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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not knowing shaving arms is a thing?

166 replies

HarrysOwl · 03/04/2019 19:13

DH asked me do you shave your arms?

I said no, I don't shave my arms. I looked at him with my whaaa look, he then explained he'd just seen a TV advert (women's razor, she was doing her arms) and wondered how many women feel they have to shave all their limbs.

So I'm thinking if it's on a TV advert, this is a totally usual thing and I'm naive to not know?

can't ask my friends they'd think I was weird

OP posts:
Rubusfruticosus · 03/04/2019 20:24

Do people have hairy upper legs? Mind aren't particularly hairy. Do people shave them?

thefinn · 03/04/2019 20:26

I do.. but you're definitely not weird. Always assumed most people don't.

whitehalleve · 03/04/2019 20:26

I've seen the ad it's for Gillette Venus. I don't shave mine. I hate the thought of stubbly arms.

VoyageInTheDark · 03/04/2019 20:28

I don't shave my arms but they are quite hairy and seeing that ad made me feel like I should (Luckily I'm lazy and can barely be bothered to do my legs so I won't bother)

SleepingSloth · 03/04/2019 20:29

I remember this being a thing years ago when I was at school with some girls.

I know women and men who have tattoos on their arms and they shave because they think the tattoos look better. I'm not a fan of tattoos.

Hair removal seems to have become an obsession for both sexes.

NotGenerationAlpha · 03/04/2019 20:29

I have always done so and I'm in my mid 40s. Not a new thing at all. It depends on how hairy you are surely?

reallybadidea · 03/04/2019 20:29

I started waxing my arms a few years ago when a 'friend' commented on them being hairy. It had literally never occurred to me before that.

PeapodBurgundy · 03/04/2019 20:29

Pasty AF with almost black hair. I shave a lot of places most people don't have to. It makes be really resentful and very self conscious. If I ever came into money, I'd get pretty much my full body laser treated.

FortyFacedFuckers · 03/04/2019 20:32

I only discovered this a few months ago when a woman in my office commented she hadn’t shaved her arms, which led me to survey my office of 7 women, 3 remove the hair on their arms and 4 don’t. I also asked my beautician and she confirms she has a huge number of clients for regular arm waxing!
I am one of those people that is constantly removing body hair so I was shocked this had never occurred to me before,

CountFosco · 03/04/2019 20:32

I think hairy forearms look really unfeminine.

I don't know how a female's arm can look unfeminine, hair or not Confused

I don't shave mine but am aware of a couple of people who do. But I don't shave my underarms either and only do my legs about 12 times a year (every 2 weeks in the summer). I don't think it's necessary but I also have very little body hair naturally which I'm sure makes it easier for me to be relaxed about it. And I'm in a career that doesn't judge women negatively for being relaxed about grooming.

PatchworkGirl · 03/04/2019 20:33

I did for a few years as a teen because I was self conscious about thick dark hair. Never since school - now I love my soft dark hair!

Original poster
HarrysOwl · 03/04/2019 20:33

I started waxing my arms a few years ago when a 'friend' commented on them being hairy

Nice friend! Confused

OP posts:
dementedma · 03/04/2019 20:34

God no. and i have dark hair

Meandwinealone · 03/04/2019 20:35

I do get it if you’re really dark haired. But even so. Surely that makes the stubble worse looking? Wouldn’t you wax?

Drum2018 · 03/04/2019 20:36

Have never shaved my arms and Dh and I both look a bit bemused when we watched that ad the other night. If I had very dark hair I might though.

Petalflowers · 03/04/2019 20:37

I went through a stage of shaving them when I was an older teen, as I have dark, hairy arms. However, didn’t want to accidentally slit my wrists, so stopped. It wasn’t a long phase.

Katterinaballerina · 03/04/2019 20:40

I did shave my arms from time to time starting when I was about 13. I was very self conscious of how dark the hair was. I did it periodically until about 19. Then I stopped caring. Now I’m 40 odd, I like to see how golden I can get the hair to go by the end of the summer, after being out in short sleeves for weeks. If I’m sitting in a sunbeam in August I’ll be slowly rotating my arm in the light and thinking “oooooh glinty.”

notsosureaboutthatthough · 03/04/2019 20:44

I would think it would be more obvious that an arm looked ‘shaved’ that an arm looked hairy..
I have fair hair that’s pretty long on my arms but because they are arms it’s never crossed my mind to shave them!

mummyhaschangedhername · 03/04/2019 20:45

I shave mine, have since a teenager. Not sure why, I just don't really like body hair on myself much. Despite being dark my arm hair is always soft and blonde, so I don't really need to and it's not very week /time but I do do it.

BayandBlonde · 03/04/2019 20:46

I'm with @Ken, I only shave my arms because of my inked sleeve Smile

JemSynergy · 03/04/2019 20:53

Sometimes. I am fair and the hair grows back slowly, so every now and then when I feel like they are noticable I shave the hair. I have been doing it since I was about 19 so 20 years!

stuckinagut · 03/04/2019 20:54

Yes I saw the ad and was a little 'oh is that what women are doing now'. I vaguely remember considering it when I was younger, but given I can barely be bothered to keep my legs hair-free, the ad is unlikely to inspire more blade-shopping in me!

Ruby789 · 03/04/2019 20:56

I remove my arm hair. Another dark, pale and very hairy girl.

polarpig · 03/04/2019 20:58

Only occasionally as post-menopause the hairs grow much longer.

SweetbutaPsycho · 03/04/2019 20:58

I had a friend with very dark hair who would shave her arms but I always thought it was a bit strange. That being said I've naturally fine blonde hair so you barely see my hairs (thankfully as I rarely shave my legs!)