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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Do you shave your legs in the winter?

213 replies

beebee25 · 07/12/2025 06:55

I last shaved my legs in September and won't shave them again until about April.

OP posts:
Gamerlady · 07/12/2025 13:10

Rarely shave legs , can't be bothered

ColinOfficeTrolley · 07/12/2025 12:49

This thread has made me realise how weird people are about women having hair!!! 🤣 It's all to do with porn and patriarchy.

Think I better stick to the FWR boards.

ColinOfficeTrolley · 07/12/2025 12:48

verybighouseinthecountry · 07/12/2025 09:21

Are you not intimate with your DH in the winter months either? I'm just wondering why you had to show him the hairy pits, has he not seen them in the last few months?

Umm yes, but he doesn't tend to focus my armpits when we shag.

Does yours?

ColinOfficeTrolley · 07/12/2025 12:45

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 09:22

Yuck !
Is your husband not turned off by hair ?
I’m single & keep everywhere shaved no matter what the season , if it was only for hygiene reasons alone .

Not at all. We've been together 25 years. How dare you say 'yuck'!

I'm so sorry that you can't find a man who likes you beyond the superficial.

I feel so so sorry for you that you think you have to be hairless for a bloke to be interested 🤣🤣🤣

I can only assume your personality is shit. I'm sorry for your lack of anything other than the outside periphery.

Shmee1988 · 07/12/2025 12:15

Namechangedforgoodreasons · 07/12/2025 10:25

If you look like a gorilla unless you shave you have a very big problem… Presumably you also shave your face, neck, in fact entire body then?

Well no, because i dont get hair on my face, neck and entire body. At least not to the same degree as i do on my legs/arm pits. Do you?

Terrytheweasel · 07/12/2025 12:11

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 11:45

Yeah but if you think about it , say no woman shaved ever .
Trying to moisturise alone , I can’t imagine how it would work .
Putting on deodorant with loads of hair under your arm pits .
Having periods & not being tidy there 🤮.
It isn’t just the aesthetic side of it

I’m with you. I also find it itchy and uncomfortable when it has been long.
I just feel cleaner and more comfortable with everything shaved and as I’m fair haired, it’s an easy job.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 07/12/2025 12:10

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 11:45

Yeah but if you think about it , say no woman shaved ever .
Trying to moisturise alone , I can’t imagine how it would work .
Putting on deodorant with loads of hair under your arm pits .
Having periods & not being tidy there 🤮.
It isn’t just the aesthetic side of it

When I had periods I did trim my pubic hair as that for me made it less messy. But I don't have any issues moisturising with hairy legs, it works perfectly fine, and when I haven't shaved my armpits (I do shave them semi often) applying deodorant is also not a problem. I guess if they're things you've not tried you might imagine it's problematic but it's really not.

gamerchick · 07/12/2025 11:53

I do, I rarely come out of shorts unless it goes below zero.

BarbarasRhabarberba · 07/12/2025 11:53

DouglasBader · 07/12/2025 07:55

Nope.

Not in summer either.

Same. I’m au naturel all year round and it’s thick, black and fuzzy.

zingally · 07/12/2025 11:51

Legs last get done in August, and probably not again until Easter holidays. Armpits get done most days in summer, once a week in winter!

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 11:51

YouHaveAnArse · 07/12/2025 11:39

I'm guessing you're shaving your vulva, not your actual vagina - ouch!

You know what I mean , I call it all vagina ,
It’s actually a common misconception to say vagina instead of vulva , Google just told me that there 🙈 😂

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 11:45

RichardMarxisinnocent · 07/12/2025 11:21

I appreciate your honesty, thank you. I don't think I'd class it as sexism, but I do think that you've probably been conditioned, probably over many years, to think that body hair on women looks unfemimine. It is something which is quite ingrained into society, so possibly hard to make yourself think differently.

Yeah but if you think about it , say no woman shaved ever .
Trying to moisturise alone , I can’t imagine how it would work .
Putting on deodorant with loads of hair under your arm pits .
Having periods & not being tidy there 🤮.
It isn’t just the aesthetic side of it

howthemoonshines · 07/12/2025 11:44

icantbelieveitsnotcake · 07/12/2025 11:02

I am not denying that women are subject to societal expectations and that body hair goes through fashions. But people are still allowed to groom themselves as they wish without having insults hurled at them and that applies to BOTH sides- both those who shave and those who choose not to.

Shaving your legs doesn’t make you look like a child—it makes you an adult making a personal grooming choice. You might not agree with that choice but that doesn't mean throwing out insults to other women implying they want to attract paedophiles is going to make them suddenly change their minds. On the contrary, its yet another lecture directed at women as to how they "ought" to look, according to someone who isnt in their body.

The idea that hair removal infantilizes women doesn’t hold up logically: if it were true, then men who shave their faces, chest, or other body hair would also look prepubescent—but clearly, they do not.

This huge double standard shows that your criticism isn’t about hair itself, but about controlling women’s bodies and policing their choices.

Many adults experience hair loss for reasons entirely beyond their control, such as alopecia or chemotherapy. These adults don’t suddenly appear childlike—their maturity and adulthood remain intact, regardless of hair. Suggesting that hair—or the absence of it—defines a person’s age or sexual maturity is not only biologically inaccurate but also really bloody offensive.

Would you tell someone who just had chemo that they resembled a child?

So yeah- you are spouting bollocks.

Edited

Well said! 👏

Terrytheweasel · 07/12/2025 11:43

YouHaveAnArse · 07/12/2025 11:39

I'm guessing you're shaving your vulva, not your actual vagina - ouch!

Shaving my vagina 🤣

Terrytheweasel · 07/12/2025 11:42

I shave everything regularly or it’s harder to do. If you do it every few days, it’s an easy job.

YouHaveAnArse · 07/12/2025 11:39

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 11:14

”Analyse why I feel like this “ 😂 😂
It really isn’t that deep PP , I feel feminine with shaved legs , armpits & vagina & that’s all that’s to it 😊.

Men much prefer it too being honest, & us women have to look the way our men want us to look 😆 !!!!
Just having the craic now so relax !!!
😂

I'm guessing you're shaving your vulva, not your actual vagina - ouch!

Adelle79360 · 07/12/2025 11:29

I do but not as often as I wear trousers and tights rather than having bare legs. I’m surprised to read comments about people saying as they’ve got older their body hair is fine and wispy - mine is getting thicker and darker!! I wax my underarms and face and have recently started waxing my boobs (yes, you read that right!!) because they’re just so hairy.

I have however failed entirely to keep up with my bikini line, which now feels like a mammoth task because I’ve left it for so long. My pubes now puff out of my knickers and it looks rather ridiculous 😂 fortunately my OH doesn’t care!!

RichardMarxisinnocent · 07/12/2025 11:21

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 10:52

There's no point coming on here & telling lies 🤷🏻‍♀️.
Truthfully , I think it doesn’t look nice on women to have hairy arm pits & legs , I just feel it’s not feminine ..
Can I not get attacked for saying that please !
I do think it’s different for men , we are different for God’s Sake !
People will turn this into a whole different thing now & I’ll be accused of being sexist .

I appreciate your honesty, thank you. I don't think I'd class it as sexism, but I do think that you've probably been conditioned, probably over many years, to think that body hair on women looks unfemimine. It is something which is quite ingrained into society, so possibly hard to make yourself think differently.

cocobanana92 · 07/12/2025 11:18

Yes, but maybe only once a fortnight and not every few days like in summer.

FellowSuffereroftheAbsurd · 07/12/2025 11:17

No, I last shaved my legs when I was a teenager, no intent to do it again unless there is a medical reason to do so. It's never bothered me or my DH and I wear midi-length skirts and dresses or longer all year round, never with tights, the only trousers I own are thermal leggings I wear on bitter days under my skirts/dresses.

The only person who had an issue with my leg hair was my mother who used to call me 'cactus legs' if she spotted the slightest hint of it. I told my kids that they can if they want, why some people do and don't, and left it with them until they asked.

My 16 year old DD doesn't shave, though went through a few years of shaving her head hair - still uses clippers to cut her hair, but uses extensions on it to cut it to about 2.5-3" so it doesn't really look shaved. As she work on a farm on weekends and half-terms, the short hair is safety and aesthetic. She is also always fully covered - even swimming she wears a full body suit - so I'm only aware of this because she told me.

My 18 year old DD sometimes shaves for sensory reasons - she doesn't like how her skin feels with the hair, though from reading this thread, I'm now considering whether other options like epilating might suit her better. She does it all year round, whenever it's bugging her.

OnceMoreIntoTheBreachDearFriends · 07/12/2025 11:16

Absolutely - I do a lot of Pilates in leggings and bare feet and don't really want the people bending down in close proximity to see furry ankles (they look like socks if I leave them!) 🤣

icantbelieveitsnotcake · 07/12/2025 11:15

snoopythebeagle · 07/12/2025 11:11

Perfectly said. The comparisons with "pre-pubescent girls" are disturbing, quite frankly - and say much more about the people judging than about the grown adult choosing to shave.

I agree - it's very disturbing indeed if the only way you can tell children and adults apart is by their hair. Yikes. 🙄

Missj25 · 07/12/2025 11:14

Namechangedforgoodreasons · 07/12/2025 10:58

How very sad that you think normal body hair on adult women, something that is natural to half of humanity, to virtually every woman who has ever lived, is somehow "not feminine".

I wonder if you have ever tried to analyse why you feel this way.

Edited

”Analyse why I feel like this “ 😂 😂
It really isn’t that deep PP , I feel feminine with shaved legs , armpits & vagina & that’s all that’s to it 😊.

Men much prefer it too being honest, & us women have to look the way our men want us to look 😆 !!!!
Just having the craic now so relax !!!
😂

snoopythebeagle · 07/12/2025 11:11

icantbelieveitsnotcake · 07/12/2025 11:02

I am not denying that women are subject to societal expectations and that body hair goes through fashions. But people are still allowed to groom themselves as they wish without having insults hurled at them and that applies to BOTH sides- both those who shave and those who choose not to.

Shaving your legs doesn’t make you look like a child—it makes you an adult making a personal grooming choice. You might not agree with that choice but that doesn't mean throwing out insults to other women implying they want to attract paedophiles is going to make them suddenly change their minds. On the contrary, its yet another lecture directed at women as to how they "ought" to look, according to someone who isnt in their body.

The idea that hair removal infantilizes women doesn’t hold up logically: if it were true, then men who shave their faces, chest, or other body hair would also look prepubescent—but clearly, they do not.

This huge double standard shows that your criticism isn’t about hair itself, but about controlling women’s bodies and policing their choices.

Many adults experience hair loss for reasons entirely beyond their control, such as alopecia or chemotherapy. These adults don’t suddenly appear childlike—their maturity and adulthood remain intact, regardless of hair. Suggesting that hair—or the absence of it—defines a person’s age or sexual maturity is not only biologically inaccurate but also really bloody offensive.

Would you tell someone who just had chemo that they resembled a child?

So yeah- you are spouting bollocks.

Edited

Perfectly said. The comparisons with "pre-pubescent girls" are disturbing, quite frankly - and say much more about the people judging than about the grown adult choosing to shave.

Winterwonderwhy · 07/12/2025 11:09

Best thing I did was having laser done ALL over.