You learn a lot about people when you’re the only one not drunk at your husband’s holiday work party.

“I’m obsessed with hair removal,” one woman shouts at me across the four person table top that at least eight of us crammed ourselves around.

“Really,” I scream. “You’re obsessed with hair removal?”

The band was playing so loud, you had to yell for the person inches away from you to hear you.

“Me too,” pipes up another lady.

As usual, most of the girls migrated together to chat about the typical topics of babies, working out, and cute clothes, while our boys were bellied to the bar cracking inappropriate jokes, drinking beer, and talking about work.

“Yes, I’m obsessed with it,” the first woman carries on. “I want lasers to remove every hair on my body. Every. Hair.”

“Every. Hair,” I repeat like a parrot.

“Yes. Every. Hair,” she continues. “But until I can laser my arm hair, I’m just shaving it.”

“What do you mean, you’re shaving your arm hair? Your under arm hair,” I scream as the band seems to have taken it up a few decimals.

“No,” she giggles. “I mean my forearm hair.”

“What? You shave your forearm hair,” I say as I choke on a swig of diet coke.

“Yes,” she shouts. “I have for years, that’s why I want laser hair removal.”

“Look at my arms,” I say as I raise my sleeve. “I have hair on my forearms. That grosses you out?”

“Kind of,” she sheepishly smiles.

All the other ladies at the table quickly agree.

“Seriously,” I question. “Forearm hair is gross?”

“It is,” the answer from all the woman crashes over me like a wave.

I was shocked. I had no idea forearm hair was so repulsive. I mean, I’ve never even thought about it.

“So,” I continue to clarify, “You all think I should shave my forearm hair?”

“YES,” all the women reply a little too quickly for my liking.

Here’s the thing, I have never heard of this extreme aversion to forearm hair. And what’s more, I’ve never even noticed whether or not girls have it. I am stunned to learn the blond fur on my forearm is so repulsive and all these ladies either shave it or laser it.

“No woman should have forearm hair,” she says again while nodding no.

And with that, the topic changes to babies and which woman wants to have another one.

And that, my friends, is the stuff you learn at your husband’s holiday work party when everyone is drunk except you.

Just thought I’d share.