To ask what cultures you're from and you're attitudes re: body hair?

[BettyCrockerLover]

Hey everyone :)

I know this is a personal question, but I was wondering about beauty/body hair issues and if these attitudes are different within different cultures around the world and if so, how

I am from North Africa but I was raised in a lot of places and I think the only places a woman should have hair are on her head and her eyelashes and eyebrows, anything else seems a bit...unhygienic to me.

What about you all?

[sallysparrow157]

White British, shave legs to just above the knee when on show and actually hairy (last shaved them on the weekend, went swimming then out in a dress today, am relatively fair and currently tanned so stubble not that noticeable), shave pits when wearing short sleeves and when I happen to have a razor otherwise, find I sweat less without underarm hair and work 12 hr often quite physical shifts so prefer not to have lots of underarm hair just cause of that. Shave pubes every now and then when I fancy it, go from full on bush (even full on bush for me is relatively contained so can go swimming without spider legs!) to nothing but landing strip depending on what I feel like at that point in time. Don't shave anything else, in fact am quite enjoying watching my arm hairs go completely white from their normal brownish in the sun!

[sallysparrow157]

Oh, never pluck eyelashes as they are quite fair and sparse anyway and cut my own hair with the kitchen scissors when it gets too split end-y

[BettyCrockerLover]

Maryz nah, I don't think he looks like a plucked chicken

I don't think it looks weird and unnatural, perhaps it's because I don't know any different but I think it is aesthetically pleasing and very erotic.

[ProcessYellowC]

Sorry not contributing to the cultural mix here, another white british here, and I shave my pits when they'll be on display (max twice a week) and my legs likewise, or in winter both will start to irritate me after about 2 or 3 weeks so then I get the razor out.

Then there is the very occasional giganta-hair that grows around my nipples (they go from nothing to over a cm long) so the scissors come out for those .

I am considering all the other places that I do have hair, and leaving aside the bush/hygiene argument, I don't get how hairy arms/hands/back/tache & beard line/feet/toes (even legs) would be unhygienic?

[AHandfulOfDust]

You know where all the pheromones hide don't you?

[Morloth]

I am Mediterranean/Australian as is DH.

We are both hairy.

I don't know what my sisters do now, but my mother never removed body hair and it wasn't something she ever brought up with us.

I used to shave my legs as a teen but when I got to about 21 I though WTAF? Why? so I stopped doing it.

I trim my armpit hair so it doesn't catch on my workout kits, but that is it. I prefer hairy men as well.

The current fashion for smooth men, creeps me out. I like them big and hairy.

[Morloth]

Oral sex is just fine for both of us, thank you.

[SummerRainIsADistantMemory]

I'm white European (dutch/Irish) and shave pits, legs and most of my bikini area. I'm not a fan of body hair, o feel cleaner without it.

[EBearhug]

White British. Mostly have shaved armpits.

Shaved my legs twice in my life, but stubble isn't a good feel. I do wax them up to the knee from time to time, but not always. I swim often, and no one's ever leapt screaming from the pool in horror, because I think most people aren't looking at my legs anyway. And if they are judging me, that's their problem. But there is a mildly masochistic pleasure in waxing them, like ripping plasters off when you're a kid.

I do my bikini line from time to time. I like the feel of my skin there (or sin, as I Freudianly typed), and I really like receiving oral when there's no hair or so I vaguely remember from the distant past. I do it when I am in the mood for it, then I'll go months without bothering. There's always some hair there though. I don't want to look prepubescent, and I think the fashion for none at all is a bit questionable in some ways. Though you don't have to bother about matching lines each side, I suppose.

I keep eyebrows mostly in shape, get them threaded 3 or 4 times a year, pluck in between and then I'll not bother for a while.

Like a bit of hair on a man's chest, less keen on hairy shoulders. Not bothered about down below. Clean shaven face or neatly trimmed beard. Don't want to nuzzle up to stubble though.

[learnasyougo]

Dp would be disappointed if I removed body hair. He says it's natural and womanly.

I go swimming and never have they evacuated the pool.

I do love not having to shave or wax, though I never wear short-sleeved tops or dresses because I AM embarrassed. DP says I'm free to shave if I want to, but last time I did my armpits felt HORRIBLE - all clammy and the arm skin sticking to the torso, so the hair really is there for good reason.

I wish I had the courage to wear sleeveless tops. Hair at the armpits seems ok in a swim setting but not when at work or out with friends. Sad, really. Why should it even matter?

[garlicagain]

I've trained myself not to be bothered about my leg & underarm hair! (It is noticeable, not the fair downy stuff some women call leg hair.) I can't say I'm actually proud of it - but I am proud of having gone to the shops in shorts, with unshaven legs and pits, the other day.

It's coming off tomorrow, though. Logic hasn't completely overridden conditioning.

[misanthropologist]

American, pasty white skin and auburn-to-brown hair. I shave my pits because I find them less stinky when I do, and I use clippers to attend to the 'swimsuit line' (the hell is anyone catching me in a bikini). As far as the down below goes, I trim it to about 1/4 inch long as it seems to get less sweaty/manky-feeling under clothes.

Legs? Meh... I've just shaved them tonight, but before that I hadn't for about a week and a half or so, and yes I've been out in public (gasp!) with stubbly legs. I figure anyone who doesn't like 'em doesn't have to look, and DH doesn't mind.

The eyebrows I tweeze and shape because if I didn't they'd grow and grow and I'd end up having them to hold them aside to see.

[garlicagain]

You could put them in cute little pigtails. With tiny bows.

[differentnameforthis]

British. Don't remove much hair at all. In summer I do remove more, but I rarely show off legs/pits so I don't bother.

Flatly refuse to remove hair from anywhere else. Daily hygiene means I never feel "gross" while on my period or at any other time.

[WinningBread]

I don't remove any of it.

I see lots of women in my area who don't shave either.

I have never had a comment about it from anyone and I have my legs and pits out in the summer (my arms too ).

I rarely give it a second thought, though when I'm on a thread like this, I'm always shocked at how much people remove.

That's just me though. British, FWIW.

[bornagaindomesticgoddess]

White British but live in Middle East. Wax entire body including face. The only hair I have is the hair on my head (extensions), eyelashes (again - extensions) and eyebrows.

I think I have lived here too long

[ILoveNoodles]

Black British, family from the Caribbean.
I shave under my arms-less sweaty (been even more sweaty since having my daughter 3 months ago) up to my knees in summer-if legs are on show. Trim bikini line if I'm going swimming or on holiday. .
But I fear this might be because I live in Britain, as back home they don't seem to bother with any of that

[ILoveNoodles]

Ooh and my mum only does under her arms in summer, nowhere else, unless swimming/holiday, however her hair on her legs are unnoticeable.

[theodorakisses]

Why are you shocked at how much hair other people remove?
Domesticgoddess, I am in the ME too and have all of those things as well!

[iloveweetos]

LOL I have good daily personal hygiene thank you very much. Ridiculous.

[marriedinwhiteagain]

White European and fair. Shave armpits (weekly ish) and lower legs (fortnightly in summer, not in winter). Hard to form a view as I don't have a lot of body hair - no hair above the knee or on calves or around bikini line. Was never hairy and all the hairs on my arms disappeared when ds was born. I might feel differently if I had more noticeable hair. But I would never wear a sleeveless dress without shaving my armpits.

DD is 15 and a bit hairier than me but much fairer so it isn't noticeable. She just sort of naturally started removing her armpit hair at about 11 - at first using veet with my help because she was nervous of the razor and then just switched to the razor because it's easier. I think she will want to trim her bikini line but even as a teen she doesn't seem to be under the sort of pressure to be hairless that I have read about on here.

[ANormalOne]

White British. I don't remove anything, I don't see the point and I don't give a crap about fitting into tired gender roles. If someone has an issue with me having hairy pits that's their issue.

I don't like men who shave either, it looks completely unnatural and childlike.

There's nothing unhygienic about body hair.

[SHarri13]

I do legs and armpits in the few weeks that it's hot here. I wish I didn't feel the need to conform by doing so though. I used to shave all of my pubic hair but since reading around the topic stopped as it was unnecessary and frankly being compared to a child made me shudder.
I'm a dark haired, paled skinned welsh/ Irish mix