U.S. culture emphasizes value and character judgments based on appearances—to the extent that some people define themselves primarily by their appearances. Gender roles fall under this category as arbitrary regulations exist for clothing, mannerisms, and even hair. After considering these established expectations, I decided to conduct a little social experiment: I was going to stop shaving.

In the first week or two not much transpired between me and those around me—I assume their lack of reaction came from thinking I just skipped a couple of days of shaving out of laziness. As the weeks progressed and my legs became hairier, though, I received increased feedback; some friends were encouraging of my decision, while others were eager for the experiment to end. The circle of people who approved or disdained grew as I attended classes and went to social events.

As I continued with the experiment, I researched the history behind shaving. Razors were initially just for men to use on facial hair; however, when razor sales decreased, the bourgeois capitalist marketers devised a plan. An ad in Harper’s Bazaar magazine in May of 1915, titled “Summer Dress and Modern Dancing,” displayed a woman with shaved armpits—preempting the argument that women don’t need to shave. Although initially shocking, by the end of 1917 the campaign seemed to work and razor sales doubled as women began to purchase them, seemingly succumbing to new definitions of aesthetically pleasing and feminine.

My experiment expanded as I considered more hair-centric expectations on men and women, moving from the body to the head. I was nervous, but determined, and shaved my head. Reactions to this change were exponentially more dynamic and I was regularly critiqued on my decision. In the meantime, I adopted simpler clothing styles and stopped wearing the already limited makeup and jewelry that I owned. People assumed much about my personality, priorities, and identity based on these changes, further fueling my theories about perception and motivation behind cultural norms.

I started this experiment in 2011—since then, the experiment transformed into a lifestyle. Plenty have heard the old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover;” and yet appearance has become one of our primary bases of comparison for character. I have a dream that one day people will be judged on the content of their character.