Dear Shivani,
Here’s your transaction summary.
Receipt No. BH13-U-20230727-019659
Threading - Upper Lip $15.00
GST Reg No. 199601821N
Date: 8th September, 2020
Wow! You look so much better without that moustache. We appreciate that you made use of our services, as we are in the business of perpetuating young brown girls’ insecurities. We are deeply sorry it was so painful that you had to take a ten minute break in between to take a few deep breaths and wipe your tears, however, most of our clients get used to it eventually. In fact, they usually end up frequenting our company more and more often. We hope to see you again soon. Strip LTD. is having a summer sale with 20% off on all body treatments such as brazilian wax, arm and leg wax, laser hair removal, sugaring, electrolysis, and chemical depilation. Since you have completed facial threading, we suggest your next step may be waxing your arms and legs. We want to make you feel truly beautiful!
Here is your appointment summary (history included):
This was your first time threading. Even though you’re in 8th grade now, the taunts from the boys in your 4th grade class still clamour in the back of your mind, reaching out their claws to the front every so often. Oh my god, you’ve got more leg hair than me–a moustache too. You look like a bear! Are you sure you’re really a girl? You don’t remember what you responded, only that you felt tears prick your eyes and swallowed the lump in your throat. Don’t let the tears fall, don’t let them see how hurt you are. When you got home that day, after google searching on your iPod the most affordable hair removal hair processes, you begged your mum to let you make this appointment, but she said no. There’s no need, you’re only 9 years old, body and facial hair is just natural, she asserted. She doesn’t understand that “natural” isn’t pretty. So you waited a few years, ignoring the insults darted your way and avoiding any mirror in sight. You rolled your eyes when you overheard the white girls in your class complaining about “having to shave”. You envied them so, because how could they say that when their light blonde wisps were barely even visible, compared to the dark, thick locks that stained your whole body? When you were finally allowed to make the appointment at the bright age of thirteen, you were so eager that you arrived 20 minutes early and sat anxiously in the waiting room. Countless ads for different hair removal processes featuring beautiful women covered the white walls, another reminder of what you would soon hope to look like. When the therapist called you inside, you lay down on the purple bed, eyeing the polyester thread she held over your face. She twisted it several times, and then got to work. The thread rolled over your upper lip, pinching your skin and removing the ghastly unwanted hair from the root, though not without extreme amounts of pain. When you came out, eyes tinged red from the tears, you still managed to smile! At least the hair was gone, for now. Not a bear, just a girl.
Dear Shivani,
Here’s your transaction summary.
Receipt No. ST13-U-20240730-029795
WAX - Full Arm, Full Leg $30.00
GST Reg No. 199601821N
Date: June 2nd, 2020
Congratulations on your first time waxing your body, a truly momentous occasion! Fortunately, this is the first of many appointments you will schedule with us. Now that you have completed your arms and legs, we suggest your next step be waxing your navel–you don’t want that trail of hair showing when you wear bikinis or crop tops. Additionally, we sincerely apologise for the red bumps on your skin. They should fade within 24 hours, and then your skin will be smooth as a baby’s butt! We also deeply regret the pain it caused you, but the truth is that beauty is pain. All that makes you dirty is gone now. We recommend no swimming, exfoliating, exercising, suntanning, hot water baths, saunas, tight clothing or deodorant, for the next 24 hours in order to let your skin heal. Your heart, however, is a different story. We would advise not looking in the mirror for too long as this will cause severe overthinking.
Here is your appointment summary (a detailed recall of the excruciating pain):
This was your first time waxing. When you walked into the small brightly lit room, the therapist stayed outside and instructed you to remove your clothes, save for your bra and underwear. You felt naked, exposed, even with them on. You lay down on the flat purple bed, the clean, sanitised scent wafting through the air. When she came back inside, she prepared all the necessary tools: the hot wax, the sheet paper, a tweezer, and lotion. You felt like a strange specimen under a microscope, the therapist a scientist about to experiment on you. Temperature OK lah?, she asked after she touched the roller to your skin. Even though it felt like fire licking up your arm, you closed your eyes and nodded meekly as she brought the paper up to the sticky area. 1..2..3… The feeling of long strands of your hair being ripped out made you scream in pain, unable to contain the visceral reaction even in front of a stranger; the lady was very obviously startled, but you told her it was fine, it was just your first time, to keep going, that you just wanted to get this over with. You wondered what your ancestors would think seeing you like this, stripping away something so indicative of your South Asian identity. Dark hair against fair brown skin. By the end of it, you were a blotchy-faced, swollen-eyed sobbing mess. You looked like an idiot. You probably traumatised that poor lady and made her want to quit her job. You’re sure she’s never experienced a client as hysterical as you. But hey, at least the hair on your arms and legs is no more! Only delicate caramel skin. You look into the mirror and feel a twinge of excitement when your image looks back: the smooth, hairless feminine ideal (for now, at least).
Dear Shivani,
Here’s your transaction summary.
Receipt No. ST10-U-20230606-027299
Wax - Full Arm, Full Leg, Underarm, Navel,
Threading - Upper Lip $200.00
GST Reg No. 200507925C
Date: Jul 27, 2023
We are so grateful for your monthly contributions to our company over the years. For this, we have decided to reward you with a $500 package which you will redeem each time you book an appointment. We look forward to seeing you next month, and the month after that, and the month after that, for years to come. Better yet, come twice a month! Investing thousands of dollars in your outward appearance is a great way to spend your time, money, and energy. We promise you will not regret it. Perhaps you would be interested in our thermal face lift or rosebud rejuvenation services…
Here is your appointment summary (much less dramatic now):
You knew the drill. After all, you should consider that you have been visiting us once a month for the past four years. The taunts have stopped, people don’t really pay attention to you, hairy or not. But you still keep coming back to us. You know there are plenty of girls who don’t partake in any form of hair removal, and you don’t think any differently of them. But you just can’t stop. The therapist, as efficient as ever, prepared the tools, all familiar now. The silver glint of the tweezer prepared to take out the stubborn strays, the humming of the wax warmer in the background, the coconut smell of the post-wax lotion. You didn’t flinch this time, just closed your eyes and tried to divert your attention elsewhere. It still hurt, of course, and it always will a little bit, but you’re used to it now. A total champ! Afterwards, you dressed quickly and smiled at yourself in the mirror. Not a bear, just a girl.