when should girls start shaving their legs?

[mamasaid]

Mine is only 4 so obv not a pressing issue but I do wonder. I came from a bit of a liberal lefty family and didn't till I was about 15 and then only for a bit before I went through radical feminist hairy stage.And even now only when i can be bothered or I'm wearing a posh frock. But think it's probably a big issue with girls at school.

i don't think there is a should about it really.

does that mean you think they shouldn't? Or just that I should have phrased the question better?

I started to do it in my first year at secondary school. But I am monkeylike.

My dd had a cack handed attemp recently, she's 12. but she made such a bodge she hasn't bothered to try again.

I can remember raking a dry, rusting orange bic razor up my shins at about the same age, leaving great raised welts!

No, I just don't think there's a time that they should do it. It's more a case of when/if they want to.

my 10 year old keeps on asking me this!

what soupdragon said

and definitely never if they are German

So SD would you have an age limit - not before 13 or something or let them whenever/if they said they wanted to?

I agree SD

There is a time when they naturally start to think about things like that

Hopefully my DD will take after me in the hair department - I have no armpit hair at all, never have done and only the odd, very fine hair on my legs, but with aloads of "head" hair (not in a wolfman of mexico way of course)

I do love telling people about the armptis

Oh, whenever they said they wanted to! Provided there was actually something there to shave off.

there is no should.
however, as dd is very hairy, i think that i will be happy to take her for waxing from a proper salon, from anytime she wants to after puberty. i really dont want her doing diy stuff on herself. i'm thinking, scars, burns, etc...

I've already let dd1 accompany me on a trip to a waxing/threading session - didn't put her off.

DD is 13 and hasn't asked yet. Somebody on here on another thread ages ago suggetsed buying girls a cheapo electric razor as it's less easy for them to shred their legs with those - will do that when she asks I think.

My mum was really against it and made me put it off then bleach my leg hairs for a while before she gave in. Maybe that's why it feels like a bit deal and the wait till they ask then say yes approach is probably way healthier.

dd1 is 8 and is wolfman of mexico.

i am absolutely dreading the point that someone starts on her about it - she even has a (very sweet but very obvious) swathe of curl on her back - never mind the fact that she has hairier legs than i do...
poor child.

i'm hoping she holds out until secondary, but that's another 4 YEARS!

i can't imagine how hairy she's going to be with puberty - is there a chance she will get LESS hairy?

Children in school have already started to call my DD 'hairy'. She's only 6. For some reason her legs get really,really hairy in the summer,very long hairs as well. By October they won't be nearly so bad .

my waxing lady told me the youngest client shehad was a girl of nine, who came in with her mother and had her legs waxed. apparently she was really really hairy

I think I was 11, found the razor and thought ohh what the hell.

But I think I'd prefer my own daughter to wait a bit longer, but obviously depends on how much of an issue it is for her.

If she asked about it I'd tell her there were other options available.

I was 11 and had had enough of hairy leg comments at secondary school and just shaved them with my Mums razor. My Mum was not impressed but then I don't really see the harm its done and I have no intentions of every stopping 20 odd years later.

ever stopping even

Never let them shave, take them to be waxed! Then they'll never get really hairy