe Bridgers and Julia Roberts.
Jo shares that she hopes her daughters' can feel "liberated" from waxing and shaving, as attitudes towards beauty standards change and more women don't bother getting rid of hair.
"When we were younger, you just didn't have hair," she recalls, adding, "It was not the done thing - we were conditioned to get rid of it all the time."
Zoe shares, "There's so much else to worry about, that shaving my armpits and legs goes by the by."
She concludes that as we age, "women get hairier, men get less hair," rightly questioning, "where is the sense in that?."
