to think that shaving your 'lady parts' is no different from shaving your legs?

[MandyMcFly]

I have seen so many people on here say how it is offensive to shave your vagina, that it's conforming to the porn star image, that men who like it are strange/perverted, it's not natural etc.

But I have to ask, do those of you who take this 'natural' approach with your erm..area, not shave legs or armpits too? Btw I am not referring to those of you who keep it natural just because you/your partner prefer it that way, I am addressing those people who see it as offensive or wrong etc. Because in this case, surely you would be hypocritical to shave other areas?

"I'd be really embarrassed to show a shaved foof to a medical person "

Yeah - but I think, because it's now so normal for people to have a shaved one, it's more likely these days that medical staff would think you 'un-natural' for letting it all grow!

I too see your point.

The reason we shave our legs and armpits is because we have been brainwashed to believe that it is not feminine to be hairy. That a woman with hairy legs and pits is somehow a dreadful thing. There is no reason to remove the hair. Even armpit hair which you could argue traps sweat and makes you smell - well, men don't remove it and by and large they manage to smell ok - by regular washing!! So that's not even a reason.

We've been totally brainwashed to believe that we have to be hairfree, and that body hair is unattractive on a woman. We don't like it - not because we objectively don't like it, iyswim because if we'd lived all our lives alone in the jungle with nobody else around would we feel the same way? I think not. We have been taught to not like it. All the messages, all our lives, have been remove hair remove hair remove hair.

isn't it true that women in other parts of Europe keep their armpits hairy because it is actually better in hot climates?

Duelling they can think what they blooming well like LOL.

Corona, LMAO at 'privet matter.'

Further re hedge trimming -

Minipie - 'in an ideal world of course we'd all feel comfortable leaving the whole of our bodies in their natural, healthy, hairy state.'

It would not be a human world. Body modification, decoration, adornment, and hair dressing/removal rules are an essential part of being human in every culture and have been since the beginning really. It's quite unnatural to not do anything to change one's body. Even using soap or toothpaste is a decision to change one's body (odour). There's a really good book called Fresh Lipstick by Linda Scott that helped me think about beauty practices in a different way, and goes into the above in great detail.

Prudish white, middle class women, basically, who pioneered the feminist movement, had their roots (no pun intended) in conservative Protestantism and denounced the beauty practices of other women (mainly working class, non-white, etc). Very interesting read.

Fanjo - 'Then again I am not very hairy so I guess people who have some kind of wild forest down there might need to tame it a little. Maybe those people with an uncontrollable bush are just solving a problem with the razor. '

Yes. I am always extremely irritated at hairless feminists who dare to advise me to not bow to patriarchy by removing my body hair.

I dunno, it probably is more comfortable because you don't get sweat dripping it gets caught in the hair, which is presumably what the hair is for.

As I said, I keep mine trimmed (but not shaved) because if it gets too long t catches in my clothes.

My pubic hair is long and straight (and ginger).

My pubic hair had to be shaved off before having an emergency c section with ds1. I was too out of it at the time to ask why, although I have slightly embarrassing memories of my sister in scrubs, wielding a Bic (she was a nurse on shift at the time).

Bearing that in mind, I made sure I was clean shaven with DD2.

What do men do? Because it seems to me that the vast majority of grooming and shaving and plucking and piercing and decorating is done by women. What's that about then?

Is it a feminist issue then does anyone think?

I was in intensive care not that long back and had to write down (couldn't talk as I was ventilated) that I had my period and a mooncup in. They had to get someone from Gynae to remove it and then I had to show my shaved and pierced foof to them.

If I managed that without feeling the need to emigrate afterwards, it can't be that bad

DH shaves his face.

So do I.

"Yes. I am always extremely irritated at hairless feminists who dare to advise me to not bow to patriarchy by removing my body hair"

I do sympathise. My workmate showed me her legs (she'd not been shaving them in preparation for a pre-holiday wax) and I was horrified by how hairy they were. I think I would be doing it too if mine were that hairy

Hardly anyone is really going to see my fanjo though so I am not so worried about it being hairy

Makes me wonder why we do worry about it though!

I think the difference is that not all adult women do have hairy legs - in some parts of the world women have quite naturally smooth legs, and children do have leg hair. DD legs are naturally hairier than mine and always have been. Women's legs tend to be less hairier than men's, so removing leg hair gives people an extremely female appearance, rather than a childlike appearance. All adult women have pubic hair, so removing it entirely is a childlike look.

But I don't get the shaving thing. Waxing is one thing, but shaved off pubic hair leads to a very itchy regrowth, which is not the case with leg hair. I thought when people said shaving they didn't literally mean that they removed it with a razor. Does anyone acutally do that?

My legs are hairier than DH's, they are blonde however so don't look that furry.

"My pubic hair had to be shaved off before having an emergency c section with ds1"

do they still do this? Seems bizzare.

I remember going for a planned c section with my second and the midwife exclaimed' my god you are wild down there'

I really can't be arsed to shave it though and when i have done (like for swimming etc) I find it becomes itchy

tmi

yes they have always shaved your pubic hair prior to c section, to a certain point though. They leave your undercarriage so it looks a bit like a beard

I assume they need to see what they are doing and the cut is along the "bikini line" nowadays isn't it?

I agree with Hecate re the total brainwashing re hairlessness for women being the norm.

It sucks.

However, it just isn't fair to criticize any woman, particularly a quite hairy woman, for caving to nearly universal pressure/societal norms by removing leg hair.

Pubic hair is another thing entirely - it is, as a pp mentioned, not on display to many people. So the decisions to remove it are private ones relating to sexual pleasure, hygiene, etc.

Men too are pressured to be hairless now. Adverts do not feature macho Burt Reynolds chests anymore! Men are getting back waxes. 'Back, sack and crack' to be more precise. They are sold nose and ear hair trimmers. Etc. Of course they aren't expected to get rid of leg or pit hair, but they are expected to go to great lengths to avoid smelling bad because of it - aftershaves, body gels, etc, etc. They are certainly not allowed to smell like men in public!

I love hairy men, not too hairy though, but a nice masculine covering

I do the bikini line for wearing bikinis... thats it.

No-one I know does the whole thing. Ive asked them all!

I think as others have said it's ANOTHER infantilising practice for women ( and I speak as a leg and pit shaver), but it's just one step too far for me. Tried it once and never felt sweatier, itchier or more stupid and I wasn't even that hairy.

I would judge a man who didn't like pubes, unless he was waxed/shaved himself, in which case I'd probably not fancy his high
maintenance ways.

I think a hairless man would creep me out slightly. Like 'em big and hairy - just like me!

Yes hairless man would be creepy.

1. how vain are you?!
2. yuk!
3. watches too much porn.

I like a hairless man in that area.
I hate hair in my mouth.

Some men that I've been with who have been hair free have watched porn, some haven't, some who haven't removed the hair have watched porn, some haven't.

In no way, would I want, or even want to imagine a pre-pubescent male.