A Thread Runs Through It

Periodically, I've written about quirky things that catch my eye, when I'm out and about in the city: odd statuary in people's yards, funky stores and neon. One thing I always have my eye peeled for are neon signs where they have taken the time to invest in creating this object that promotes something offbeat, or it's in another language (something I'm seeing more and more of these days,) but my personal favorite is when I find typographical or grammatical errors in glaring glass.

...as in "Oopss."

The last time I posted about this, it threw some of my readers, because it was double-take neon: you had to stop and think for a second about what was wrong. And now we have this:

"We Do Not Woo Woos Thread, But Shiva We Gots"

Last night I found a piece of neon that matched several criteria. Beyond the error of that "s," it struck me as odd (and amusing,) that someone would be putting these words into flashing hot pink, and then there is the whole concept of threading as a means of hair removal--something still not seen that widely in the U.S.

That Troublesome Burka Bikini Line

I had heard about the use of thread to remove hair for some time before I actually experienced it. There came a day, however, when I sought out the work of a company that offered more comprehensive services, and I finally went through the process. I met a woman who was not only masterful at waxing, using the traditional hot wax and muslin strips, but she also had expertise in threading. Because this was an establishment run by Iranians, and perhaps because of what I was seeking, the first question out of her mouth was, "Do you have a boyfriend from Saudi Arabia?" The question puzzled me, but later was clarified by her explanation.

I was told that in many Muslim cultures, or Middle Eastern countries, young girls are taught how to use threading as a means of hair removal, and that this training begins around the age of twelve. It is part of their self-grooming. The practice varies from culture to culture, but for many, the removal of all body hair, prior to a wedding, is a common thing. Once married, this grooming continues. It was explained to me that this is in part for hygiene, in part from religious beliefs, and in part for the pleasure of the man...and the woman. I was also told that some men maintain this practice and that it is di rigeur for many Muslims. Threading is called khite in Arabic, by the way, and fatlah in Egyptian.

"Take That Fatlah And Put It
Where The Sun Doesn't Shine"

Hair removal using thread is achieved this way: taking a long strand of thread, the practitioner holds one end of the cotton thread in her teeth and the other in her left hand. The middle of the thread is looped through the index and middle fingers of the right hand. The person threading then uses the loop to trap a series of unwanted hairs and pull them from the skin. The follicle often comes out with the hair shaft, ensuring a longer time between services where you will need to do this again. If you can envision a yoyo string and that twangy, twisted, bouncing tension it has, the effect is similar. The most common practice involving threading is the shaping of eyebrows, in this country, but I've also seen it done following a traditional waxing, to pick up stray hairs for total grooming.


I was baffled as to how I could go from Abraham Lincoln to woo woo waxing. I was talking to two male friends about this, and they went off. Of course. Men. Laughing. "The Great Emancipator and Emancipation of the Woo Woo." "From Bearded Presidents to Waxed Woo Woo's." "Hair Choices: The Great Divide." "Bush Country." NEVER ask men about this. They both wanted me to use this to close out on the subject:

It's Important To Follow
The Grade Of The Grass