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Female body hair - yes or no?

Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Politics
Forum Description: The politics of Hair is a slippery slope...
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8801
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 9:38pm


Topic: Female body hair - yes or no?
Posted By: uzma
Subject: Female body hair - yes or no?
Date Posted: November 02 2003 at 1:45pm
Why is hair on female bodies (eyebrows, lashes and scalp apart) so undesireable?

Is a women in her natural state repulsive? Or is she more desireable if she exaggerates her difference from males?

Why does the media/culture send strong messages for women (and increasingly men) to depilate body hair?

Is the cosmetics industry seeking to make us develop a negative body image in order to create a market for its products?

I have removed my body hair since puberty. Most of my girl friends in the U.K have done the same. However, I have family in Germany and Italy, who do not have the same depilation drives as we do.

I am thinking of letting my body hair grow this winter and see what kind of responses I get from people. Will I turn men off? Will I be subjected to ridicule?

What do you think about this issue…… if you are a woman – what do you do? If you are a man – are you disgusted by hair on women’s bodies?
Why?

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Uzi




Replies:
Posted By: BaldJasmine
Date Posted: November 02 2003 at 7:11pm
Hello Uzma. Great topic!

Of course there is a commercial aspect to women shaving their legs, or people removing hair elsewhere on their bodies. Someone is making money off of all of these shaving gels and creams, razors, hair removal products,etcetra.
I don't begrudge them advertising and selling their products however. They have that right in a free society.
Look at it this way; there are really only a few things humans need to survive; food, clothing,shelter, some medical care, we need some transportation, a few other things, that's about it.
Much of what people purchase we really don't need to exist.
Do people really need to buy tickets to go to concerts or sporting events? Do we need VCR's or DVD's. Do we need jewelry or candy or hair products or razors and shaving cream, or even for that matter much furniture? The answer is no.

But what if people quit spending money on the many things that we don't really need to survive. The economy would go under and unemployment would be over 50%. Society would be plunged into poverty. Then social chaos and violence would occur.
So of course the beauty industry, including getting women to shave their legs, is a bit of a scam, but since it creates jobs and keeps the economy going, I don't think it is a bad thing in and of itself.
I don't mean to be a mindless advocate of consumerism but I've lived in neighborhoods with high unemployment as a child, and it was not a good environment and there was far too much idleness, drug use and violence.


Having said all of that Uzma, to me some of it is custom or culture.
Why do women in some parts of Africa shave their heads but not their legs, where as those of us ladies in the western countries usually do just the opposite?
Why, until the 20th century did most men in the western world grow beards, and that is still true in some parts of the world, but now most men shave their face in the western world?
Cultural norms or fashion trends explain part of it I'm sure.

I actually like shaving my legs and underarms. To me it is not negative at all, just the opposite! It is to me a little ritual I do, the same with putting on my makeup and earrings. To me it is a little feminine ritual. I like shaving after I take a shower. The years I shaved my head I enjoyed that too. I like the ritual of shaving and the feel of smooth skin.
I don't mind men with beards if their beards aren't too harsh and bristly, but I don't like stubble on a man's face. I prefer that he have smooth skin.
Smooth skin is nice to the touch, whether on a man's face or a woman's legs.
It's a good feeling.
Am I brainwashed by commercial culture? I don't think so because I've thought about it and choose of my own free will to shave my legs.

Thanks for the topic Uzma.

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