Lets Discuss How Women Got Duped Into Shaving.

Greeting ATS.

Hair removal from the body is nothing new. Apparently there is a lot of evidence that ancient civilizations partook in the removal of body hair, Egyptians being one of those. However, the modern conspiracy goes as follows:

The Great Underarm Campaign.

Razor companies (Such as gillette) Wanted to expand their market in order to make more profit (Why else?) This coincided with a development in 1915's fashion - The sleeveless dress. The safety razor was invented in 1901, so shaving became easier and safer. In an article by Harper’s Bazaar, they advertised the sleeveless dress and insisted that in order to wear it you had to get rid of "Objectionable Hair" Oh, you mean that natural stuff under a woman's arms? Okay. You win.

Woman began shaving their underarms in order to wear sleeveless dresses. Im sure they looked wonderful! But what about the legs? As fashion progressed throughout the decade's, women's skirts became shorter and shorter - Thus women also started shaving their legs.

Not a problem right? Well many women suffer from problems such as:

In-Growing Hair: Ingrown hairs cause inflammation, leading to redness, itching and raised bumps corresponding to the affected hair follicles.

And

Razor Bumps - Small, tender raised bumps that look almost like a rash.

Not to mention, Shaving can be such a chore. Anyhow.

A couple months ago i met a girl who didnt shave her legs or underarms - I was almost repulsed by the very thought. Since the age of around 13 ive shaved my underarms and legs in order to tow the line and be accepted by my peers as normal, so to come across a girl, around the same age, was.. interesting. I had this view in my mind that she would be as hair as a guy, yano what i mean?
What i found most surprising is that... It wasn't so bad. Wasn't at all what i was expecting. Her underarms looked fine. A bit of hair, big wow lol

Currently in a phase of my life of wanting to experience and experiment with things, so for the past 2 months i haven't shaved my underarms. I don't think i could go without shaving my legs because the truth is, i like them shaved. Im lucky enough to not suffer any problems from shaving - Just the fact that its a chore im not assed with sometimes

Here are two pictures of my underarms after 2 months (Oh yes, being very brave, im sure this will come back to haunt me!)



Since not shaving:
- I have not felt like i am sweating any more or any less than usual.
- I have not been repulsed by the site of my own body hair.
- I have not worn a sleeveless top in public (lol)
- Have actually found that i cant bring myself to shave my underarms because i know i'll have to start maintaining them again
- My most recent partner did not have a problem with my "objectionable hair"

Now, i created this thread mainly so i could get the opinions of women. I am in no way advocating that you should abandon your razors, there's nothing wrong with a bit of gardening. Shaving my legs does make me feel... better, for lack of a better word
I would like to know how many of you suffer from razor bumps and ingrowing hairs and yet STILL continue to shave? Do you feel like you had a choice when it came to how you should take care of yourself? Or were you just trying to fit into your peer group like me?

Is there any woman here willing to take on the challenge of not shaving for a month?

And to all the guys: The general consensus is that you are repulsed by a woman having body hair, that's why this thread is mainly after the opinion of women - The women that have to go to ridiculous lengths to groom themselves because its unacceptable if they don't

Mods please move if you feel this thread is in the wrong place, however i feel that shaving is a social construct, pressured by society to make women more "feminine" - Better able to fit into the prescribed gender roles (Which are fake and unnatural)

reply to post by SearchLightsInc


I'm in the weird part of ATS again

Interesting read

S&F

Edit: Pictures from status of hair growth taken from other body regions will be highly appreciated

I agree with you.

But I can say that nothing is better than smooth shaven women.

So for me it is a paradox.

S n f

it's kinda like a tatoo I guess

if you can hide it during a job interview, do what you want !

You're a brave soul for posting this, even braver for the armpit pic! Quite frankly, I'm amazed at all the "maintenance" that's now considered standard. I wonder what's next. Honestly, there's not much left except maybe my head and my eyebrows! I'm lax on shaving during the winter months. It's a little more insulation if I don't, right?. I don't think I could go without shaving though. There would be sasquatch sightings here! LOL!.

I am trying to nix some social pressures on women and I am not dying my hair. It's a constant battle of what is real and what is vanity.

Hairy women are a no no

I dont think id be happy if my gf stopped shaving

Long story short from a male perspective ?

You want sex ?

Shave your armpits

Simples

Cody

I have shaved since i was a teenager, under arms and legs. I played a lot of sport so i shaved my legs to conform with society. I find the job of shaving such a chore and very time consuming. After shaving i would get razor burn on my legs which didnt look very nice and could be itchy.

I have been so fed up with shaving my legs that for the last few months i havent bothered. The hairs on my legs are between 1 and 2 cm long, and i am blonde so the hair doesnt show. My legs are spot and rash free, the hair is soft and in these winter months my legs havent got so cold. My skin on my legs feel in a really good condition.

I have still been shaving my under arms. I was thinking this was best for hygine reasons.

Now you know my personal secrets.....

The only issues I have with shaving (men or women) is the removal of scent collecting hair.

I mean, if worse came to worse and without bathing or soaps, could YOU honestly find your own partner or child in a dark room by smell??

Unless you have in deep memory the smell of your family members 'unbathed' and their own particular scent it would be impossible.

This would have been easy hundreds of years ago, but most of us aren't apt to do so today. This is not a good thing if (not only) our food is compromised (by actual scent, via GMO changes) but our own bodies because of the excess of shaving, shampoos, soaps and perfumes.

I dunno, we are animals afterall, no other animal would go out of it's way to rid of it's own ability to sense both mating preferences or danger in the way we do. Not to mention health, you can (animals can, we know that by science) sense ill health or even a tumor of another by their smell. We perhaps did have this ability also, and did so to choose a healthy mate. Wearing perfume, overly-perfumed soaps, makeup, deoderant etc removes these abilities. Perhaps this is part of the reason for the high percent of divorces in civilized societies, we marry people that we assume we like upon false pretense (initial smell/looks) and our innate intuition is thrown off, we are being evolved to NOT use these predictable, life-saving, perfect mate choosing abilities.

Originally posted by cody599
Long story short from a male perspective ?

You want sex ?

Shave your armpits

Simples

Cody

Just the pits?....

Isn't shaved armpits...and to a lesser extent shave legs....pretty much a US thing?
I could be wrong and it's North America....not just the US.

But, I was of the impression unshaved was much more common in the EU.

Personally, I don't mind the pits with hair.
But, shaved legs are a must....I don't like the look at all. Even if it is a pain in the butt to maintain.

Personally I don't like anything fake on a woman. If my wife didn't want to shave or wanted a bald head it wouldn't change my feelings for her. She already doesn't wear makeup and is beautiful to me.

I don't suffer razor bumps or ingrown hairs and don't know a lot of women that do. Razor bumps generally occur on those with naturally curly hair such as African-americans more than caucasions but even then I've heard that a top of the line Alpha-hydroxy cream or cortizone can help prevent them if used regularly.

Ingrown hairs are fairly easy to combat. Simply soften up the area before you shave such as waiting for about 5 minutes while taking a shower. That should completely eliminate the problem.

As for actually shaving, well its a cultural thing now and I frankly find that I feel much cleaner and more feminine after shaving. I don't think I would feel comfortable being around men knowing that I am disgusting to a lot of them, it would just depress me.

In societies women, as well as men, have always had certain roles to play, its just how they develop and at certain times certain things are attractive and others are not. I've no idea how these ideas develop or sustain themselves but they do.

If you feel like bucking the trend then I say more power to you but even if having body hair was all of a sudden the "in" thing I still would shave because I like the feeling of having soft smooth skin and not body hair.

Personal preference I suppose.

As I dude I have in the past shaved my “objectionable pubic hair”

In a word….

Itchy.

but girls it could be worse you could have to take sharp blades to your face everyday....

So I really don’t blame women for not shaving but aesthetically it is much more pleasing not to have that objectionable public hair.

I have had bad experienced with pubic hair, lets just say it wasn’t my own hair but it left me psychologically scared. So I think shaving is best.

you think you have it bad, I shave every day, and I'm a bloke

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Isn't shaved armpits...and to a lesser extent shave legs....pretty much a US thing?
I could be wrong and it's North America....not just the US.

But, I was of the impression unshaved was much more common in the EU.

Nope, even in the EU they shave

As a male, I despise just having to shave my facial hair every few days.

Cant imagine having to do legs and arm-pits every so often as is the norm for women.

My condolences to women on this one.

Originally posted by SilentE

Originally posted by cody599
Long story short from a male perspective ?

You want sex ?

Shave your armpits

Simples

Cody

Just the pits?....

What happens in the bedroom
Stays in the bedroom

Suffice to say AMAZING

Off for a kip

I found this little tidbit while doing a quick research.

Drawings in caves from the stone age, indicate that men of that era pulled the hair from their faces. They did not learn how to cut the hair until about 30,000 BC, when they used flint blades for that purpose. Early man also used the flint blades to cut the skin and then he placed colors to create designs.

From about 3,000 BC, copper blades were made for the cutting of hair in both India and Egypt. For the next few thousand years, many razors have been uncovered from archeological sites. In Denmark, razors with bronze blades and carved handles in leather cases have been found. Alexander the Great started the trend to have short hair and a shaved face. Roman women also started removing hair from their bodies through this period, using creams and drugs and the Roman men shaved every day, usually at the barbershop, if they did not have a servant. Indian men neatly trimmed their facial hair but removed their chest and pubic hairs by shaving. The Indian women removed the hair from their legs with tweezers. Some women removed the hair from their legs by singeing them with a lamp. Roman men were recognized as men after their first shave at age 21. Julius Caesar removes all his facial hairs with tweezers.

ezinearticles.com...

I think the underarms look kind of sexy in that pic, it wouldn't put me off. In a few more months, maybe not.

Hairy legs, not so much.