AIBU to think armpit hair is a moral issue?

[ICBINEG]

How did it come to pass that the natural appearance of an adult woman has become socially unacceptable?

Adult women have hair on their arms, legs, fanjo and (if you can bear the disgustingness of it all) armpits.

In a not at all surprising turn of events the natural appearance of an adult male is still considered attractive including (god forbid) hairy legs, arms, balls and armpits.

Why have we adopted a prepubescent look as the optimum for women but mysteriously not done the same for men?

AIBU to next shave myself when shaving becomes compulsory for EVERYONE and not just those without a Y chromosome?

Observation of my SIL suggests it can take over a year to unlearn the societal conditioning and start seeing your own hairy armpits as attractive....a whole year to stop thinking the natural female form is repulsive....AIBU in thinking that society is totally fucked up?

astounded applause

You go ahead with that Gothic, it's your decision.
At 15 though, you, if you don't mind me saying, have been conditioned the other way. And if that is what you want, good for you.
I'll still shave my legs and my armpits, it's my decision if you don't mind.

I don't agree with you gothicarmchairenthusiast - well I do in a way but I just don't like being hairy and was and am an easily conditioned soul. OTH I would be very proud to have a daughter who was as eloquent, mature and thoughtful as you. I do agree, that if you are happy to be hairy you should feel you can be. I don't like it though and neither does my 14 year old and oddly, she's pretty indy in the scheme of things - and very blonde but a bit hairy too. I think she became self conscious about her hair because she was the first in primary to have hair and found the comments embarassing.

YANBU

gothic thank you for telling your side of things! It is great to hear that somewhere somehow there is little bit of normalizing of the female human body going on!

I am currently embarking on an attempt to see my swath of stretch marks and the curious way I have twice as much skin across my belly as I need as a mark of honour that I have had a baby (rather than unsightly and weird). More work is required but progress is being made.....

Excellent post, Gothic, if you were my DD I would be very proud.

Hang on to your courage and individuality. It gets harder as you get older, IME. What is taken as a bold statement or being alternative when you are young is often seen as 'letting yourself go' once you are in your 40's.

I don't shave my pits (and I was nodding along at the 'sticky' comments) I give them a smart #1 with DP's beard trimmers but I am no longer brave enough to go out with hairy legs on show.

"Why have we adopted a prepubescent look as the optimum for women but mysteriously not done the same for men?"

Probably because barely-legal youth is an attractive look for a woman but not for a man. The same reason why we apply blush & lipstick and men don't.

Try living in a warmer climate with hairy armpits, if you'd like to know why people remove them.

I was all ready to out myself as a hairy freethinker, when I realised I also felt the need to qualify it by explaining that the hair is blonde and sparse anyway, so it's okay, nothing to see here. To strangers on the internet, FFS. Of course there is conditioning, but I'm at a loss to see how Gothic has been conditioned 'the other way'.
I've never lived in a warmer climate so I wouldn't know about that, but for northern Europe I can definitely concur with Gothic's experience of pits feeling appreciably and unpleasantly stickier after the occasional shave.

God is this still going? Wasn't very interesting at the start.

and yet you just keep coming back.....your life must be sooo dull.

Not as dull as this thread that's for sure. Nothing like a bit of fanny fluff to make people go barmy. I have to check in, my colleagues who were interviewed for it think it's a hoot!

Surely, if say in fifty years time if everybody decided to keep their body hair through various media and pressure groups and women felt they shouldn't shave, then that would be conditioning too, no?
Why don't you let women make their own choices?
I'll shave, you don't have too, and everybody is happy.

Well done to you gothic, but it's a crying shame we can't be allowed to be shaved without being slated for it.

Lady The important difference is that in one case what is considered main stream and acceptable is approximately the natural state of an adult woman. In the other case it is anything but. In one case the message from society is basically you are fine as you are. In the other it is you are not fit to be seen in public as you are.

Surely you can see that one of these messages is far more damaging than the other?

And I wont argue that it's cleaner or less smelly... Is it? I just know I prefer shaven.

And social conditioning. Yes we are all socially conditioner. It's nothing to be ashamed of. But even still, we have choices.

The ancient Egyptians removed body hair long before we did

gold oh? are people calling out at you across the street and taking the piss because you shave?

I think not.

There is a truly abused and aggrieved party here and it isn't the waxers....

OP, but women should be allowed to be what they wish. Whether its a natural state or not.

But why do you care?
I don't care if you want to keep your body hair, I certainly wouldn't start a post saying you shouldn't.
I thought feminism was about choices.

ICBING - but we are in this topic. I won't slate you for bein hairy, that's your choice. But there's been a lot of things said in here to people that do shave, that I would consider almost bullying.

You're doing exactly what you say others are doing. It's not nice and extremely hypocritical.

lady yes it would indeed be lovely if I made my choice and you made yours and everyone was happy.

But I am not happy...because having people be physically repulsed by your body isn't a fun experience.....not when they call you names...no siree bob.

I have just rechecked my OP and nowhere did I say you shouldn't shave. I have said that your decision to bow to conformity pressure makes my life harder (which I believe I have a right not to appreciate). I have not said I find your choice repulsive or any such thing.

I have not said shaving should be banned or even frowned upon. Simply that your free choice has in some small way caused my free choice to bring me abuse.

your decision to bow to conformity pressure makes my life harder

I'm sure all women who partake in hair removal now feel suitably chastened knowing that their weak willed submission to conformity has so impinged on your day to day life.

OP, are you also against haircuts and dye, makeup, nail polish? Do you refuse to wear high heels or follow any fashion? Or is it just armpit hair that has you battling for 'natural'?