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?

Haha sorry x-post!

spud well I think that would be considered NT....I mean doing something for a real reason, all be it one that is specific to your individual circumstances, and to increase your own convenience is not massively bonkers...doing it because you are convinced (wrongly in the absence of any unusual circumstances - see many earlier posts for links) that all hair in the fanjo department is just plain wrong, smelly and unattractive because all the ladies in the magazines are currently hairless wonders is not exactly sane.

If you're not of a questioning, enquiring mind, then yes, it probably is that simple.

I'm not reading all of this. But just want to add that I don't have hairy legs, I don't have hairy arms, I love my hair which I have cut every six weeks and highlighted every 12 and wash and blow dry every morning. I do not love my armpit hair, I do not think it's attractive and I remove it weekly in the shower with a razor. I don't like to see women with hair armpits, my dh doesn't like it and I have helped my 14 year old to learn how to remove it. Am very glad that she doesn't want to wear a sleeveless to if her armpits aren't hair free.

Personally, I don't think hirsuteness is feminine and I like being feminine.

But, Peoples Princess, could it be that you think it's choice because you like being shaven? I like being unshaven, but that's the socially unacceptable choice, so I feel pressurised into shaving even though I don't want to, because I know that there will be a substantial number of people thinking "yuck" when they catch a glimpse of my armpits. (I did manage to go to work in a shift dress with moderately hairy armpits, so I'm working on not crumbling in the face of social pressure).

I'm happy to concede that there are other reasons for shaving - I'm having the period from a slasher movie at the moment, and can totally relate to the blood clots in the pubes school of thought (though I'd rather have a bidet in my bathroom).

But I still think anyone who thinks it's a free choice, on a par with a man deciding to be clean shaven or bearded, is being a bit naive.

I don't like being lectured about the fact that I prefer to shave my legs and armpits.
If you are happy being hairy so be it, but to try and tell every other woman what to do and accuse them of being conditioned because they don't agree is starting to piss me off.
Have you ever heard about each to their own?
And what difference does it make to anybody if some people prefer not to have body hair?
I refuse to make excuses for it and almost feel I have to apologise for my preference.
I'm 56, I know what I like and can I just say Fuck Off Op.

The current most popular banana became,popular simply because it was, at the time, more resistant to Panama disease which devastated the trees of the previous one. Nothing to do with shape.

So not really relevant here at all.

Well said ladybeagleyes!!

Woah, defensive!

I am hair free, and happy to admit that the main reason I am, is because of the societal pressure to be so.

Odd that other people take such massive umbrage to that...

I despise threads like this because I am certain that most of the people complaining do other stuff that change the female form or which stay within "normal" social constraints/expectations.

love a bit of banana history soupdragon !!!

I shave my eyebrows into shape too. I hate tweeting. I think I look better. Is that frowned upon too!?

*tweezing even

Nope, not defensive, just stating my POV.
I'll do what I want, ta very much, you do what you want.
Then everybody's happy, surely?
Because I'm sure you don't want me to stop shaving because you disapprove of it?
Or maybe you do.

:)

It is one of those useless facts that lodge themselves in my brain. It was on, I think, the One Show or something fairly recently.

Exactly my feeling Nurse Bernard, but much more succinctly put!

ICBINEG, I personally think you have a point but seriously do you think that most people will really be able to realize that most of their 'I like, I don't like' is actually linked to very societal norms?

See, explain here that you can go and pick up snails in your garden to prepare and eat them and you will get some ewwww.
Change countries, do the same and you will get a 'Oh yes'.
But most people here will defend the idea that it has nothing to do with society and tastes imposed to them. Just that 'really, look at snails. It's all this and that. How can you even think about easting one?' And 'it's my choice and what I like eating' etc...
Forgetting that the hamburger they love so much would be considered disgusting somewhere else.

Now is that a feminist issue? Well it depends as it why you think this is the ase. It could be just the way things have evolved. Or it could be the increase use of porn that actually send women to the state of objects there to pleasure the men. Not sure what is the answer there
Bit one thing is sure, humans have always tried and change the way nature made us. In the Andes, some tribes were making helmets for their babies to change the shape of their heads. Some tribes in africa still wear rings around their neck to make them longer.
So perhaps it's just more of the old?

LST You must NEVER shave your eyebrows! . Tut tut tut!

Bows to Lady Beagle Eyes. Soup Dragon do you mean like some of my colleagues and lovely sils who disagree vehemently with shaving and having their hair done because it isn't natural but think it's OK to have a few piercings and argue for freedom of choice and lack of judgement. They are happy though to judge me because I diet, care for my hair, like nice clothes and want to be feminine. Funny innit two sets of rules about rights.

yohoho naughty aren't I! Tbf it is a proper facial hair shaver.. I don't get my box on them

Love this phone....

I meant bic

don't do my armpits that often and then because deodorant goes on easier. Wouldn't do eyebrows BUT what about chin hairs!!!?

I don't get chin hair.. But I get a really long blonde one that grows right in the middle of my forehead....

Oh like those nose trimmers, but not .

Nose trimmers? Nose HAIR trimmers.