i hear you. we are brought up to believe that appearances matter more than actions, that its ok for guys to be or act a certain way, but how dare you if your a woman, or a black, or poor.

it's difficult not to judge, to break the habits and taboos of childhood. there is a fine line between hygeine intelligence and appearance, and its usually connected to social class and judgment.

I made the choice when i was quite young not to shave my legs. why? because its a standard upheld by one half of our society to control the other half. a standard of beauty, like having a slim figure or painted nails. before i was old enough to date i knew I would never meet these standards, and I would be judged for my lack. so why the hell should i bother?

society wants to dictate how we should be, so THEY can feel safe. they press misguided beliefs onto us, onto our kids, and set up economics so we have to run around trying to meet all of these superficial expectations so they can feel safe.

they ignore what really counts, because it just isnt in there lexicon. honesty. integrity. awareness of who we are in relation to everyone else, to the earth and its other inhabitants. your poem is the perfect reaction to that.