I’m not guaranteeing that I’m going to do this yet. At least not on a permanent, no exceptions basis.
You see, I happen to have a not-hippie-at-all wedding (which will be attended by some very fashion-forward old friends of mine) coming up in a few days and I honestly don’t know if I’ll be brave enough to show up with hairy legs and underarms.
I’ve faced my fear of going makeup free (including mascara) in my day to day life, and have now accepted it. It’s become mostly normal and comfortable to me despite the initial squirmishness about it – and it feels awesome to not have to worry about being done up every day if I don’t want to be. If I want to put some on, fine. If I don’t (which seems to be about 80% of the time), then I don’t.
After facing that fear, my mind has inevitably wandered to the topic of shaving – a generally annoying practice that I upkeep so that I can be accepted by society’s standard of beauty (and the conditioned standard of beauty that I have for myself).
Why do I do it?
Inevitably, I’ve been putting off taking the plunge on the issue because the idea of going against social norms and not shaving is particularly scary – especially because the state of women’s body hair seems to be one of the things that is most acceptable by society to share its explicit opinion on. And that opinion seems to be almost unanimous that the natural body hair on women is gross and offensive.
Therefore, you rarely see anyone out there who goes against that norm. But when I see a woman who does, I think “Wow. That is awesome. She is so brave and strong”. Some of the most beautiful, inspiring women I know do not shave.
Yet, when I look at my own body hair, it freaks me out. I too have been so conditioned that when I see it on myself, I find it a bit revolting. And it scares me that I may be rejected by many people as not being “beautiful” because of a choice to challenge that conditioning in myself and accept and embrace every part of my natural body.
I know the reason I don’t want to stop doing it is because I am terrified of what others think. I’m terrified of strangers calling me a typical disgusting hippie behind my back.
But why does it really matter what other people think – especially if they aren’t really people that I particularly care about? This is the lesson I’m trying to learn – to let go of what other people think of me, and focus more on what I think of me (which is a lesson that can irretrievably be transferred over to dealing with the emotional pain of acne).
All in all, I see this little experiment as a challenge in personal growth. If it scares the s#^* out of you, facing it is probably the thing that will make you grow the most. Hear my thoughts:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L8o0CBEn6o
What are your thoughts on this topic?
— Note: Click on the link below to see how my no-shaving experiment turned out —
Follow Up Day: How My Reiki, and my No-Shaving Experiments Turned Out
103 Responses
I say do whatever makes you feel comfortable. If not shaving is something that you are seriously considering then all you can do is try it out. Take note of how YOU feel about it and weigh the pros and cons about the actual experience instead of your feelings about the possibilities. I def don’t shave my legs as often as most people do but I do keep up with my pits. It makes me sweat more & itches when I don’t shave ’em. Good luck!!!
Hey Tracy,
I didnt know you were getting married? I must have missed something!! Lol.. Unless you meant your attending a wediing.
Its funny you bring up this topic, i too have been thinking of the not shaving thing.. I sometimes go about a week, W/o doing my legs.. But after too long, it growces me out!! I lk the smoothness and texture of my skin after a shave.. As far as underarms, i find more hair= more odor and sweat! Do you have that problem also?
haha sorry, I guess I should have said “attending”… yep, I’m not getting married yet
When I saw the headline for the article, I just thought “no, no Tracy, you’re going too far..” buuut, I really agree with you after hearing your thoughts on it and watching the video. As well as social conditioning, its just the time we live in. Hundreds of years ago, people would have thought a hairless woman odd, and since she would have been different, probably not considered attractive (or at least her hairless-ness). Its kinda funny, I remember reading at some point in history in another country, the men were considered much more attractive the longer their facial hair was… its like someone just decides to start a trend, and then if you don’t follow this new fad, you’re suddenly deemed weird.
I just recently started shaving my legs and under-arms again after around five years of leaving them natural, and you know what? I had the exact same anxieties about starting to shave again as you are having about stopping! I spent a really long time agonizing over whether to take the plunge and shave, wondering what my friends would think (most of my friends don’t shave), worrying that i’d hate it, etc etc. After all that, I’ve come to the conclusion that shaving or not shaving is something that really really doesn’t matter. I don’t think most people even notice, and if they do, who cares?
Plus, there is such a thing as a happy medium! Right now, I shave when I feel like it, sometimes every few days, then I go weeks without. I may even make it seasonal! Like when guys grow a beard for the winter! So I say – give it a go after the wedding and you can always shave it off again later, and don’t be disappointed with yourself if you do! Sometimes you need to phase into these things. Also, it really doesn’t need to be the case of committing yourself to something, the hair will keep growing back, be an intermittent shaver like me!
Can I ask why you decided that you wanted to shave again? Was it just a feeling you had, or a specific event?
Hah! Of course, it actually started with something really stupid… I had been wearing wellies a lot, and they started rubbing the hairs off my legs to create this really mutant-looking hair pattern, like weird circles of hair then bits with none! So it got to the point where There were like, only 2 palm sized bits of hair left, so I gave in. My underarms was a more reluctant choice. Basically, my lifestyle has changed a lot over the last year. This time last year I lived with no electricity, only wood burning stoves and had great big long dreadlocks. Now I am, I guess what some people would call a *bit* more ‘conventional’, plus I had moved from Scotland to France and it’s hotter here, and you know, I just got sick of having horrible sweat patches whenever I left the house. So I guess I only shave now if I want to wear something white or silk or a shirt!
Hey Tracy! I go both ways. Sometimes I go weeks or even a few months with out shaving and then I’ll, for one reason or another, feel the need to go smooth again. I am blonde and for me to go without shaving really isn’t a big deal – the hair is hardly noticeable by anyone but me unless the sun is shining on it. Then it shines and shimmers like nobody’s business. LOL
I say go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? You have long hair all over your legs and under your arms. Big deal, right? Good luck!
sadly i have dark hair, otherwise i would have already stopped shaving.
i have to use an electric shaver because otherwise i get a rash after using deodorant. so either not shaved or not well shaved or smelling or having a rash 😀
now i’ve stopped shaving my pits the 3rd or 4th time 🙂
the last times i’ve started shaving again on bad days, when i thougth i’m ugly and look horrible and don’t wanted to be looked at.
now, in winter, it’s easy but i don’t know what i’ll do if i start to go to the fitness centre again and takeing showers there…i always felt insecure because of my nearly not shaved pubic hair…. 😀
i like my unshaved armpits (as well my boyfriend 😛 )
but society scares me…and it scares me that it matters if little barbies look at me. i should really give a fuck but…thats not easy
Also, like you said , its bout your own choices. But we also have to remember that we aren’t cavemen from thousands of years ago.. I think we should do the things that make us feel good about ourselves. Especially us girls, we like to be pretty! Is it because we are trying to be attractive? Not always. When I was little, I liked dressing up and putting on makeup. Was I trying to make myself more beautiful cause I wanted to show off for others? Not really, you did it cause you like being pretty, well, just for ourselves, not because we are always trying to prove something to others. So, since I do shave, and have for a while, its like I can’t take it back. The satisfaction of feeling smooth after a shave.. I thinks since its been imbedded as being a nice feeling, I couldn’t ever fully accept and truly appreciate and feel beautiful with long body hair! I don’t know. I want to tell myself not to take it too far, but is there even such a place?
Isn’t it a matter of hygiene, too? As far as armpits are concerned, I mean. It’s a bit like men growing big full beards where things might get easily stuck, bacteria easily grow and smell, and so on. Men don’t shave beards because beards make them not socially acceptable or ugly, but just because it makes them cleaner and neater, I suppose. And because of taste, probably, too. 🙂 I don’t forcefully find it as “against nature” as it may sound. We probably just shouldn’t get obsessed by it, as some companies would like us to 🙂
It’s an interesting issue, though 🙂
It’s basically vice versa re: hygiene/bacteria. Nature knows best: if you shave, the bacteria (which is always there anyway) has direct contact to your skin while – with hair – the hair keeps it away from the skin. And a beard doesn’t make you dirtier (what kind of beards have you seen where “things might get easily stuck”?); if you shave it doesn’t make you cleaner, my god! I say this as someone who does shave. There is nothing unclean about not shaving.
I didn’t mean to say that not shaving always means dirty 🙂 Just that since hair prevents bacteria from getting to your skin, hair also tends to retain some dirt and bacteria and it might be a bit more difficult to keep it perfectly clean if compared to bare smooth skin. But it is definitely feasible to be unshaved and clean 🙂 Or shaved and dirty 😀
I too don’t think this hygiene argument holds up since men have armpit hair and no one thinks they’re unhygienic. Or the fact that we have hair on our heads, and no one thinks it’s unhygienic to have hair on your head? Yes, the hair on your head can get gross, but.. you wash it
Just move to Nelson! Lots of sexy, hairy chicks here! I think it’s the cool thing to do around these parts hahhaa.
Lol I believe it! What about you? Are you rocking the pit hair Kendra?
Hahaha no. I rock the leg hair from time to time. But no pit hair here. I think it’s great that other girls rock it, but I don’t know if I have the guts for myself…You’re right, it is just a huge social stigma. People in the big city just wouldn’t understand!
Just some history..
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/625/who-decided-women-should-shave-their-legs-and-underarms
Lol – thanks for posting that. So it’s been just under 100 years since we started shaving, and it was a pointed effort by advertisers making us feel uncomfortable about our natural bodies so they can sell us razors. THIS is why I want to stop – because it pisses me off! hahah
I agree with those who say that it’s really up to you what to do. I understand both sides of it and don’t blame anyone who doesn’t want to take the plunge. I don’t remove any hair and now feel incredibly sexy surprisingly. Quite honestly I used to find body hair on a woman repulsive. I had shaved from the age of 9 because girls would tease me for my leg hair, until just a few months ago. I’m not much of a girly girl, but my perception of beauty was shaped by society’s norm like most people’s and that meant beauty was being hairless. I’ve been going “natural” in many ways over the years, but what finally pushed me over was an academic article that focused on the sociological reasons behind hair removal and its origins as a marketing tactic. I then realized that I had been so brainwashed by society and these companies out to get richer that I had sacrificed a lot to remove my body hair. I am not a well off person…well, I’m not just “not well off”, I’m very poor. For me, the $4 a pack of disposable off brand razors costs me is a lot of money. Even when I was a homeless youth, I went to a lot of trouble to keep hairless, even when no one would be seeing me. I recall a scene in an episode of Dark Angel, one of my favorite shows, with one of my beauty role models growing up Jessica Alba. In the scene, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, Alba’s character is shaving her legs out of a pot of water. We are taught that hair removal is so important that even in a post apocalyptic world we should go above and beyond to get it done. I started to think about the hours of life wasted in removing hair for no reason, the hours wasted in the labor to get the money to remove the hair, the resources wasted in removing the hair, the worry that goes into removing the hair or not being perfectly smooth at any given moment… all because of a marketing genius who not only found a lot of money for his company, but created an entirely new market to profit from. I am off of shampoos and not homemade soaps and detergents. I’m off of antiperspirants, deodorants, lotions, tissues, tampons, pads, hair and skin products, and probably a whole lot more I can’t think of. I’m lucky to have never gotten into the habit of makeup, so that’s something I didn’t have to wean myself off. As a poor person, I find that a lot of the little money I have is now being saved because I don’t buy things that I once viewed as essential because of society. It’s a personal passion of mine to show other people in my situation, in my community, that we don’t need to listen to everything they want us to. I sometimes get looks, from women mostly, but they’re not the type of women I get along with anyway or would be in any sort of relationship with. My confidence is higher, I have more time and money, I feel like I’m showing my kids an alternative to the “norm”, and my skin doesn’t get dry or irritated. ^_^
Hey Angye! This is awesome … thank you for sharing this! It’s great to hear yet another fascinating perspective of why someone chose to reject social norms – and it is crazy the amount of money women (and men) spend on beauty products. You dont really realize it… and to be honest, I have never kept close enough tabs to know – but I do suspect I am saving a lot of money now that I too do not buy commercial shampoo, cleaning products, toothpaste, deoderant, tampons, pads, hair gel or spray, face wash, moisturizer, acne cream etc. …. even writing it out, the list is so long! And it feels good knowing I am not putting all those chemicals on my skin and into my body anymore either. I actually take a lot of pride in wittling down the amount of toiletries that I am reliant on – I remember how big my toiletries bag was 6 years ago when I went backpacking for the first time – there were a lot of essentials. I used to be kind of jealous of guys who would say that the only toiletries they brought with them in their backpacks were their toothbrush and toothpaste. My most recent trip, I went on a bike tour trip and managed to get everything I needed into a bag more than 1/3 of the size with plenty of room to spare – and it felt SO GOOD! Maybe one day I too will only be at a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Angye! It’s so true how much money we save by going without. I didn’t even realize how much until I went to the super market with a girl friend of mine a couple weeks ago, and noticed how many things she “needs” to buy on a regular basisnthat I haven’t purchased in years now.— Razors, shaving cream, lotion, make-up, make-up remover, nail polish, etc etc. It’s crazy! I really love your way with words. Way to go mama, you rock!
<3
I don’t think I’d do it myself (though I get quite lazy with shaving in the winter!), but you should do what makes you happy. Always. Every time. I definitely wouldn’t think you were a “typical disgusting hippie.” I know not everyone feels this way – I get called nasty all the time when people hear I use baking soda instead of shampoo – but I dunno. People who are that blindly judgmental don’t matter much to me. Why not try it and see what you think? If you’re really uncomfortable at any point, you can always just shave. And try it again. And stop again. Whatever you want 🙂 Even if people make rude comments, they probably don’t actually care that much what you do (the sane ones anyway).
Hi Tracy,
All right, I think you’ve inspired me once again. I don’t think I’m ready to take the plunge just yet, but November’s coming up, and I think doing a twist on “No Shave November” sounds like a plan to me!
-Teresa
Sounds like a great idea!!
Maybe Im one of those strong beautiful natural women you admire 🙂 Its been years since Ive removed any hair and in my opinion, its not just crusty hippies who can rock a tuft. I find I sweat less and have less body odor which Im more self conscious than worrying what people think of my hairs. Most people dont care or notice. Those that do make remarks usually say something I dont agree with which makes me realize their opinions are pointless. 1) its unhygienic. Most men dont shave underarms, are the majority of men unhygenic? Do you make unsolicited comments about the underarm hair of men? 2) its disgusting. Why is a small tuft of hair hidden in my underarm more disgusting than long flowing product laden head hair? 3)Its ugly. My armpits have no clogged pored or ingrown hairs or razor burn or darkening. I think they look fine 🙂
If you feel comfortable then go for it! You should not let perceived social expectations dictate whether you shave or not.
BUT I just feel like we should in some ways embrace that we are not primitive in being truly ‘natural’ otherwise we would not be wearing clothing, have no feminine hygiene products, would not wear vision enhancing devices like glasses/contact lenses, no dental work(braces, false teeth, or fixes for chipped teeth) etc.etc. I just figure shaving is another part of grooming like taming pubic hair, clipping finger and toe nails, brushing teeth… I have never really felt much social pressure to shave(like another poster, sometimes I do choose to and sometimes I don’t), but my hair is not very dark or coarse; perhaps I would feel differently if that were the case or if it was conspicuous on my upper lip… I think everyone has a different threshold for these issues. For example, if you had a front tooth knocked out, would you just leave the ‘natural’ gaping hole? Social norms tend to consider a full set of straight teeth most desirable. While my teeth are not straight by orthodontic standards and I refused braces, however if I had a front tooth knocked out I would very likely seek to fill the gap.
Hi Tracy and everyone in here, I’m 23 and I’m writing from Spain. I think this is a personal choise, if you feel comfortable with letting your hair go, do it! Also maybe your fear about it isn’t really fear of unknown but maybe the thing is that you prefer having your legs and armpits shaved and trying to force you doing something you don’t really like from the bottom of you. So think about it, you have the answer. However, could be a great challenge for your thoughts about you and letting people’s thoughts go to hell xD as you said.
I personally prefer girls with shave legs and armpits, but hey, everyone has his tastes 😉
Just be yourself without caring about what people say, hippie people and conventional people. Just yourself. Love you, Tracy! Besos.
P.S: Sorry for my English.
Hello Tracy!
I think if you really feel like you want to that right now, than you should. Maybe you have this thoughts because your body wants to tell you through this, to relax more and let everything flow. Maybe you can do this: When I have to make a decision I think of a little me, a really tiny girl, thats lives together with me, in my heart or elsewhere and that I need to protect, so I have to decide everything I do for her too, so think: Would you want that for this little girl? This works for so many other thinks too. I can just say I would not stop shaving,Im a natural person but I like my skin smooth and hairless and ofcourse it has something to do with social force, but Im not feeling like I have to go against that. Furtheremore Im not sure If hair under your armpits could cause more sweat and that would make it unhygienic. Just listen to your instinct and really dont go against it, only because you feel like you should do this or that. My personal body instinct tells me to shave, without any because, I just want that. So is it your instinct that tells you not to shave or is it not, but you have a new way of thinking and going against your instinct makes you feel weird?
You know Tracy, we were created the way we are, I think there’s a reason we have body hair. I think its more “Un Natural” to shave then not to shave. I would love it if everybody “Stopped” wearing chemical laden make up and stopped using all commercial products advertised to make us feel inferior in this insane society. It’s all about consumerism, and keeping us distracted from the real important things in life that really matter. You answered your own questions in this video quite well….listen to your heart. And don’t think about vanity. You are a cool, very smart girl…relax and be one with Nature (;
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and input on this subject! I’m always amazed at the wonderful and thoughtful responses my readers come up with 🙂 Always so much great dialogue!!
After reading all these comments and the ones on youtube & facebook – there’s been a lot of encouragement to go for it, and I’m feeling brave! I think the take home message is just do whatever you feel like doing – whatever feels right to you.
For me, I do feel like I want to shave and feel feminine for this wedding that I will be attending, especially if I’m wearing a pretty dress. I don’t feel quite comfortable with my new found hairiness to rock it quite yet in that situation.
But after that, I’m going to let it go and grow all the way out and see what happens. If I like it, I’ll keep it, if I don’t like it, I won’t keep it! Part of the nervousness is that I have never in my life let it grow all the way out, so I don’t know what to expect!! Part of me thinks I will really like it once I get over the initial fear of going against the grain and learn to accept it.
I have found that I feel totally comfortable having some body hair (as I said, I’ve gone a couple to three weeks without shaving now, and it hasn’t bothered me at all… maybe the full experience won’t be that much different)… and I am quite lazy with beauty routines and don’t desire to shave all the time, so I will probably at the very least, shave a heck of a lot less in the future. That way I will really satisfy what I want in all respects – to not shave so much, have some body hair but not have the full grown out hair experience either if that isn’t what i like!!
Lol! I agree with you Tracy,
You will never know If you like it grown out or not, unless you try it out on yourself and you can always go back to shaving if you decide it is not for you! Personally i think it is very brave of you to experiment with it!
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?
qid=20070228195109AAMoFX9.
Just another link that may fuel you onward! Lol
I used to wax and tweeze my eyebrows just to fit in with my other friends! I have very sensitive skin and my skin wld always be red and irritated looking after a wax,! I has become uncomfortable with my own natural eyebrows.. Decided to just let them grow out, even tho it was hard! But im happy i did:) it made me feel more comfortable with just the way I am and was made to be!
So kudos to whatever you decide to do!
Sorry about the error,..heres the link again
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070228195109AAMoFX9
I hope it works this time
Do it, Tracy! Or in this case, don’t do anything-I have a feeling that you would regret being clean shaven at the wedding the day after. While other girls may talk, I bet they would all be secretly envious that you don’t take so much time primping. & I wouldn’t think guys would care too much.
I have been thinking about this, too, but am not quite at the point where I feel ready. Most of my friends would roll their eyes when I told them about my weird hygiene practices (or lack of), but now they have come to accept it as a quirky part of who I am. I am most bothered by how much I would limit my dating pool by not shaving, since I am already so picky!
Lol – yeah. I guess in this case, it helps if you’re into hippie dudes hahah
Your decision makes sense! I agree that sometimes you do just want to feel feminine and pretty, and if that means shaving and wearing a little makeup to go to a wedding, then that’s great! But then, when you feel like challenging your comfort zone and societal norms while giving your skin/hair a break from shaving, that’s also great! In the end, it’s whatever you feel like doing.
For me, I’ve always had problems with shaving, and I do have a sort of complex when it comes to it. I am half Italian so the hair is pretty thick and dark, but my skin is so sensitive that I frequently get razor burn and ingrown hairs. The hair is spiky sometimes even later in the day on the day that I shave it. But, usually I can’t shave again until three days later or I’ll get really bad razor burn. This bothers me a lot, because I think it is unattractive to have spiky legs. I feel like shaving is pointless if my legs are just going to be spiky all the time. I tried waxing and epilation, but both gave me a sort of widespread ingrown hair/infection.
Anyways, I wish I had the courage to do this, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to do it right now!
But, society won’t change unless we change it, right?
The nice thing about hair is that if you have a day when you are scared and don’t want it there you can shave it off but it WILL grow back! So maybe instead of taking the full plunge just play it day by day kind of like you do with makeup. If you want to shave then fine but if you don’t want to, well you get the idea 🙂 I have very sensitive skin which shaving irritates horribly so when I want to be hairless I get waxed. This leaves me with long stretches of having body hair and as a yoga instructor I was very self conscious about the weeks in between waxing, but then I started noticing it didn’t effect the way my students reacted towards me or my teaching. I prefer to be hairless under my arms mostly because I hate the way hair traps sweat under there but when I am a bit hairy it’s not so bad to rock the tank top in class. Good luck with your decision!
Tracy,
Embracing the natural state of one’s body can be for some individuals a very liberating experience. I grew up in Southern California and was constantly bombarded with the our dominant culture’s idea of what being a “beautiful woman” means. When I was given the opportunity to choose which college I would like to attend, I chose a university in a small town of Northern Cali. Arcata is probably the most hippie of towns in California and I am so blessed to have attended a university and become part of a community that allowed me to experience so much personal growth! It was inspiring to meet so many amazing people that embraced their bodies natural form (hairy, makeup-free, perfume/body spray free).
While living in Humboldt County, I learned a lot about the ways in which we have been socially conditioned to behave and I quickly gained an interest in pursuing research focusing on gender roles. That was when it clicked for me…If I was so frustrated with socially constructed standards of beauty (and lifestyle) being set for myself and others, then why am I reinforcing these standards by following them?! That is when I decided to challenge the status quo and challenge myself to accept the real me. I have since stopped shaving my armpits and they have become my favorite part of my body!!
Any negative comments I receive about my hairy pits no longer offend me. When people ask why I don’t shave I ask them why they do shave and attempt to encourage them to think about their own socially conditioned response/s (as you stated) to our culture’s dominant ideologies. I love my hairy pits and find it very liberating learning how to love my natural self! I have yet to build up the courage to stop shaving my legs but I think the pits are a pretty good start 🙂
Also, this site my give you some inspiration! http://hairypitsclub.tumblr.com/
Hi Ashley – it’s funny you say that you’ve come to love and accept the armpit hair, but still can’t bring yourself to stop shaving your legs – I kind of feel the same way about that. Like, I’m actually looking forward to the armpit hair. To me, it feels like a mature, feminine thing. Where as I’m not really liking the long leg hair so much… to me, it feels more manly. I may end up doing the same thing where I leave my armpits (maybe trim them to keep them under control), and continue to shave my legs.
It’s interesting, because I think to most people it seems like the reverse – people are cool with leg hair, but not armpit hair.
I don’t really think about the standards of beauty… to me they don’t really exist. I do agree with the magazines and everyone looking flawless makes you feel like you’re ugly in comparison and in order to become more beautiful like the people you see in magazines then you have to go for facials, have your hair done properly and ect which is complete BS.
I do get a vibe that whatever they say you should do – you go against and say why should I. It’s not wrong nor right, no one can tell you what to do. You’re an angel on the inside there’s no doubt, but if you forget about the world and take a look in the mirror, do you feel comfortable and beautiful being hairy everywhere? The mirror doesn’t lie but it’s your mind that fools you. If you’re hairy – others see that. We are naturally hairy but no one runs around naked in the jungle nowadays because we don’t have to.
I do ask myself a basic question about how I would feel if I were that person, in a certain situation. If I had hairy arm pits and someone’s face was next to them on a crowded bus, would I want to be that person? No, and I was once. I can just tell you it wasn’t the bus ride of a lifetime.
Personally I have very blond body hair, but I do trim my arms and legs either way, and I’m a guy. No one ever said I’m hairy but I like how it makes me look. I like looking clean and presentable and it makes me feel like I’m put together and can handle whatever life throws my way. And I do it more for myself than anyone else.
In my eyes we’re all equal and no one’s more beautiful or deserves more than someone else. So forget about the society standards or the beautiful women you know that are hairy. It is how you see yourself that matters most 🙂
Yuriy <3
Hi Yuriy – thanks for your comment 🙂
I agree we should just do whatever we feel like doing – personally, I actually like the idea of having some underarm hair a lot more than I like the idea of having hairy legs. So I may end up not shaving my pits, but still shaving my legs – or whatever I want to do!
Just curious, was having someone’s hairy pits in your face gross on the bus only because it was a woman’s? (I assume you mean it was a woman’s?) … I mean, it’s not nice having your face in ANYONE’s armpit. But are you saying that if she had been shaved, it would have been okay with you to have your head in her armpit??
What if it had been a man’s armpit – sure, it obviously still would have been gross, but would you have been mad that he didn’t shave his armpits lest the chance that he be on a bus with someone’s unfortunate head there? Or would you have just accepted that it’s gross, but it’s not his hairy pits’ fault, it’s the fault of the crowded bus?
Hah well it was a man actually, but if it was a woman it would’ve been no different, as you said. It’s no one’s fault and no I wouldn’t want my face in anyone’s armpit whether shaved or not.
That man didn’t wear deodorant though. And he could’ve held onto something else but he chose to raise his arms. I don’t know maybe he thought he was very manly??
It would’ve been the same and not so pleasant situation if his armpits were not hairy, but they were so it just made him look even more unsanitary. So I guess keeping it clean regardless of your pits being hairy or not is just as important.
PS I didn’t mention but I do trim my armpits and if you have one of those buzzing trimmers, it’s super easy and super fast and you can do it like once a week and never worry about it 🙂
Yes, if I let my armpit hair grow out, I’ll definitely trim it – unless it’s short at its full length – I have never seen it!
Hey Tracey! 🙂 I’ve been thinking about this for the past 2 months since moving to a new town where there is an abundance of confident, natural women. I heard an older woman slam the concept of hairless women at the finals of a poetry slam – wish I had it on video!
It still kind of shocks me, but I respect these for it. I started going a little longer without shaving as well, but would shave before visiting my boyfriend. Currently, in this insecure mindset that I have, I feel sexier without leg and armpit hair. It is still “unwanted” hair to me – obviously a flaw in my perception if I am to break away from shaving. I asked my partner how he would feel if I stopped shaving and he gave me mixed answers that deter me from doing it as well.
I think acceptance (and even passive encouragement) from someone we respect is very important in making the full leap. Someone who embraces your decision without a doubt. This could be your lover, a close friend, role model, etc.
Some of the women whom I know that don’t shave never started. They grew up around more natural and uninfluenced-by-media people, or they have partners who encourage it (to benefit them both).
It sounds like you are making progress on this topic in the direction of not shaving. At 21, you said no way. Now, you say, yea kinda. Maybe in a year or two you will be absolutely ready with no turning back.
Perhaps even a woman who normally doesn’t shave may trim or shave the hair sometimes to draw less attention to herself at events that embrace the unrealistic standards of hairlessness. As long as you don’t feel like you are betraying your values to conform with someone elses. Criticism is superficial and shallow, so don’t let it sink in deep.
Do you explore the topic of bio-energy and chakras? Being in tune with yourself is really helpful for healing those deep mental scars from insecurity. Love your blog, Alexa
That’s the exact problem though. No one needs to “slam the concept of hairless women.” ALL women and ALL of their choices should be respected. It pisses me off when some of these “natural” women start talking crap about women like me. I’ve had it happen. I’ve even had women say that those of us who shave our pubic hair look like prepubescent girls, which I find pretty insulting. Women like that want to act all confident and secure within themselves but they clearly are not or they wouldn’t put down others for their choices.
@Alexa – I agree, it is a lot easier to make a decision like this if someone close to you that you respect encourages you to. For example, one of my best friends, who doesn’t shave, had actually been dating for the last three years the exact same hippie dude that I mentioned in this video – the one who encouraged me to not shave. So I imagine, for her, the decision was a lot easier than for someone who didn’t have the same support and encouragement from their partner/friends/family etc. I actually have yet to discuss the concept of not shaving with her yet to see her feelings on it (just hasn’t come up!) but I should! I have to admit, she’s been a bit of an inspiration to me for the idea of going au naturel.
@Andi – I agree, no one should personally attack anyone for their choices… and I do find that that can be common amongst people who have made ‘alternative choices’ is that they sometimes can feel like they are better than others who haven’t. Though maybe she was attacking the societal concept of hairlessness being the only true path to beauty? And not individuals who shave? Alexa wasn’t all that clear on that
I definitely think it ruins a bit of a woman’s sex appeal when she doesn’t shave, but it’s all a matter of opinion. I think it’s each woman’s choice whether to shave or not, and either way there will be a group of people who find her prettier for it. It’s all about what you want. I shave all over, pretty regularly, for three reasons, 1) I just enjoy being smooth everywhere, it makes me feel like my most “goddess self,” 2) I like the process of shaving, it makes me feel pampered. 3) I just hate hair. I think it’s so gross. That’s one of the reasons I have dreads, they rarely shed stray hairs.
To each their own, if you don’t want to shave, don’t. Screw what anyone else thinks.
I think the fact that you say that you find it beautiful on other women and kind of revolting on yourself is really telling. To me, it indicates that this would be good for you because ideally you should have as much good will toward yourself and find as much beauty in yourself as you do in others. My husband once asked me why I shave when I’m supposed to be a such a hippie 🙂 Sometimes I’ll go a few weeks where I don’t shave at all, then I’ll go through a period of months where I shave at least every other day. It’s nice to know that he doesn’t really care though.
You’re right Andrea – that’s a really good point!
I don’t shave because it irritates the mess out of my skin. I do however epilate my legs and bikini line every couple of weeks, simply because I personally do not feel comfy with fuzzy legs. However, I think some pit hair is effin’ sexy on a lady, its just so defiant. Ultimately its what you personally are comfortable with, and its not as if the decision is set in stone.
The way I see it, ‘not shaving’ doesn’t mean ‘never shaving’. I’ve never been a regular shaver. I shave when I feel it’s necessary (going to an big event, need to look professional, etc.), but I can easily go months without removing any hair and I don’t care one bit. To me, shaving is just an annoying process that I don’t care to go through. My point is, if you choose to stop shaving, you won’t want to start again. Yes, you’ll be self-concious at first, but once you adjust to the fuzz, it will feel normal and won’t bother you one bit.
Hi,
Actually I dont have any opinion about what you should do, its up to you.
By the way, around here (southern germany) a girl with shaved underarms is considered weird, except in the city, of course 😉
I dont shave, I epilate, becaue my skins seem so survive this better(aka without any negative reaction), even the armpits. Shaving just kills it.
This allows me the luxury to do it really rarely, mostly as part of a pampering routine including a massage, nice oils, a bath and stuff.
When I let my hair grow, its really soft and invisible, so if I dont have time for the pampering routine I just dont bother.
the fun fact: if I have longer hair on your legs, the perception of mechanical stimuli is much stronger. for example if a insect is crawling over your smooth leg, you rarely feel it, but if it touches a hair you feel it very strongly. When I epilate after a longer hairy period the skin on my legs feels weirdly numb for a while, until I get used to it.
I make a point to not epilate before camping because of the insect thing. Not being able to feel a tick crawling over my legs grosses me out.
I dont know if thats an individual thing for me or if others have this different perception, too, I guess when you dont go camping and are used to smooth legs it does not matter.
I just find it interesting and it might be a reason for the very fine hair our bodies are covered with.
Hey Tracy, it’s good to know someone else is battling with the same thing!
I’ve been trying to stop shaving my legs, and it’s been difficult because it’s been summertime, and everyon gets their legs out whenever they can over here (UK). But my mum has only ever shaved her legs once – just to try – and then never again. She’s really confident and doesnt care what anyone thinks, as long as she’s happy. I started wondering if I could get to the same place, and figured I’d start there. Definitely harder than it looks. People have commented that I’m ‘letting myself go’, when really this is a lot more emotional effort than just shaving!
The armpit hair thing is a different story – my parents are from Africa (different parts), and over there even the men shave their armpits because it’s so hot you get smelly etc esp during humid times of the year. They just continued to do that when they got over here so strangely I grew up thinking it was totally a normal thing to do (although I also can’t shave my pits because the skin would just be destroyed). I think I have a complex about having having armpit hair because of it, but i’;ve started leaving that too. Still feels good when it’s gone, but I’m getting there lol.
Ok, what do you think about bikini shaving/waxing? This is even more annoying, cause skin is very sensitive down there and it looks horrible after shaving with all pimples/red spots.
I usually just shave a little bit right along the bikini line, but leave most of everything and just trim it up to keep it tidy… that seems fine for me, and I probably won’t change that. But personally I don’t understand how ladies deal with shaving or hair removal of everything or nearly everything down there??? with the stubble and razor burn and itchiness… ahh!! The thought horrifies me.
I do exactly the same. My skin is very sensitive and I always get razor burn along the bikini line. I also think shaving or waxing down there is unhealthy. Stupid “standarts of beauty”, everything has to be so unnatural…
Love your blog
bye
For me, leaving my arms and legs to do their own thing is very empowering. It is part of sitting back and letting nature take shape and form as the trees grow over the earth. It means relinquishing the need for control and orderliness all of the time and giving over to something greater than myself. I don’t tell my body whether to grow hair and where to grow it, just as I don’t tell my lungs to breathe or my heart to beat. My body knows far more than “society” does about how to live and be fully alive, and when I let it do its thing, generally, I am better off than when I try to control and manipulate it. For me, it is more than just looking natural, it is part of a deeper process of unlearning cultural norms and giving over to my place within the natural world. We don’t look at animals in the wild and expect them to shave or dump poisons on themselves all for appearance sake. We see beauty and grace in their freedom to exist as a part of nature instead of needing to alter themselves and their environment. Even though it is just hair, it is part of who we are, naturally, and the more ways in which we feel the need to tame our bodies, the deeper entrenched we are (even if it’s just subconsciously) in this mindset of control that has led to the poisoning of ourselves and the destruction our environment.
This is beautiful – thank you
You should watch this … :)it’s from a tv show and i like it a lot!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64sHZhIB7HA
Nice! Thanks for sharing that haha
i wax and eppilate so its not really an issue for me to have a bit of hair because it grows back so slow and small and when its there its more like childs leg hair and not so horrible. i hateee shaving..such a chore!
Shaving is annoying. On the other hand, I personally do not like how I look with a mustache, hairy underarms, and hairy legs. Maybe society pushed me into that (though my mom didn’t shave her underarms ever-maybe it’s my way of rebelling), but whatever the reason, I don’t like it as much as I don’t like shaving. I don’t like facial hair on men, either. It just (usually) looks sloppy (to ME.) My solution: laser hair removal. I did my underarms, face, and legs. It was expensive (a thousand dollars, but broken up into manageable chunks of money, per treatment), and I’m not rich-or even very vain. I was just sick of it. Since I was fourteen the amount of time I have dedicated to removing hair from my body has been tremendous. Moles, unibrow, bikini line (or go boy shorts). Problem solved. My boyfriend used to think I took forever getting ready, obsessing (he thought). I said “You have no idea what I really look like. I’ve got one eyebrow and fur like a muppet.” I still have to shave my legs very rarely, but that’s because my gyno who did the hair removal was possibly losing his eyesight and missed spots. It was worth every penny and I highly recommend this-and you can’t do it it on your one eyebrow should you be so unlucky to have that “problem” but it works everyplace else and is so freeing. The money you save on hot water and products and the TIME saved (most important) is worth the one time expenditure.
Hi Hannah! Everyone has their preferences about this matter – and personally I think that if you have decided that not-so-hairy is how you would like to be, then saving yourself time and money by doing the laser thing makes complete and utter sense
Hmmm….. I just got back to GA USA from a months training for Kundalini yoga teacher training. They explained that our hair has tons of protein and each time we cut &/or shave the hair continues to get this protein but if we let it grow, eventually it will stop and that protein will go into our brains and bodies and serve a better purpose. They also said we have hair in certain places for reasons such as working with the lymphatic system. The hair on our legs and underarms when moved by action, wind, etc stimulates Lymphatic system to allow us to be healthier. I am so new to this and am confused on a few topics, such as, if we lymph glands in our necks, why no hair? I know I will NOT grow the hair on my head until it stops because I definitely do not like that look on anyone (just my opinion) and I do not like a lot – much at all actually – bikini hair but I haven’t shaved my legs or underarms in 7 weeks and I LOVE IT!!! I actually think I smell better and I do feel more empowered. 2 things maybe some of you can help me with however; 1. NO one in society has seen it yet as i have covered it and I have a big party to go to this Saturday (in GA it is the bible belt and yogis, hippies, feminists do not go to well here 😉 and 2. More importantly I feel like a hypocrite because I am choosing arms and legs to grow but not bikini and head…. so if my reasons are for health, it doesn’t add up. This is how I found this thread because I am looking for answers. Thanks so much!
Peace n Love….
Wow, that’s really interesting. I know there must be a legitimate evolutionary reason for us to have hair in those areas. However, you’re right – if that is the case, I have no idea why we wouldn’t have hair over the lymph nodes in our necks.
As for the hair on your head… I believe that never stops growing, so I wouldn’t feel too bad about getting a hair cut every once in a while! As for bikini line… yeah, I don’t know. I don’t really plan to stop shaving the little bit on my bikini line (I still leave most of the hair down there). I don’t think we should feel like hypocrites… just do whatever feels right to us!
“I don’t think we should feel like hypocrites… just do whatever feels right to us!” Brilliant statement and exactly what that school just taught me so guess what?? You helped me remember that what truly matters is if I am true to myself and myself wants hairy underarms and legs right now so tomorrow I am wearing my planned on tank top AND my hairy armpits! Tehehhee!! Really, it doesn’t matter. If someone says “gross” or whatever, it really doesn’t matter 🙂
FYI: I have been doing more research and it seems that the most important for lymph is underarms and legs… groin and head don’t seem to matter as much (according to articles I have found). One included the eyebrows but not lashes so who knows but we cant and shouldn’t have to always have a reason for our actions so I am going with your advice 😉 Thanks again!
Much love <3
http://pinterest.com/pin/168885054746638508/
There’s a photo of Georgia O’Keefe (artist), looking beautiful with underarm hair!
beautiful 🙂
Honestly? Body hair is disgusting. I cringe whenever I see hippie girls that don’t shave. And so do 99% of other normal Americans. The only reason you should stop shaving is if you are really interested in wrecking your social (not to mention sex) life
Sweet
Hi Tracy, I personally, find it perfectly acceptable in women to have leg and armpit hair. Even kind of admirable as you said! Unfortunately, I don’t like it visible to others on myself. I have always had “issues” with my body hair, and always gone to great lengths to remove it. It takes me forever to shave my legs, so I absolutely HATED doing it, add to this the fact that my hair grows insanely fast, leaving my legs all “prickly” again by the end of the day! Crazy! So what I’d do is just be sure to cover my legs and armpits on “off” days….except it would frustrate me SO much to be dictated by my leg hair like that. It limited what I could wear, or what activities I could join on the fly. For example, if I wanted to go swimming or go to the gym…I’d have to go home and shave. Not cool, and realistically not going to happen…so I miss the opportunity to spontaneously do some of the fun stuff that I like to do! So, I came up with alternatives…waxing, sugaring and then using a monstrous device called an epilator, all in hopes I could go for longer periods of time hair free. The sugaring method was my favourite, and I used it for a few years, but I wanted something that was more practical. Enter the epilator. What a terrible little machine that is good grief! I used it actively for 6 months, but it really hurt an extraordinary amount and I decided I was not going to do that to myself anymore in the name of “beauty”, so I stopped. Well. My skin had been so hurt from the epilating that scar tissue had formed in the follicles, causing what seemed like hundreds ingrown hairs and tiny, slightly raised bumps on the surface of my skin. I eventually was able to fix the ingrown hair problem and reduce the bumps (by not pulling my poor hairs out anymore and always carefully exfoliating) but the few bumps that I do have left cause me very considerable problems shaving. I’ll get these tiny little pin prick scabs where I accidentally shave off the tops of a few of the bumps..ouch! My legs will also just always be prickly (unless iId like to have scab flecked, yet smooth legs…for a day) Shaving just doesn’t do it for me anymore obviously. I’ve been going hairy for at least the last month (i do usually still shave my armpits though). Now I wish I could end this story on an inspirational note, you know, that in the end I got over my issue of hating my body hair, accepting it, learning to love it and not caring about what other people think regarding it. For me, I’m afraid, at this point, it simply isn’t a viable option for me to take the time and energy needed in order for me to work through what I’d have to work through in order to make that vision happen for myself. I have suffered so so much from acne and anxiety, I feel that my self-confidence has been under constant attack for years. I’ve got a lot of healing within myself to do, so trying to worry about reversing my ingrained social conditioning about norms involving women’s body hair on top of all that, just seems like too much. Besides, I personally (let alone what others think) still just love that feeling of not having anything on my legs, them to just feel so soft…(conditioning sure did a complete job on me eh? hehe) All considered, I have decided to get my leg hair permanently removed through a method called electrolysis. It will take a LOT of money, and a lot of time, but I feel that it is something I need to do for myself, so I can start to feel comfortable again, and you know, I think that that is okay 🙂 Despite the drastic measures I’ll be taking against this idea of leaving my body hair alone, I say go for it if you can Tracy! I really do think it’s a great idea, I think it’s admirable, and it’s empowering too! I just wish I could join you…maybe someday I’ll be able to stop shaving my armpits
Hi Chelsea – yikes, that sounds like a nightmare! And I totally understand what you mean about facing the challenge of accepting yourself with body hair – takes a lot of brain power – and that is exhausting. Especially if you have other issues you are working on.
Yeah, to be honest… paying a fair chunk of money on electrolysis (is that the same as laser?) to save yourself all that time and frustration sounds totally reasonable to me. If you can afford it, it sounds like the way to go
I used to grow out my leg and armpit hair. It was extremely liberating. I could take those 5 minute showers you hear men talk about. And my sensitive skin was definitely more at peace.
Before I got married I asked my husband-to-be his opinion on the matter. Though he sports a massive beard would not object to me not shaving, he said he preferred the clean shaven version of me. So, I choose to shave my armpits, legs, and everything. Because our bodies belong to each other, I feel it is important to take into consideration his feelings on the matter.
For awhile it felt a little fake, and I felt like a martyr every time I took a razor to my legs. But now I’m choosing to enjoy the silkiness of my skin. It’s my body whether it is smooth or slightly more textured, and it is beautiful.
I will probably return to a life of No-Shave November from time to time. Fortunately, hair length is not permanent, and marriage is about compromise. 😉
I don’t shave my legs and wear skirts a lot too. I dunno my hair is really light colored and looks kind of downy so it’s not that noticeable.
I mean it’s noticeable but no one has said anything.
I personally find that unshaved arm pits look really gross though. even on guys.
but I guess that’s a little hypocritical of me.. i dunno
My sensitive skin is also more at peace since I quit shaving. Nobody has noticed, not even hubby.
I don’t wear makeup either, never have, and my hair is waist length. Did I say I am sixty? I shaved and styled and made up for years but I no longer care. It doesn’t mean I don’t care for myself, I am clean, and neat and tidy. Too much emphasis on Beauty these days, people tell me I need my hair cut and colored, I hear that I would feel better. Like it must be depressing to just be natural. But I am who I am. Makes me wonder though why I am reading this. Not shaving does make me insecure on some level. But my poor pits hate being shaved, they get irritated and ingrown hairs, no matter what I do. So I’m happier hairy. 😉
You rock it, Laura 😀
Hi! I can see this is an old post, but it’s definitely not an old topic so I’d thought I’d share.
I was a thinker regarding this topic in year 10, then became an on/off again shaver from year 11 (more shaving than not) but have now been unshaven for 2 years (I am 21) – I went through the exact phase that you went through and still after 2 years am very shy about revealing my ‘love hairs’ as I call them to the public. My family and close friends know and do not care! My partner was with me from the beginning, who supported my choice and could see that the thoughtless expectation that women are meant to shave is a social/cultural conditioning.
For those who have seen, their response is either ‘who cares?’ or ‘why? ew!’ – I am not going to stop, or should I say start, despite knowing that it would be much easier socially to shave as I have no true desire to, I’ve always found hair on the body beautiful and I do not enjoy shaving, thus, it stays.
I’m wondering if you stopped? What happened? I stumbled across this post accidentally but found your video great!
Hi Jessie! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience.. I actually just posted the follow up to this. Check it out: https://thelovevitamin.com/6838/reiki-and-my-no-shaving-update/
Hey there! i say go for it! maybe not right before some big event because the most important thing is that you feel great about yourself. so if it will make you uncomfortable at this wedding- dont do it. BUT id highly recommend it. if you are the type of woman that i think you are judging by your post (your comments on getting adjusted to wearing no make up) i think you will find it fun! i havent shaved since i was….17 and im 24 now. i went to prom in a sleeveless and didnt shave. i love the pictures and like you i am blonde & i think it makes it easier. you should try it out- even if you wear t shirts with a little longer of sleeves at first or in the winter & just scope it out in the mirror alone after the weeks go by… i thought it was fun & you are beautiful & it’s a great representation i think. im not saying you should do this FOR men- not at all what i am saying but i personally enjoy when i see a guy scope me out & i flash a little intentional armpit hair & it is kinda a mind fuck for him. guys can SAY they are against it- or the idea of it but in reality… i think it depends on the person. if they find the person attractive it wont matter what their armpits look like! so again my vote is try it- even in secret at first. it is fun & you kind of grow protective of it & you’ll love how soft it is. no more prickly underarms! no more razor burn! and even when you are naked you have a little bit of an awesome “fuck you societal norms!” statement. i kind of think of it like a tattoo. its just a form of expression (natural & free!) & you’ll come to be proud of it & if not- then be done with it! or trim it- it doesnt have to be either there in full force or gone- there are in betweens – anyhow- good luck! and rock on lady!
Awesome Suzie! Way to rock it and be so confident about it… that’s rad 🙂 and very inspirational. I actually just posted a follow up to this expriment, check the homepage
hey Tracy:) I think that not shaving and having all your natural body hair actually looks good, well, it certainty doesn’t look bad.Its completely natural and its how we are SUPPOSED to look. i dont understand why it should be frowned upon because we ALL men and women have hair. i understand how people may think its “unfeminine” n all, but how can it not be feminine if we are naturally hairy? I think having hair shows that your a real woman; it shows strength and that your not hiding anything, but thats just what i think. In other words,your being real and thats okay. Shaving is alright too, but not shaving shouldn’t be ridiculed either.
*certainly*
What about us girls who are more hairy than a woman is supposed to? I have body hair on parts of my body that I find really embarrassing. I guess it’s easy to let the hair grow when you only have hair under your armpits, on your genitals and some small, blonde and unnoticeable hairs on the legs (under the knee of course). But what if your arms are too hairy, if you have dense hair on your thighs and buttcocks, also above your upper lip? You say leave it natural or maybe that it’s because of too many androgens in my body but this worries me even more than acne…
Hi girl,
Well, I was talking to the lady who I got some reiki from, and talked to her about the whole shaving issue. She said she used to refuse to do it on principle, but it was a big deal because she’s of Hungarian descent and very hairy. Now she says she likes to do it occasionally, but instead of shaving she uses an epilator, which plucks the hair out actually has caused the hair on her legs to grow back way less thick, so she doesn’t have to do it as much. Something to consider maybe?
As a man, I like natural beauty in a woman, and woman naturally have body hair. So body hair is expected. In Europe hirsute ladies are the norm, and quite sexy. Who sees body hair anyway, unless a woman wears skimpy clothing? A pair of pants and shirt covers up, right? While I like your dreads, that hair is very visible, so why fret over hairy pits and legs? And btw, what about shaving pubic hair, that is not even discussed. What man wants a lady who looks like a child? Bikini waxing etc is discussed on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_hair
As for hygiene concerns with any body hair, regular bathing should take care of that issue. I wear a beard, when it interferes with eating, I just trim it a little.
I explain in my latest article why I worry about shaving even though my hair is clearly “hippie”: https://thelovevitamin.com/8617/image/
Also, I agree about pubic hair. I shave around the edges a bit and keep it tidy, but no bikini waxes for me. I shaved it all one time in my life and felt like a 10 year old… that was enough for me.
Thank you Tracy. Hair is pretty political too. For most of my life my face was clean shaven. But last year when my electric razor broke I just let it grow. The reaction has been mixed. My uncle, whom I love, was apparently not happy when he saw a photo of me with a beard. He sent me a very nice wet/dry razor, which is still sitting new in the box. My cousin asked if I was trying to be Gabby Hays (who was an actor-cowboy, and side-kick to Roy Rogers, for the younger folks). I told him no, but maybe John Muir meets the Trial of Socrates.
Looking back, shaving was time-consuming, and a pain in the butt, not to mention irritating to the skin. So I plan to keep my beard. In the end it is better do what YOU like, and let those attracted to the REAL YOU come forward. Anyway I love your attitude, and wish you all the best with your website. Some time ago I profiled some of your posts and videos on my “good life” page http://www.nosue.org/the-good-life/ in the “attitude” section at the bottom of the page.
Years ago I attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, which I affectionately call hippie school. A number of unshaven feminist displayed their full hirsute glory at the school’s unofficial nude beach on Puget Sound. So be yourself, whether a hippie chick, or lady corporate executive, or somewhere in between, where most folks live. Variation is the spice of life, it would be pretty boring otherwise.
Thank you so much for featuring me on your page Neil 🙂 PS – I love beards! It just goes to show that no matter who you are, some people won’t like it, and some people will just love it
Hey Tracy,
Thanks for the post! I have shaved my legs maybe 5 times in my life (I’m 23) but I do have very blonde/red fine hair so it doesn’t bother me too much. However, I do shave my pits….sometimes I let them grow out, but they just seem very masculine to me. I like Neil’s post, though! It is natural and that is important to me in general, so I might think this over again.
But here is a quote from the wonderful Dr. Seuss that I tell myself once in a while maybe it will ring with you:
“Be who you are, say how you feel-those who mind, don’t matter and those who matter, don’t mind.”
I was terrified of not shaving. I thought body hair was just the grossest thing ever on a woman. But then, about 4 months ago, I realized my morning routine was 2 hours. Go shave, go straighten hair, go do make up, blah blah blah. I began to think about how much modern women try to not be women. I mean, women HAVE hair, so why shave? Women HAVE freckles, why cover it with makeup? Women ZHAVE wavy/curly hair, why straighten it?!? I haven’t put on an ounce of makeup on my face, I haven’t done nothing with my hair, and I haven’t shaved in 3 months. I walk around in shorts or skirts ever day! Yeah I get stares. But like you said, why are you trying to impress people you not even know.
When I first quit, it was weird. The longer my hair got, the more it bothered me. It would rub on my jeans or against my legs and it was hard. I didn’t like it at all. But I made myself swear to not shave, just to connect with who I am as a real woman. And now, I can’t imagine not having hair.
I was real once red about my love life when I quit. But simple fact is, a guy won’t care!!! And the guys ho notice, says it makes me seem more wild in bed.
Hair is hair. It’s part if who we are as women. Why remove our women-hood just to impress people we don’t even know?
Trash the razor, the straightener, the foundation, everything. Just go as yourself, and promise that all insecurities you have will go with them.
That’s awesome Cassi!! Way to go on facing your fears… you rock 🙂
I don’t wear makeup, don’t do my legs…umm… what else? Oh, i go topless to the beach ( i would go to a “naked” beach if my friends want, but they are afraid to show their body)…. umm… I still care about the style, but my cloth are always comfortable and yeah… i care about my acne and, it’s not like i don’t care about how i look, i just want the exactly equality between men and women.
I stopped long time ago, and some people doesn’t like it or don’t understand, but whatever. I stopped when I was like 15 or 16 years old. I thought that was stupid and that i didn’t really care to like anybody…blablabla.
Don’t care about what people think, be yourself. I lot of people will like you just for the way you think and you are… And well… why would i want a bunch of people “liking” me and saying ” oh you look great” or … ” you are so sexy” ? I don’t see the point of trying to like people that way… I mean… When you have a partner, this person usually don’t really care about this kind of crap, and if he or she does… so… Byebye my friend.
I was afraid like you,specially well me… that i have to go to school and this stuff… And i have to tell you that i am lucky that my hair in my legs is not black, but yeap… people can totally know that i don’t do my legs and… whatever.
Now I am 18 years old and i am still doing the same… Don’t be afraid.
Haha, you know what i mean? Well, sorry for my english, I am from Spain.
Contact me if you want by my email or whatever…
That’s strong of you, way to go Emma 🙂
I still shave my armpits, it’s not like i am afraid at all of what people says… Okay?, but i met a person in my city, a really pretty girl that didn’t wear any bra… well.. she doesn’t shave her legs, armpits… anything… She is great! I met her and I start to feel like… I wasn’t that liberal… I still wear my bra. I stopped for a while, but even if my tits are small… i don’t finally i realized that i needed in some way, to feel my comfortable with some t-shits, but i don’t necessarily wear in summer, and it’s totally difficult for me to stop shaving my armpits… I can do it for a while but when is getting long, i feel like i need to shave it, and in summer i found that it’s more clean to do it. 🙂 So yeah, i understand you are afraid, but seriously, just be yourself, people will not care that much about how you look, specially now… that you don’t need to go to school and this stuff haha
I stopped shaving my legs six months ago because I wanted to see whether I could become comfortable with my legs in their naturally hairy state. As my hair started to grow out, the sight of it made me really uncomfortable. I thought it looked horrible! I felt very self-conscious around other people when my legs were exposed. However, I stuck with it because I thought my views might change if I just gave it more time. Plus, I was really enjoying not shaving!
As the months went by, I became so used to how my hairy legs looked, and for the first time in my life I started to see my leg hair as normal. I realised that the hair on my legs was really no different than the hair on my arms, or the fine little hairs that grace most of my body. Now, the thought of not having leg hair is so strange to me and I have reached a point where I actually prefer my legs hairy! I think it looks better and it just makes more sense to me to have hair there. And because I am so comfortable with it and the decision not to shave really is my own, I don’t even consider what other people might think about my hairy legs. I’m free!
It really goes to show how much influence society has over what we find attractive. It can be very hard to break free from the beauty ideals put forward by the media, but once you do, you’ll begin to see the human body in a truly more beautiful light.
That’s great Lisa. I went at it for a few months and let everything grow out, but I couldn’t get used to it and shaved again. I probably did just need to give it more time for it to become like the norm! Now i just shave my legs and armpits once every few weeks (much less than before), whenever I feel like it or get around to it, and I’m progressively getting more comfortable with hair just because I did this experiment. Although summer’s coming so I guess that will be the real test.
Dear dear Tracy
Thank you so much for posting this video. This is another battle and its not an easy one! I too have felt a lot of energy escape me because I am going to a beach party and I haven’t shaved in 2 months. I think body hair on women is beautiful and I do love it! But the hair that grows back after I stopped shaving is coarse and dark and curly so I’m thinking I’ll wax just once so it can grow in like Ive never shaved before. This has been a very significant choice for me (to accept my body hair) and I too am afraid of being ostracized for having body hair. What violence we do to ourselves. Thank you for being another brave and inspiring woman. Thank you so much! We’re in this together. 🙂
As a male, when I’m dating I keep all mine to the 2mm gaurd 1 of a clippers. Not to the skin, but short.
I dont want my girlfriend to have to deal with nasty, tangled, and bacteria filled hair. It is as you say, from the 1800s before electricity, running water, and good taste.
Then some women want to assert themselves by growing it out to be long and stinky. Sorry, if I go to the trouble and you don’t, then we cant get married.
I’m Canadian, and I don’t shave. There are my reasons:
1. I don’t like doing it.
I shaved my legs a few times as a thirteen-year-old. It was a bother, and I often cut my ankle, so I stopped. Haven’t done it for probably ten years now.
I did keep my armpits shaved when I was a dancer (they kind of expect that). But since then, I have only shaved them on occasion during the summer months.
2. Bathroom time is limited.
Instead of wasting time painstakingly painting my face with makeup, or shaving my long legs, I can utilize the aromatherapy bath salts. 😀
So yeah, I prefer comfort and relaxation, over stress. If other people find shaving calming, and enjoy their smooth legs, then that’s just dandy. But if someone thinks my legs are gross, and has the gall to tell me, well, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to quote Alice in Wonderland!
`You should learn not to make personal remarks,’ Alice said with some severity; `it’s very rude.’
*Here, HERE, are my reasons. Omg. xD
mehh. I stopped for a year. Yes it’s hard but I like(d) embracing the humility. I’ve embarked recently on a NEW experiment by SHAVING my underarms (just started uni).. but have “neglected” my legs. Thanks for sharing your journey Tracy. You’re a charmer my dear <3
Haha I think it’s really good to experiment, and then decide on what feels right. For me, after this experiment I found that I now will let my hair grow out longer than I used to and not really care if anyone sees it. However, I personally couldn’t get used to it being really long. So now I just shave whenever I feel like it/get around to it… works for me 🙂