Why do some people have such a problem with body hair?

[Soubriquet]

I rarely shave my legs or underarms. It doesn’t bother me and my dh actually likes hairy underarms.

Yet, I still shave them if I wear something that shows my underarms off because I’m worried people will say something.

A lot of people don’t like women having hairy underarms. Yet it’s acceptable on men.

I have seen the latest trend over the last couple of years where women are showing off their underarms. Even dying the hair a funky colour to make it more acceptable yet most of the comments are unkind.

Why? What is so offensive about body hair?

It doesn’t smell. I wash it every morning and apply deodorant.

We have been conditioned to find it offensive over the years. Hairless is seen as the ideal for women. I can’t see armpit hair ever coming back to being fashionable.

I wonder how long it’s been a thing for? Probably less than 100 years. Seems to be swinging back the other way a bit, though, as OP says. Hairy legs too.

Yet, I still shave them if I wear something that shows my underarms off because I’m worried people will say something. but how do you know they will? You don't, you've just assumed people will maybe becuase you subconsciously think there's something wrong with it? I think that what has happened is we've all been conditioned to think other people will think there's something wrong with it but really no one does!

We've been socially conditioned into it.

I know for years I found hairy legs and armpits pretty repulsive, which is ridiculous and pure conditioning from birth, by society and the media. I was speaking to this with my daughter the other day, about how every image you see of women, they are smooth. Smooth legs, smooth armpits. I grew my armpit hair on purpose a few years ago, to show my kids it's normal and to challenge myself to get over the bullshit ideas that had been conditioned into my brain.

It really pisses me off now, the disgust that people show for a perfectly natural thing. We are mammals! We have body hair! Just another way to shame women and add to the load of crap we're "supposed" to do, to be acceptable and appealing.

It depends really. In the summer I shave, in the winter I look like a hairy bear.
I don't care long as people don't smell of BO I don't see the issue. It's hardly offensive I think it's down the good old stereotypical gender roles.

I agree @Soubriquet that as a society we put far to much pressure on women to conform to a specific ascetic stereotype which includes removing almost all body hair. Personally I've never understood it (probably because I'm autistic) and have never shaved/waxed any part of my body. I've had some nasty comments about it almost entirely from women and mostly about my hairy legs (very fine but long blonde hair) my response is always the same, if they can't handle me being half Wookey then they should take their nasty attitude elsewhere. It usually embarrasses them enough to make them shut up and piss off 😀
Whilst this may not work for you I do find that simperly asking the commenter why they think they have the right to comment on any part of someone's appearance not only embarrasses them but often makes them think twice before they do it to someone else

Ancient Egyptians got rid of body hair so it's probably come and gone as a fashion in cycles. Most fashions are to do with being rich or poor, ie. At one point it was more desirable to be have some fat because it meant you could afford to eat, and to be pale meant to weren't outside working on the land. Maybe body hair removal set you apart because you had the luxury of servants and beauty techniques/equipment needed to perform it. Maybe it was to do with simulating youth (eurgh) and marrying girls off young.

It's nonsensical that male human mammals are allowed by society to keep their natural hair but female human mammals are expected to remove their natural hair.

I find men’s armpit hair a bit grim. You don’t see it very often. I’d be quite happy if DH didn’t have any body hair, he doesn’t have a lot compared to some men, but crikey it gets everywhere.

But I definitely still think it’s a sex thing. It’s not scandalous to have a man with armpit hair.

Seeing women with hair legs seems to be more common. And I don’t mean in campaigns trying to normalise it, but rather in everyday life.

It's just what we're conditioned to like and accept. Like men nearly always have short hair, or even shave their heads.

Personally I'd love it to be fashionable and the norm for women to shave their heads too.. I hate my hair

I can't see me ever being 'unconditioned' tbh, and hairy legs and armpits will never look nice to me

All the men I've had relationships with trim their armpit hair very short regularly. It's not just women. Personally I prefer mine short as it feels cleaner and it stops me smelling. I often leave my leg air

I do find it smells quicker when i dont shave. Not saying you smell, but for me i notice a clear difference.

I shave my armpits then let it grow out fully. It's not dirty unless you don't shower regularly/don't wash properly. It just smells like deodorant and powder for me.

It looks natural and feminine. Not common in my age group, frankly do not care. Shaving looks silly with such dark hair, it looks better to have a bit of hair rather than a green shadow.

Meanwhile men can walk around with hair everywhere and its deemed "sexy"

Hairy men are not sexy and lots shave and trim body hair actually

I don't shave etc, I never have.
Feel free to comment away, I don't give a shit. I'm not going to hide my hairy pits from easily offended eyeballs.

The beauty industry is to blame, and the attitude towards women about pubic hair. I’ll never understand the desire to have women looking like pre pubescent children with waxing and shaving.

There is definitely an attitude that not shaving/waxing means you must be lazy and not take pride in your appearance, or you must smell bad.

I've got some relatives who go for the natural hairy look. TBH in hot weather they smell far worse than those of us who shave underarm. It may of course just be down to the type of anti perspirant they use (or possibly lack of) but we perceive it to be the swear lingering in the hair.

I can remember seeing my mum and other women with it growing up as a child in the 70s, but I've been shaving mine since it first appeared as a teenager.
The pressure to do it came from my peers, obviously filtered down from advertising and the media, but don't specifically recall the moment it became a bad thing.

At the grand Old age of 52, I've stopped shaving anywhere. I don't smell because of it because I keep myself clean.

As a teenager in the 2010s my mother relentlessly bullied me whenever I had hairy armpits or legs! Despite her growing up in the 70s and 80s when the bush was all the rage.

Nowadays it's a gamble as to whether I shave or not, I'm not bothered around my husband/at home but admittedly wouldn't walk around in shorts with my forest legs on show.

@Mabelface Exactly. I bathe twice daily and I use anti perspirant so no smells here.
That's another marketing ploy aimed at women.

Some women have facial hair too. I don't think not removing it will become socially acceptable any time soon.

My DH is fair haired and completely shaves his pubic area, always has. He doesn't have much chest or underarm hair so doesn't do anything there. I shave pubic area and underarms, and epilate legs in the summer, my body hair is also pretty fair so don't do it too often.

I don't do pubic area/underarms because of societal pressure, just because I feel cleaner, but maybe did start doing my legs because girls at school were talking about doing it. I do it for me now because I like the feeling. Thinking about investing in IPL to use instead, epilating is so much easier and lower maintenance than shaving and cheaper than waxing so I'd benefit I think.

I'll be proactive about advising DD when the time comes because I think if she leaves it alone it won't be necessary, don't think it would have been necessary for me either.

Been going on for thousands of years. All the main religions seem to have rules on it, not allowed to cut it, must cut it off, if you leave it then it must be covered.........same old.