I knew people wouldn't understand NELP when I came back, when I tried to tell them about it. I didn't know that people could also be so...dismissive? I don't know if that's the right word, but it's the one that I'm using for now.
Do people know? Can they see how it's changed me? Or do they just see me, covered in bug bites, skin peeling from sunburn that I so rarely get, maybe a little more muscled in the legs? I wonder if they wonder about that.
I tried to explain to someone what it meant to shave your head, and why it was beautiful. Today there was the comment of "you need to shave your legs" and my first thought was "why?" I asked that question. The conversation looked something like this:
"Because it just looks better. It's unattractive to have hairy legs."
"Well, you don't think guys are unattractive who have hairy legs, do you?"
"No, but they're guys. Don't you think girls should have nice, clean, beautiful legs?"
"What difference does it make? Why do women have that social expectation and idea for beauty? When did that happen?" I laugh. I don't really think it's all that funny.
"You do whatever makes you happy."
This ends my conversation, but not my thoughts about it. I know that one can't always do what makes them happy. If we all lived like that, we wouldn't be able to coexist well with one another. But how do I explain that NELP enhanced the fact that humans in general are beautiful creatures, no matter what we choose to do with our hair or our legs? It's like asking me to describe NELP, to convey exactly what it is or what it does or what it did to me. I'm not sure that I can do that. I'm not sure how much I want to try.
No comments:
Post a Comment