Does she or doesn't she?

Only her reproductive endocrinologist knows for sure.

The 'so, do I have PCOS?' circus continues. Altered hormone levels, especially high androgens (male hormones)? Check. Irregular periods? Check. Increased (ahem) body hair? Yeah, fine, check. Obesity? Well...no, but the comorbid eating disorder could have something to do with that. So what's the most distressing? Honestly, the hair (this from someone who hasn't shaved since middle school). I feel like I'm either going through puberty again or turning into a wolf. Or possibly both. Wasn't there a book during the eighties called 'I was a teenage werewolf?' I think there was.

Americans have really...effed up responses to female body hair. When I wear shorts, I catch people staring. A lot. I wish, if they were really that curious, that they'd have the testicular fortitude (ie balls) to come up to me and say, "Hey, I think your particular style of bodily presentation is really different and kind of cool. Would you tell me a little bit about why you do things this way?" Then I might not want to disembowel them with a spoon for tee-heeing with their friends behind my back at the Metro stop. Y'know, the way I do now.

In a 1998 study, 125 undergrads of both sexes were shown 2 videos of a woman drying off after a swim. In one she was clean shaven, and in the other she had hairy armpits and legs. The unshaven woman was rated as less: moral (?!?), relaxed and fun; she was rated as more assertive, aggressive, serious and 'in better physical condition.' This was the same woman, mind you. The only difference was the presence vs. absence of hair.

A few days ago, on what I generally consider to be a feminist blog, one of the commenters (in discussing her feelings about fat acceptance vs. fatphobia) brought up the subject of choosing with whom one associates, and said, "For instance, I think women have the right not to shave if they don't want to, but I still think it's abnormal and weird and I probably wouldn't want to spend a lot of time with them." REALLY? AYFKM? (Think it out...Are You F*cking Kidding Me?) Just having looked at me, without so much as a hello, you know you don't want to chill with me based on the state of my hair follicles? Not to mention that it's NORMAL for women to have body hair--IT GROWS THERE AND WILL BE THERE UNLESS YOU ACTIVELY REMOVE IT--and so the whole "It's abnormal/weird" argument is proof positive that you've bought into the consumerist/patriarchal/western beauty complex.

The excess hair associated with PCOS is called 'hirsutism,' and it really isn't so much an excess of hair (though it can be) as it is a male-pattern hair growth--ie, on the chest, the lower stomach, the shoulders, upper lip and chin, lower back. Most people bleach it/electrolyze it/shave it. Some people, like Circus Amok performance artist Jennifer Miller (google it...you'll like it) don't. It's all part of the pulchritudinous plethora of personalities we call life. So for now, I'm going to discreetly pluck a few places...and leave the rest.