AIBU to have hairy legs this summer?

[Franklyfrost]

I’m busy and don’t want to shave or wax my legs this summer but I do want to wear floaty dresses, short shorts and sparkly sandals.

My legs aren’t very hairy, just long thin patchy mangey hair from below knee an ankle. It would look better if I had a luscious thick black pelt.

Should I sod it and keep the hair or would it turn your stomach? I don’t want to scare small children or have people think I’m unkempt or dirty. But also I don’t want to act as if I’m ashamed of my leg hair (even if I am).

My sister had to wear skirts and dresses to work due to a company dress code made in the 80's when she began working for the company.

She finally quit her job and left her husband, who used to "suggest" she shave other parts to please him and other stupid stuff in the same vein four years ago. She hasn't worn a dress or shaved any part of her body since.

She does wear shorts and I am impressed at how much hair she has. I'm glad that she's free to do whatever she wants.

So are you, OP.

I’m not very hairy but I do like having smooth legs and matching fanny. But that’s my choice and I couldn’t give a monkeys what anybody thinks about it.

Well all grooming procedures are pretty pointless and unnecessary if you analyse them. I want to look like a beautiful woman and I'm a feminist.

There are lots of grooming procedures to cheat my way to looking feminine and beautiful. I dye my hair, straighten it add products to make it look glossy, I make my eyes look bigger and my skin look flawless with make up. All quite unnecessary and simply because I want to look a certain way.

To me hairy legs look manly, by nature of testosterone men are hairier it's actually one sign of male virility. I don't want to look like a man. That's my choice; others may feel differently. I also find deodorant works better on hairless armpits.

I think it would be rare to find a woman who shunned all grooming procedures, cut their hair all off because it's easier , burnt their bra and wore clothes only for comfort. And honestly didn't give a hoot what people thought. It's human nature to care how others perceive us. Perhaps a flaw of humans, but there it is.

Of course no woman should be judged by their appearance; whether that's full make up and fake tan or a very natural look. I don't quite understand the badge of honour thing on here of declaring you have hairy legs, like a gorilla, almost defying anyone to comment that they don't like that look so you can accuse them of misogyny.

To me hairy legs look manly, by nature of testosterone men are hairier it's actually one sign of male virility. I don't want to look like a man

Plenty of women have lovely thick hair on their heads and are genetically prone to more hair on legs/pits/pubes. That's not manly, ffs.

@NeedNewKnees

To me hairy legs look manly, by nature of testosterone men are hairier it's actually one sign of male virility. I don't want to look like a man

Plenty of women have lovely thick hair on their heads and are genetically prone to more hair on legs/pits/pubes. That's not manly, ffs.

As a woman with PCOS more body hair is indicative of higher testosterone. I think that’s what that PP might have been getting at. The higher testosterone not PCOS.

Although I thought a bald head was a sign of virility, at least that’s what DP says

@NeedNewKnees

To me hairy legs look manly, by nature of testosterone men are hairier it's actually one sign of male virility. I don't want to look like a man

Plenty of women have lovely thick hair on their heads and are genetically prone to more hair on legs/pits/pubes. That's not manly, ffs.

Yes, like me! My hair on my head is praised so much because it's sooo thick. But then at the same time society sends me the messages that my equally thick dark hair everywhere else is disgusting and needs to be removed. Doesn't really make any sense but unfortunately I've internalised all those messages

@Pyewackect

I’m not very hairy but I do like having smooth legs and matching fanny. But that’s my choice and I couldn’t give a monkeys what anybody thinks about it.

That's interesting :). My fanny is nothing like my legs shaved or unshaven, you must be unique.

I've always shaved legs and armpits, bits around the bikini line and between legs either side of crotch, but still have a moderate, trimmed bush at the front.

As long as I feel 'nice' and comfortable, I'm OK.

Husband never grew a beard, thankfully, and I didn't like stubble so often asked him to shave at night before bedtime as well as in the morning.

@RozHuntleysLeftHand

But why do people judge??

Some women get very angry at other women who don’t do what men want. They don’t want to think that these things are optional.

Like the 13yo who was told that she’d never get a Bf I’d she didn’t conform.

Sorry but 🤣 at @RozHuntleysLeftHand ‘s username. That is all 😆😆😆

Perhaps some women who have chosen not to shave are angry at the perceived judging. I don't think I've ever taken much notice in other women's legs or thought badly of them. Even on here where most people are brutally honest, the comments that hairy legs are gross or repulsive are few and far between. Most replies have been supportive. In these times of accepting chosen genders and the push against any sort of body shaming, I'm surprised people aren't more accepting.

I don't know, perhaps some women have had nasty comments? I could imagine that in the playground (where any differences in appearance are picked on) but grown women should know better. I feel the same about sneering remarks about women who wear a lot of make up. It seems to be women who are pulling women down.

@booksandnooks

I don't know why men are obsessed with women having hairless bodies. It makes me sick that they will reject or make fun of a woman because she doesn't look like a prepubepentescent girl barf

I shave, I don’t look like a prebuscent school girl. I can categorically assure you. What a sick connotation.

@Bluntness100 maybe prepubepentescent and prepubescent are different things? 😂

Massive respect to all those who forgo the removal of body hair. I wish I didnt feel the need to meet conventional beauty standards. I'd love to have a shaved head, wear no make up and be hairy, but I don't want people's judgement.

I can't believe the ratio of yanu:yanbu and I'm really disappointed by it. I don't judge those who choose to shave or not shave, but how can you not KNOW that we've been tricked to remove body hair (along with all the other myriad ways we're encourage to modify our natural bodies) by MEN who want to make money off our insecurity?

Women putting each other down for not shaving? That's gross as fuck

[quote LimeCoconut]@Bluntness100 maybe prepubepentescent and prepubescent are different things? 😂[/quote]
Yes,,maybe 😂

I voted YABU for OP propagating the notion that hairy legs are capable of scaring children or turning people’s stomachs... I get she was trying to be funny but it doesn’t help imo, it just reinforces the idea that that is a normal reaction to body hair. And I am absolutely completely committed to people being able to wear their body hair any way they want. Just really rubbed me up the wrong way, it’s hair on your legs. Not open weeping maggot infested sores.

I have a rule of thumb that allows me to judge, when times is pressing and one needs to make a snap judgment, whether or not some sexist bullshit is afoot. Obviously, it’s not 100% infallible but by and large it definitely points you in the right direction and it's asking this question; are the men doing it? Are the men worrying about this as well? Is this taking up the men’s time? Are the men told not to do this, as it's letting the side down? Are the men having to write bloody books about this exasperating retarded, time-wasting, bullshit? Is this making Jeremy Clarkson feel insecure?

Almost always the answer is no. The boys are not being told they have to be a certain way, they are just getting on with stuff.”

― Caitlin Moran, How to Be a Woman

I'm not quite prepared to throw my razor in the bin, but do love that quote.

We should all try to be a bit more Caitlin.

I have hairy legs every summer.

@GintyMcGinty

I have hairy legs every summer.

Hair grows longer in warm weather.

A PP compared it to grooming eg the same as cutting/styling hair. I think this is a false equivalence because, nowadays in our culture anyway, women can choose what style of hair cut/colour etc suits them and that they wish to wear. Purple, permed, straightened, a mohawk, whatever - it's a reflection of personal choices about style. Likewise eyebrows - even if you want to look like you have made effort with personal grooming, there is a huge element of choice to the style of grooming, you can go with the current fashion for big / thin / thick / dark / whatever brows or you can choose to groom them to some other shape that you prefer. It's all still personal grooming. By contrast, leg and armpit hair is still seen by the majority of society as 'groomed' (and socially acceptable) only if it is completely absent.

This is more equivalent to, not that many years ago, women feeling intense societal pressure to have long hair. Having short hair was seen as unfeminine, unflattering, and generally not on. So to choose short hair was not a decision about personal style and grooming, it was a radical feminist statement (or, depending on who viewed it, unsightly, unsavoury and desperately unlikely to win anyone a husband).

That's where I think we're still at with female body hair. A woman's choices about her leg, armpit and pube hair will only become free personal choices about our individual style and grooming preferences at the point where it is totally societally acceptable to treat it like the hair on our head. Ie, when we feel like it is a totally normal option to shave it in stripes, dye it purple, perm it or otherwise groom it as a reflection of our personal taste and style, rather than in a way that is designed to avoid social judgement about whether we are feminine enough.

I’ve had my leg hair lasered off. Best money I’ve ever spent on myself, never have to think about it, can wear whatever I want. My leg hair was very thick & dark & my skin is very pale so it worked brilliantly.

I highly recommend it if you can afford it!

FWIW, following from my previous post, I've given it some serious consideration and tried out various things (although not, admittedly, a perm) and my current personal preference about armpit and leg hair grooming is for it to be about 1cm long. Makes it easy to handle deodorant etc, and doesn't look too spindly coming through tights. I haven't quite figured out how to keep it at that length easily but I'm thinking a men's face hair grooming tool thing might be the answer.

Marmalade: By contrast, leg and armpit hair is still seen by the majority of society as 'groomed' (and socially acceptable) only if it is completely absent.
.......
You could dye it, bleach it (ouch!), perm it, put it in rollers. That would be novel! Or shave in patterns - moons and stars, have straight lines going up and down your legs like a tennis court.

The possibilities are endless.

@reader12

I’ve had my leg hair lasered off. Best money I’ve ever spent on myself, never have to think about it, can wear whatever I want. My leg hair was very thick & dark & my skin is very pale so it worked brilliantly.

I highly recommend it if you can afford it!

How costly, how long did it take, did it hurt and do the hairs ever grow back?