Talk:Leg shaving

Origins of Women Shaving in Western Culture
Shaving for women actually exploded in western society during WWI. Since many males were now overseas fighting, the sale of razors fell, so the corporations started marketing razors to women. Source: QuickShave.com --Nalos6 01:13, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

??
Some women don't shave in order to be "less environmentally wasteful"?? This requires an explanation! -Branddobbe

Well, shaving cream comes in plastic or metal containers, and those often get thrown out, which creates trash. And the same goes for razors too. Ralphael 22:13, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

"Some women, despite the social pressure for hairless legs in certain Western countries, simply never shave at all. While some refrain out of laziness or lack of concern, others do so consciously as a form of feminist revolt, protesting what they see as an unnatural and repressive societal double-standard. Still others refrain in an effort to be less environmentally wasteful."

while i could see all these reasons for not shaving to be viable, although the environment theory seems a little of a stretch, i think an important reason has been forgotten. i don't know what the best wording might be, but i think a large perecentage of women who don't shave are just being a human - just being natural. you might argue this could fall under "lack of concern", but i think that phrase implies that it should be an issue of concern in a woman's life in the first place. and while i do know women who say they don't shave due to laziness, i still can't help but bristle at that reason. sorry, i don't mean to turn this into a debate, but did want to say that i think being natural is a large reason & i've never written in a discussion here before & apologize if i've done this inappropriately. Vivlemon 07:50, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I am a woman who does not shave out of environmental concern. Raphael is correct in his explaination.24.79.69.34 14:07, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't believe for one minute that women don't shave solely for environmental reasons or to be more "natural". Following that logic, you should also stop bathing, washing your hair and cleaning your teeth, too. That would really save the environment, and it would also be more natural. I'm sure when Homo sapien sapien was walking the Earth 100,000 years ago, they were completely natural: no bathing, no hair washing/brushing, no brushing their teeth, no monogamy, etc. The reason that some women choose not to shave is for reasons of power. They are rejecting the so-called "male-dominated" parameters of what is attractive or beautiful. They are saying, "I will decide what is attractive & beautiful". Which is perfectly fine, you have the right to do that; but don't piss down my back & then tell me it's raining. Don't couch it under the "Mother Earth" or "Mother Nature" guise. If you want respect, be honest about your intentions & take responsibility for your decisions. I think it's a real stretch to say that women who shave have lower self-esteem, than women who don't shave. It is completely natural to want to find a mate. It's called procreation & that's what our species is supposed to do, reproduce. In order to do that, one needs to attract a mate. Even though what is considered attractive or unattractive is culturally based, it's still a natural process. Currently,in my culture, women who shave are considered more physically attractive than women who don't shave. I am living in South America, and I can tell you that women here have a very high self-esteem, but its based around family. Women here want to have a family, and they make themselves as physically attractive as possible in order to find a partner and to have children. They are very clear about their goals, they don't apologize for it, and it isn't spawned from lack of education or ignorance.Thewayofthegunn (talk) 13:45, 12 August 2008 (UTC) thewayofthegunn —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thewayofthegunn (talk • contribs) 13:32, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

I also am a woman who doesn't shave. Environment isn't my main concern, only an added bonus. To me, hair is synonym with adulthood and sexuality, and therefore hair is sexy. I wouldn't feel as sexy, as sexual if I shaved my legs, armpits or other parts of my body. I would feel that my animality, my sexuality has been stripped from me and that I am a doll, an object, and therefore not a person. I also find that you sweat more when you shave. As a teenager I shaved due to social pressure and to hide my sexuality, that I was embarrassed about (like most teenager I assume) and when I stopped shaving after finishing university, I realised I wasn't sweating as much anymore. It makes sense, since the hair regulates transpiration and body heat, which is why body hair grows faster and stronger in summer, when it's most needed. Hair also allows you to keep your body odor, which isn't always a bad thing like people would have you believe. There ARE good body odors, you know. Finally, I can say that I do have a higher self-esteem as a result of not shaving anymore. I don't think a high self-esteem causes you to stop shaving, I think it's the opposite: not shaving can make your self-esteem higher. I don't feel like I have to "make myself" beautiful anymore, to alter myself to be attractive. I feel attractive naturally, the way I am. I still take care of my body, but I don't change, hide it anymore. I feel accepted the way I am, rather than being accepted in an altered, shaved form that I can't take credit for because it's not actually me. Anyway, to sum up, I think environmental concerns CAN be a factor in that decision, even if it probably only rarely is the main one. 77.194.75.4 (talk) 13:52, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, but women with hairy legs have gross-looking legs. --69.132.83.75 (talk) 03:10, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

It's only "gross" because that's been the societal standard. But I'd rather address Thewayofthegunn's comment. You claim that back when we were barbarians, there was "no bathing, no hair washing/brushing, no brushing their teeth, no monogamy" and somehow these things are equated with shaving legs. For a healthy civilisation, there needs to be societal standards pulling the members away from activities that are health hazards. Bathing, hair washing, brushing teeth and monogamy are all condusive to a healthy community, because doing the opposite actions facilitates the spread and development of disease. Shaving legs, on the other hand, has NO good scientific reason to be common practice. It also does nothing for creating healthier babies (as you say, procreation is something we are supposed to partake in as a species). There's no reason other than 1. razor companies wanting to sell more and/or 2. desire to dietize/objectify women ( or otherwise separate them from ordinary humanness) because we as a species, find mysticism AND subjegation sexy. Great way to mix them is push the women towards a mysterious angelicism AND a simple doll-like existance. Leg shaving is just a mild-ish form of this desire spilling into cultural practices. 68.55.22.148 (talk) 06:29, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I am a woman 27 and I do not shave. I feel that shaving makes women look like pre-pubesant girls. I look at how many teen and women's magazines E! network and others present images of women that wear clothing that is too small short child like skirts innocent expressions and yes a doll like presentation. I am continually working on my self esteem. I feel attractive and challenge myself everyday by not caving into the social pressure of shaving. I really do not want someone to be attracted to me first by how sexy and smooth my legs are I want them to enjoy me and themselves in mutual company. It is not easy maintaining a strong sense of personal beauty while mainstream media is so hateful to the natural state of women. If you don't believe me about the hateful watch sex and the city the movie. See how intelligent women judge their friend in a bikini when she doesn't shave her pubic region. The shame based practice of shaving is so pervasive we do not even realize how much it effects us all both men and women. Lquarius (talk) 21:19, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

I am a 24-year-old woman who has chosen to refrain from shaving. I quit two years ago and I'm saving a pretty penny by not purchasing razor blades or shave gels. I'm just sorry it took me so long to stop. I started as soon as I hit puberty and enjoyed it for maybe a year because it's "what women do". After that, it became a burden. I don't know a single person who doesn't like the feel of baby-smooth skin, but as adults, this just isn't natural. You can shave your legs in the morning, and they'll be stubbly again by evening.

I keep hearing the argument that "this is what men want", but what men supposedly want is being decided by the media. If all women decided to stop shaving their legs tomorrow, hetero men would have two options: 1) sulk and never engage in another romantic relationship with a woman ever again, or 2) get over it and recognize that hair is part of being human. I am most inclined to believe that the average man would partake in the latter. The average man probably isn't aware of how oppressive this practice is. After seeing irritation sites on my legs one warm spring day, early in our relationship, my husband told me that he "wouldn't mind" if I stopped shaving. Since I repeatedly complained about how much shaving sucks, he continued to suggest I stop. This is something I WANTED to do (or not do, whichever way you look at it), but society was holding me back. The razor companies want my money, and they're working hard to convince us that hairlessness will "make us feel like a goddess". I'm just sorry that it took my husband and much research to convince myself that leg-shaving is pointless and lacks any physical benefit.

There is one pseudo-benefit of not shaving one's legs that I find utterly insulting because it is very misleading: women who don't shave their legs are less likely to be raped. I can't site the source, but I saw a survey in which random men were asked how likely they were to rape a woman if she had hairy legs, as though the average man is an inherent rapist. How disgusting is that suggestion? Furthermore, rape has nothing to do with sex-appeal, and if it were up to me, I'd ban rape being referred to as sex. Rape is all about undermining another person's power.

In conclusion, not shaving my legs has boosted my confidence, and it's made me feel better for not adding to environmental waste. I'm also not worried that I might have "missed a spot" because I know it's all there. I know the reason for which I've chosen to stop, and I feel sad for the countless women who unquestioningly follow societal norms. If leg-shaving had any bearing on hygiene, men would do it, too, and we would all be shaving our heads bald.

mccojr02 (talk) 08:08, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

Presumably if they did not shave their legs, women would differ enormously in their degree of hairiness, just as men do. (Legs, arms, chest etc - some men are practically hairless, while others are as shaggy as bears.) So if all women went unshaven, men might just go for the least hairy.109.149.27.188 (talk) 23:14, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Cyclists
It says that cyclists shave their legs because an abrasive injury would heal faster. Is it not because they need massages after every race and massaging a hairy leg hurts? -- Pelotas talk  21:03, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

As a massage therapist, I can assure you that leg hair has little to no bearing on a properly administered massage. It only determines the amount of lubrication required to avoid snagging and pulling. Perhaps they shave to cut back on the amount of time it would take for an LMT to apply lubrication to the skin and commence with the massage while competing in a race or marathon.

mccojr02 (talk) 08:16, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

I read or heard somewhere that cyclists shaved their legs so that if a leg has to be put in plaster the plaster can be removed less painfully. I have no idea if this is true.109.149.27.188 (talk) 23:08, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Recently, a wind tunnel test found significant aerodynamic cycling benefit from leg shaving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I 67.189.97.141 (talk) 19:32, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Leg shaving as a sexual role
Why doesn't the article include the fact that some men see shaven legs as being "sexy", and portray a role in sexuality? They may not be neccessarily a sexual part of the body but in recent generations the female legs, especially when shaven, can be seen as being almost a secondary sex characteristic. Just a word of advice, coming from a man.

Magicman710 (talk) 01:48, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

I believe this is being ignored because we are discussing the practical application, or lack thereof, for leg-shaving. Looking at this objectively (or attempting to do so), why would shaven legs have a greater sex-appeal? It's been determined by a few of us that this is a bit disturbing, since leg-hair is part of what separates women from pre-pubescent girls. Finding such a trait attractive doesn't speak well to men.

Also, we've discussed how we're conditioned to believe that women with shaven legs are more sexually appealing than not. It was around WWI when razor companies started targeting women as a demographic, which was a brilliant strategy since it ultimately more than doubled their sales. Conditioning makes all the difference in the world, and we hardly recognize when it's happening to us! Women are also conditioned to believe that they need makeup. How often do you hear the question, "When should girls start wearing makeup?" Or how about, "I was in such a hurry, I didn't even have time to put my makeup on." It is sad that makeup and leg-shaving is such a central part of what makes a woman feel feminine, rather than feeling feminine in her own being.

mccojr02 (talk) 08:27, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

Puerto Rico
I don't know about the rest of Latin America, but males under 30 typically shave their legs in Puerto Rico. Its socially accepted and has no sexual preference associated with it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.171.242.9 (talk) 16:42, 9 February 2010 (UTC)

Non-western cultures
Doesn't this article need a section on non-western and non-modern cultures? I'm no expert, but from casual reading, I think that in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, the general practice was for hair removal, either by shaving, plucking or singeing, and sometimes for both men and women. In the Islamic world I think women generally go for complete removal of body hair. Judging from photographs, the Nilotic tribes of the Sudan also remove body (pubic) hair (unless they are naturally hairless??) I don't know about non-Muslim Indians or the Far East.109.149.27.188 (talk) 23:20, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

History of leg shaving and it's origin in western culture
This Wikipedia page does omit how shaving is not only a sexual role, but it is also a societal norm. Women are expected to be these hairless beings, and perhaps this lack of hair is what further solidifies the dichotomy between the female and male gender. This page talks about how leg shaving became more prevalent after WW1 and asks, what were societal norms for woman and leg shaving prior to that time period? Were women still expected to maintain cleanly shaven legs? or was leg shaving something constructed by the razor industry due to decline in sales because of soldiers overseas? Before WW1 virtually no women shaved their legs, however by 1964 nearly 98% of women started to do so. Although the Wikipedia page alludes to the rise in leg shaving after WW1, it does not mention what exactly prompted women to join this bandwagon of leg shaving and if this societal norm stemmed from a capitalist movement. What happened between that short time frame that caused so much of an increase in women shaving their legs? Someone else mentioned in the talk post that shaving, like makeup is something that is expected of women. I do think that the article has omitted many feminist movements that involve not shaving their legs, even in the talk page there is no discussion of this. This Wikipedia article should omit the women and men headings since it further solidifies the dichotomy between sex, but should instead include headings that focus on the chronological evolution of leg shaving ( world war I, 1960-1980,and present day) and should maybe include a section about how leg shaving is involved in athletics, but should not focus on the gender differences. In addition, this article devotes little space to the topic of women, but a larger space for males, I find this interesting because leg shaving is often seen as a feminine attribute and not a masculine one in western culture. I would have expected much of the article to be designated towards females, however I was wrong. Some suggestions for this wikipedia article is to focus less on the dichotomy between the sexes and should focus on the history of leg shaving and it's practice in sports in both genders. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.65.78.188 (talk) 03:58, 5 November 2014 (UTC)