Would you dare to bare your body hair? 

Most women wouldn’t dream of being seen with unshaven armpits and legs, but after more than a year of working from home, a growing number are opting to let nature take its course

Síomha Ní Ruairc, broadcaster: “When you’re told your whole life that something is disgusting through advertising, the media, and society, it takes a while to deconstruct that narrative in your own head.” Photograph Moya Nolan

It's high summer and the women of Ireland are soaking in the sunshine in their bare legs, strappy sandals, and sleeveless T-shirts. To a casual onlooker, it may have seemed that the transition from the black tights and woolly cardigans of winter to this summer wardrobe was a quick and easy one. But it’s not quite so simple.

A grooming process takes place before most women feel comfortable exposing their bodies to the scrutiny of the public gaze. It’s a process that involves time-consuming, sometimes expensive, and often painful forms of hair removal.