Hair Removal
Q. What were your reasons for removing your body hair?
Because my friends did and they told me to. Wanting to fit in. ~ Alice, 16, ENG.
Everyone around me was shaving and so I became self-conscious about my own body hair. ~ Genevieve, 20, NZ.
Why do we shave at first - I remember being bombarded with expectations from mainstream society showing smooth sleek skinny unreal women. Maybe it starts with Barbie dolls? Perhaps we could commission a really cute hairy beauty as a soft toy! ~ Ruth, 40, Australasian.
It was just part of growing up. You just did it to be proper. ~ Ellyn, USA.
I shaved because I was 12 and it was just something you HAD to do, I never even contemplated not shaving, that was just waaaayyyy to “gross”. I don’t think I even thought women could not shave, I just assumed you had to, end of discussion. ~ Madie, 16, AUS
I was young and thought that’s what you did; I though smooth legs were more beautiful than hairy ones. ~ Kate, 36, AUS.
Personal perception of aesthetics. This is something I wanted for me. Note I don’t care much whether other people shave or not, I tend to take them as I find them and “hairiness” has little effect on the outcome (so long as people control body odour and maintain cleanliness). Rather than hairiness being the issue, what I don’t find attractive is the odour of perspiration. If there was any “pressure” towards shaving and maintaining the shaved state, it was because of an aversion to hairy unkempt bearded males who often failed to maintain adequate body hygiene and whose odour of stale perspiration I found unpleasant. ~ Anonymous, 57.
Everyone was doing it – I was a teenager at the time. My mum was angry about me doing this, even though she shaved. I shaved my legs and sometimes under my arms. ~ Laurene, 54, AUS.
I was 11 when I first started shaving, and still young at heart; I didn’t even really think about it- I had developed quite a lot of hair before many of the other girls, and felt embarrassed in front of them ‘revealing’ myself. My mum suggested I shave, and it just seemed ‘the thing to do’, I didn’t even consider whether I would ‘like’ either option, or that there was a choice. I simply believed that women were ‘supposed’ to shave. ~ Jo, 18, ENG
I was at high school and everyone else was doing it so I felt I had to, to fit in, plus I felt people would think I’m a bit of a freak if I didn’t…. I still feel a bit like people will think I’m a freak but it doesn’t bother me as much anymore. It did stop me from being picked on… well, I’m assuming if I didn’t shave I would have been picked on quite a lot. I started to remove hair later than most girls, but being Asian I had very dark hair and it was more noticeable, and there had defiantly been comments in the past and I’m sure I over heard people saying things about me, but that could just be paranoia, so I guess yes it address them. ~ Pavan, 22, ENG
Initially because everyone else was… I was form one and mum wouldn’t let me as she said it would grow back even thicker and darker than before (which thankfully it hasn’t really seemed to!), so I did it sneakily. ~ Christine, 20, NZ
I first shaved because it was scratchy and I got a rash from it. ~ Amanda, 18, UK
As an experiment. ~ Vulnerome, 27, UK .
I was a competitive swimmer, so I started earlier than I think is usual. We were encouraged to start shaving our legs around 10. ~ Mandy, 29, USA
I have very hairy arms and was self-conscious about them. I now don’t mind them any more (or, at least, not very much) and no longer remove the hair from them. ~ CF, 36
I was at a friends house & the other girls were doing it. More ‘peer encouragement’ than peer pressure. ~ Faye, 29, ENG |
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Being Hairless
Q. Do you have any comments about your experience of hairlessness?
Women who no longer remove their body hair say:
Itchy (stubble). ~ Alice, 16, ENG.
I hated shaving, not that I actually thought of stopping to begin with. But I just didn’t like having to do it. It looked so horrible and unfeminine; the stubble that kept coming through, and how you could never really get CLOSE enough. It left my armpits looking like they’d been through some serious burns (shaving rash) which also made me feel wary of displaying my underarm anyway. ~ Jo, 18, ENG
I liked the way my legs looked but it was a pain in the neck and I sometimes resented the time it took. I also cut myself from time to time which wasn’t fun. Shaving my under arms was a different matter – it stung when I wore deodorant. Made me not want to do it. ~ Laurene, 54, AUS
Shaving itches, hurts and is just generally annoying and a total waste of time! I felt so much more self-conscious when I shaved than when I didn’t. ~ Madie, 16, AUS
Well to be honest I thought it was a bit of a pain In the ass, removing hair. It was a pointless exercise, it soon grew back. At the time I think it probably helped me feel ‘normal’, and isn’t that what every teenager wants? ~ Pavan, 22, ENG
Women and girls who continue to remove their hair say:
I like the way smooth skin feels. ~ Mandy, 29, USA
I liked the way it felt after shaving for the first time, smooth and silky, however, the stinging and itching of razorburn was not so much fun! ~ Amanda, 18, UK
Grown up, feminine and so soft! ~ Kath, 33, AUS
The first time I ever shaved my nether regions I felt ‘naked’ and child-like… didn’t like it but don’t mind now. ~ Christine, 20, NZ
Very strange: unnaturally smooth. ~ CF, 36
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Interpretations of Hairless Women
Q. In your opinion, what message(s) does a hairless female body give?
Women who don’t remove their body hair say:
That you’re one of the mob – a “girl.” ~ Laurene, 54, AUS
Someone with too much time on their hands! ~ Genevieve, 20, NZ
"I’m a woman. I’m feminine." ~ Madie, 16, AUS
Those creepy ones that I mentioned above – that women aren’t allowed to be grown up, to be beyond puberty. ~ Kate, 36, AUS
I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it, but I guess it’s popularly associated with attractiveness… as for me? I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about, I assume it’s the norm. ~ Pavan, 22, ENG
Women who remove their body hair say:
My own shaved body gives me a message of smoothness and non- bristliness: feelings I happen to like. ~ Anonymous, 57
I think a shaved body gives out no different a message than unshaved, because for the most part you can't see whether it's shaved until you get up close ~ Amanda, 18, UK
It seems to give the message of youth, beauty and femininity. ~ Kath, 33, AUS
Clean, hygienic, smooth. ~ Vulnerome, 27, UK
"I look after myself and respect myself; I am feminine" ~ Emily, 18, ENG
Depends on the location. A completely shaved pubis, to me, seems immature and slutty - pornographic. Shaved legs, however, are glossy and beautiful. ~ Mandy, 29, USA
Men say:
“I conform... I love my body.... I want to be noticed...” – Tim, 24, Aus |
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Deciding to Stop Shaving
Q. Explain why you stopped shaving.
I became lazy, and my boyfriend said I didn’t have to. ~ Alice, 16, UK
Truth was I was always missing bits, so I'd never have really smooth legs. If I tried going over parts I would get irritations and then I couldn't shave the irritated skin for a couple of days so it would be irritated and thick with stubble, making me more self-conscious than ever before! ~ Genevieve, 20, NZ
I know it doesn’t take too much time, but I would rather spend that time on other things and I hated feeling obligated to shave. ~ Ellyn, USA.
It was a real pain!!! And one of my brother’s girlfriends (who was a bit of a hero of mine) didn’t shave her legs/underarms and I thought, “If she doesn’t, why should I??” ~ Kate ,36, Australasian
Legs – time – and getting past worrying what other people were doing. Underarms – it hurt. ~ Laurene, 54, AUS
It was getting really time-consuming. ~ Bianca, 17, Hong Kong SAR
Basically because I was lazy and a growing feminist, I tried not shaving for a while and never looked back. I decided I like how it felt and that it really was a stupid thing to spend so much time and energy on. ~ Madie, 16, AUS
I am lucky enough to have the most beautiful, caring, and down to earth boyfriend in the world! His name is Sam; and he actually asked me to stop shaving, he complained of how it was damaging my skin, and how he thought it looked strange that I had no hair there. I was about 16 at the time, and a bit more independent in thought and more open minded. I wasn’t at all taken aback by the idea, I just remember feeling it odd that I'd never tried it myself. So I did. ~ Jo, 18, ENG
As I said above, I felt it was a somewhat pointless exercise... that paired with being quite lazy I guess! I’m joking on the last point, I don’t see why I should have to. Does it make me a better person? Hell no, it makes no difference really, I just can’t wear sleeveless tops, but it’s a personal sacrifice so I guess that’s something I just have to bear. My religious beliefs also played part in my decision, but to be honest I had stopped shaving way before I viewed religion with any value. ~ Pavan, 22, ENG
I sometimes don’t shave for days to weeks at a time due to the lack of effort I can be bothered putting in. ~ Christine, 20, NZ
I don’t like the way my legs itch when I have shaved or the way my armpits seem to sweat more when I have shaved them. ~ Faye, 29, ENG
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Being Hairy
Q1. Explain how you felt when you stopped shaving.
Amazingly liberated. ~ Madie, 16, AUS
I liked how baths took less time, and was annoyed that hair grew back thicker than before. ~ Alice, 16, ENG
At first it was kind of normal. In winter nobody really goes to much effort. Nobody really noticed until the summer, and by then I was adamant there was no point doing something weird and unnatural to my body in order to fit in and appeal to boys, I knew I already appealed with my bright eyes and dazzling smile ;-) and making such a stand actually made me cooler because I was going against the trend... if that makes sense... maybe it was just my ego inflating... ~ Genevieve, 20, NZ
I haven’t entirely. I just skip the days (often times adding up into months) when I don’t feel I have time to put up with societal demands. ~ Ellyn, USA
Relieved, and a bit daring/rebellious. I was the only girl at school who didn’t shave her legs and it made me different, but in a good way. ~ Kate, 36, AUS
Fine – it wasn’t an issue. Later, when I discovered feminism, I was ahead of the game. So much about feminism I found validating – this was one of those times I guess. ~ Laurene, 54, AUS
Hairier, but less uncomfortable. ~ Bianca, 17, Hong Kong SAR
After growing my hair for around 2 months, I already knew I liked it. I couldn’t stop looking at it. It actually made me feel much more of a woman than before. I felt maternal too, and definitely more sexy. I was BALANCED out now! Sam loved it; and the longer I grew it, the more attached I became. I smelt more natural, and felt more natural. I found it very liberating, and decided to become permanently hairy. ~ Jo, 18, ENG
At times I feel self conscious about it, but as I said it’s self inflicted so I guess it’s a bit silly. I find it difficult to find clothes to wear when I’m on nights out as not many long sleeved or even partially sleeved tops are available for girls my age and size. They are all for old women or size 12+ (this is just a personal gripe though). To be honest not shaving doesn’t really effect my life, the only time I really think about it is when other people may see it, I still feel quite self conscious about that as I kind of expect them to point and go ‘errgh’, but I don’t care enough to shave. It’s a matter of principle I guess, I don’t see why I should have to hack bits off part of my body just to fit in with what people think I should be. ~ Pavan, 22, ENG
Hairy. Lol. Umm… I know if I am planning on going somewhere (like ‘out’) with my legs showing I’ll shave them, but I happily cruise around in shorts without shaving. However my hair is light and fairly fine and hard to see anyway. ~ Christine, 20, NZ |
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Q2. What differences have you noticed since you stopped shaving (in people around you & in yourself)?
I have stopped caring about other parts of my appearance, and spend more time on who I am, rather than how I look. ~ Alice, 16, UK.
Every now and then I catch a brief petrified look on someone's face when I lift up an arm. Guys don't really notice until we have sex and even then they don't notice my legs (once again, they're too taken in by my bright eyes and dazzling smile!) I don't think I smell too bad. I show my legs a lot more now than I used to, partially from moving to a warmer climate, and partly because I don't think anyone really cares if my legs are hairy or not except for me. ~ Genevieve, 20, NZ.
I’ve been doing this long enough that I don’t notice any difference in myself, other than occasional embarrassment. I do know that it makes others uncomfortable and have heard friends talking about other girls who don’t shave as making them uncomfortable. Because of this, I don’t really publicise my choice not to shave and do it on occasions that require me to show my legs (like wearing a swimming suit or a dress). ~ Ellyn, USA.
It’s been so long now that I don’t notice anymore. I do feel more myself though. I adopted the attitude that “this is me… take it or leave it” and I have to say that my sex life hasn’t really suffered. So I have always felt that I’m meeting the world on MY terms rather than trying to match up to others’ ideals. And that’s extended into other areas of my body image too. And I have to say that my husband loves it – he says that it’s incredibly sexy when a woman is just herself and is really comfortable with that. ~ Kate, 36, AUS.
None really – occasionally people will comment on my hairiness but less so as I get older. I think that’s just a part of the invisibility of people as they age. ~ Laurene, 54, AUS.
Less self-conscious and more confident. ~ Bianca, 17, Hong Kong SAR.
I actually happen to be quite hairy on a scale of hairiness, and found it embarrassing taking my jumper off, to have tufts of hair poking out. Most people react in shock (whether out loud or not) I have actually had a surprisingly good reception overall, and not too many nasty comments. But at the age I am and attending college, many of the females and males around me are still very narrow minded and immature, and I knew that if I just relaxed about it; some people would decided to make my life a misery. So I try my best to keep myself to myself. But I’m not really bothered out in the mainstream public. Most of my friends are male (shared with Sam) and they all reacted surprisingly well; I mean, we all started out as a very open minded, non- judgmental group of people anyway (I didn’t expect any mean comments) but people were surprisingly supportive of my decision, and totally fine with it. They all got used to it really quickly, and no one proclaimed that they thought it was gross or anything. It actually prompted some interesting discussions. ~Jo, 18, ENG
None really, to be honest most people I know don’t know that I don’t shave, they have no reason to know. 3 other friends don’t remove hair, 2 before me and 1 after, though I have to say their thoughts had nothing to do with me stopping, I didn’t actually realise they had stopped until after I had stopped. Friends that don’t know, I can imagine if they found out they’d find it pretty weird. ~ Pavan, 22, ENG
Most people find it totally gross. My pits have been described as “rank” “disgusting” and “feral” and I’ve been told that no man will ever want me. Then again I’ve also had people say they wish they were brave enough to do it, so it evens out. Some of my friends have requested I wear t-shirts when we go out, and I do, but it doesn’t mean I’m ashamed, for me it respects the fact that thy aren’t comfortable with my choices, eventually they’ll get over it. ~ Madie, 16, AUS
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