Female body hair / husband- help?

So you, as a teenager, suddenly discovered you could shave? No one told you about razors, or showed you how to use them, it just came to you suddenly like a bolt out of the blue?

Do you actually read posts or just pick the bits you want? I have already said I have practically no hair on my arms to start with so they are already smooth! Hence why exfoliation is enough. It wouldn't be enough on my legs because they get a full blown bloody carpet on them if I leave them, so exfoliation would do nothing! Why is that so hard to grasp? I have already said I agree some women do things to conform, I just personally don't. Read the posts!

My mums legs are naturally very smooth and hairless and when mine started to get hairy I wanted that smooth feeling back, worked out that could be achieved through shaving.

No, never discussed it with friends as most of my friends have always been male and they wouldn't have noticed nor cared if I turned up with a beard tbh. Not sure about ads for razors. Often seen articles etc about waxing and that it's "better" than shaving somehow, but never bothered with it.

Luckily it just happens that the kind of grooming you personally prefer happens to coincide with the standards usually expected of women in our society, although i know you personally don't care about that.

So you entirely came up with the idea to shave all by yourself, out of the blue? You never saw a single ad for razors, never saw other women with smooth legs, never discussed it with friends?

I don't shave my eyebrows off because I don't wear clothes on my eyebrows, so how would I feel the smoothness? I just don't enjoy the feeling of hairy legs! I already said why I don't shave my head - I enjoy dying my hair and styling it so why would I shave it off?

Again - I never said nobody shaves because they are influenced, I said I personally don't so it for those reasons.

Branleuse, the whole argument behind feminism is that society's expectations of women are harmful.

Shaving is not an optional activity. If it were, then when you go to the beach you would see at least some women going around with hairy legs, pits and bikini area. You just don't see that. Shaving is expected, it is the minimum you are required to do in order to be "beach ready." Of course, you're also supposed to be thin, tanned, toned, etc etc.

The culture around shaving is harmful because, along with all the other standards women are required to meet, it says to women that their natural, normal bodies aren't good enough, they need to be modified, changed, brought under control. Women's time and effort are taken up trying to meet these standards, when in fact even if they do meet them, they will still be criticised for something.

It is very rare for a woman to be happy with her body just how it is. And that is not the situation I want my daughter to grow up in.

I have very minimal, thin hair on my arms which is barely noticeable so exfoliating is enough to get my arms smooth. I actually get asked a lot if I shave my arms because there's no hair visible (I don't). I enjoy dying my hair and wearing it in various styles so wouldn't see the point in shaving it off.

Being influenced by society and culture is only a big deal when its something that hurts us surely. Shaving and having nice hairstyles wearing clothes that arent just combats and Tshirts is conforming, but it is no great effort or hardship

But why only those areas in particular Blueberry? Why the same areas that are usually shaved/waxed by other women in our society? Why not your whole body shaved or your head?

"The only reason for the trouble and expense is social expectation and the need to conform"

Have you actually been reading the thread? That's the entire point I've just been arguing against, and if you read the thread you would see I do not shave to conform or because it's what's seen as socially acceptable, I enjoy the feeling of having smooth legs, underarms and pubic area. How can you tell me that's not the reason I shave? Can you see inside my mind?

The smooth feeling is pretty short lived though, you could achieve the same by exfoliating then putting on trousers.

Ok. Thanks for the discussion.

Caindana I think the point of the thread has been lost slightly. I agree with you that pop culture influences most people, I agree that SOME women will shave because they think they have to to be viewed as womanly. What I was arguing is that it's not ALWAYS the case, that some people do simply just like the feeling of being smooth. In my earlier post I actually said to OP that she should do what makes her happy - if that means shaving then shave and likewise if that means not shaving then don't! So I really don't understand where the hostility has come from..

Oh. So we were arguing about nothing then. Of course culture influences both men and women.

Not really, TheCowThatLaughs - maybe a little bit but I don't mind whether I "conform" or not tbh, I just do what makes me happy I'm not one to do things because they are seen as against the norm, likewise I'm not one for doing things because they are the norm. I just kinda get on with it

No I haven't. If you read my posts you will see I've been arguing that pop culture doesn't influence in a way that is just against women. My post said that males are influenced by celebrities too, and it's not just women. That male celebrities and other such influences have an affect on the way males groom too. Nowhere have I said pop culture doesn't influence people's decisions. Of course it does.

I can see how that would piss you off Blueberry! Do you think that may have something to do with how strongly you feel that you are not at all influenced by fashion or societal norms re body hair, ie that you have spent a long time looking non-mainstream, and you feel that it's being implied that you are in actual fact conforming to the mainstream by shaving (not saying that you are at all though)

I can understand your husband to be honest. I can't stand hairy bits on men or women! If my dp leaves his unkempt I find it a total turn off.
I can't help it just don't find him attractive like that.

He 'tidies' for me, I'm sure he would be happy to leave it hairy but he try's to please me more.

Which do you value more your feminist issues or your relationship?

When you say that celebrity culture influences decisions such as hair colour/shaving then you are agreeing with everything you've been arguing against for the whole thread

Excuse my terrible spelling and grammar, I'm on my phone and I keep pressing the wrong keys.