The Reading / Listening - Body Hair - Level 5

A TV advert for a razor has created great debate online. The ad shows women shaving real body hair. This seems to be an everyday thing and nothing to write home about - normal TV-ad content. However, it is the first time on U.S. TV that an ad has shown the shaving of actual body hair. For decades, razor companies have aired ads showing women shaving already smooth legs and armpits. There is never a hair in sight. It seems as though the companies want to promote the false image that women have hairless bodies. The new ad by the razor brand Billie has corrected this.

Billie's ad is the first commercial in 100 years that shows women have body hair. All previous ads showed hairless women. Billie showed women shaving hair from their toes, stomachs, armpits, and between their eyebrows. Billie co-founder Georgina Gooley told a magazine that she was shocked at how companies show women to have perfectly smooth bodies. She said: "When brands pretend that all women have hairless bodies, it's a version of body-shaming." She added: "Shaving is a personal choice, and no one should be telling women what to do with their hair."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Body Hair - Level 4 or  Body Hair - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44669002
  • https://www.teenvogue.com/story/billies-new-razor-campaign-shows-off-body-hair
  • https://www.elitedaily.com/p/billies-new-shaving-campaign-is-the-first-to-feature-actual-body-hair-in-its-ads-9592567


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A TV advert
  2. created great
  3. This seems to be an
  4. nothing to
  5. it is the first time
  6. companies have aired
  7. smooth legs and
  8. promote the false
  1. everyday thing
  2. image
  3. ads
  4. debate online
  5. armpits
  6. for a razor
  7. on U.S. TV
  8. write home about

Paragraph 2

  1. the first commercial
  2. All previous ads showed
  3. between
  4. perfectly smooth
  5. pretend that all women have
  6. it's a version of body-
  7. Shaving is a personal
  8. telling women what to
  1. hairless bodies
  2. choice
  3. shaming
  4. hairless women
  5. do with their hair
  6. in 100 years
  7. bodies
  8. their eyebrows

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A TV advert for a razor (1) ___________________ debate online. The ad shows women shaving real body hair. This seems to be an everyday thing and nothing to (2) ___________________ - normal TV-ad content. However, it is the first time on U.S. TV (3) ___________________ has shown the shaving of actual body hair. For decades, razor companies have aired ads showing women shaving already (4) ___________________ armpits. There is never a hair in sight. It seems as though the companies want to promote the (5) ___________________ women have hairless bodies. The new ad by the razor brand Billie (6) ___________________.

Billie's ad is the first commercial (7) ___________________ that shows women have body hair. (8) ___________________ showed hairless women. Billie showed women shaving hair from their toes, stomachs, armpits, and (9) ___________________. Billie co-founder Georgina Gooley told a magazine that she was shocked at how companies show women (10) ___________________ smooth bodies. She said: "When brands pretend that all women have hairless bodies, it's (11) ___________________ body-shaming." She added: "Shaving is a personal choice, and no one should be telling women what to do (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ATVadvertforarazorhascreatedgreatdebateonline.Theadshowswom
enshavingrealbodyhair.Thisseemstobeaneverydaythingandnothing
towritehomeabout-normalTV-adcontent.However,itisthefirsttim
eonU.S.TVthatanadhasshowntheshavingofactualbodyhair.Fordeca
des,razorcompanieshaveairedadsshowingwomenshavingalreadys
moothlegsandarmpits.Thereisneverahairinsight.Itseemsasthought
hecompanieswanttopromotethefalseimagethatwomenhavehairless
bodies.ThenewadbytherazorbrandBilliehascorrectedthis.Billie'sadis
thefirstcommercialin100yearsthatshowswomenhavebodyhair.Allpr
eviousadsshowedhairlesswomen.Billieshowedwomenshavinghairfr
omtheirtoes,stomachs,armpits,andbetweentheireyebrows.Billieco-
founderGeorginaGooleytoldamagazinethatshewasshockedathowco
mpaniesshowwomentohaveperfectlysmoothbodies.Shesaid:"When
brandspretendthatallwomenhavehairlessbodies,it'saversionofbody
-shaming."Sheadded:"Shavingisapersonalchoice,andnooneshoul
dbetellingwomenwhattodowiththeirhair."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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