Women urged to Get Hairy in February to fundraise to counter violence against women
Howard Lake | 17 February 2017 | News
An Australian campaign is inviting women to ‘Get Hairy’ in February and raise funds by being sponsored to let all their body hair grow throughout the month. Funds raised will be raised for the Full Stop Foundation. This supports Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia, which provide counselling and support services for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
“Take one month out of your normal leg and underarm shaving routine, challenge expectations, raise money to help eliminate violence against women and find out why a little fuzz feels like freedom”, say the organisers.
The ‘no shave’ campaign is open to supporters around the world. It is “for everyone but we’re particularly asking people who identify as female and gender non-binary to let their hair grow, alongside their femininity”, explains the campaign’s FAQ. “Everyone can sign up and everyone can donate.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNmWbGhlog6/
As well as raising funds its organisers are also spreading the message questioning expectations and standards of hair on a woman’s legs and underarms.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNmWf3SFOmz/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP8SxdMl1RQ/?taken-by=gethairyfebruary
On the Get Hairy February giving page (which uses the Raisley giving platform) 426 participants have so far donated, with the largest sum donated so far $605. The target for the first year of the campaign is $10,000.
Australia is the home of another fundraising campaign involving not shaving for a month, namely Movember, which 10 years ago was expanding internationally to six more countries.
However, Get Hairy February campaign Director Alex Andrews points out that the campaign is different to Movember. She told ABC News:
“It’s acceptable for men to grow seedy moustaches in workplaces around the country, but would it be as acceptable for women to do the same with their armpit and legs hair in the warmer months of February?
“Movember is culturally embedded now, it is seen as fun and easy… But women’s hair has an inflammatory response, it’s confronting.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP8nHhWlG_V/?taken-by=gethairyfebruary
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.