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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

So women waste 50Bn litres of water annually shaving legs...

72 replies

madwomanintheattic · 26/08/2011 18:11

interesting that the eco advice is to turn the water off whilst you wield the razor, rather than not shave them at all... Grin

OP posts:
Valetude · 26/08/2011 18:14

Noticed in that article that PEOPLE waste 120bn litres not having the tap off when cleaning teeth.

But the 'Women are feckless and vain...' headline won, despite the other figure being bigger Hmm

thisisyesterday · 26/08/2011 18:14

I doubt I "waste" any more than DP does shaving his face!

in fact, probably less.

Hassled · 26/08/2011 18:15

I do it in the shower, while the conditioner is busy conditioning. If I wasn't shaving my legs I'd just be stood there thinking about what I'm going to wear, rather than shaving my legs and thinking about what I'm going to wear.

limetrees · 26/08/2011 18:20

I shave my legs in the bath. Uses no extra water at all - it's in the bath anyway!

Original poster
madwomanintheattic · 26/08/2011 18:20

Grin quite, vale.

and the headline is being used by soooooo many rags who really should know better.

OP posts:
MitchiestInge · 26/08/2011 18:20

this is why God invented wax isn't it

TheCrackFox · 26/08/2011 18:35

Thank goodness men aren't wasting any water. Phew.

thisisyesterday · 26/08/2011 18:36

can you buy beard-wax? in a manly box innit

alexpolismum · 26/08/2011 19:38

Good grief, women really can't win.

If we shave our legs, we face accusations of wasting water

If we wax our legs or use creams, we are harming the environment with nasty pollutants

If we leave our legs hairy we are ugly, pushy, militant, open to ridicule, [insert random stupid insult here]

Do no men leave the tap running when shaving their faces, then?

Graciescotland · 26/08/2011 19:45

Men apparently waste 5 litres a day shaving their faces. Random statistic that DH told me, not sure what it stacks up to though.

LilBB · 26/08/2011 19:57

So are you supposed to freeze in the nude whilst shaving your legs? At least the headline wasn't women waste billions of litres of water by using dishwasher/washing machine half full.

Original poster
madwomanintheattic · 26/08/2011 20:25

ah, bb. it's for the good of mankind and the environment. no-one wants to see a chick with hairy legs, but we can't be wasteful with our natural resources. it's a case of necessity.

anyway, i'm right p'd off now, because i hadn't sahved my legs since about february, and this damned headline made me dig out the razor. and i cut myself. bah. knew i shouldn't have bothered.

OP posts:
rosy71 · 26/08/2011 20:43

What a strange statistic. I always shave mine in the bath. I don't see how I'm wasting water; I'd be in the bath whether I was shaving them or not.

thisisyesterday · 26/08/2011 20:53

i wonder how they came up with the statistic?

do you think they actually did a survey of how many people shave their legs in the shower and how long they take and then average it out?

or do you think they just said hmmm X number of women in the uk, showering every day, shaving legs tkes x minutes that's 50bn litres of water!

Onemorning · 26/08/2011 21:04

IIRC they assumed that each woman would shave their legs 3x week.

I don't know if they spoke to any actual women, mind. [sucks teeth]

TheOriginalFAB · 26/08/2011 21:05

I was going to post my thoughts and experiences on this very subject but thought no one would be interested Grin.

So since there is a thread. I sat down in ths shower, blocked the plug hole with my tub of body scrub to make enough water to rinse the razor as I shaved. Quite soon I realised the water had drained away so I reached up to try and turn the shower on. What a palava. I needed to stand up and couldn't work out how. Got hold of the shelving unit and pulled myself up, thinking this will come off the wall in a minute. I then shaved my other leg the way I have been doing for years.

A broken limb is not worth water saved Grin.

claig · 26/08/2011 21:18

'At least the headline wasn't women waste billions of litres of water by using dishwasher/washing machine half full.

That message will come one day, it's only a matter of time. It's part of the progressive, green sustainability agenda. Livingstone advised us not to flush after each visit to the toilet. Soon we will be told fridges are verboten.

This message is to create more 'water conscious' progressive citizens.

?We?re not saying women shouldn?t remove hair from their legs. We?re just asking them to do it in a water- conscious way.?

'Richard Aylard, director of sustainability for Thames Water, said: ?Come rain or shine, water should never be wasted.
?It may seem like it?s always raining, but we?ve had below average rainfall across our region for nine of the past 12 months, while drought has been declared in other parts of the UK. Our research proves the majority of people have a ?water conscience?. We now need to help our customers use even less of it.?

Everyone is on message. It is hoped that the public will become more progressive, green and 'water conscious'. It's a step by step education programme. It will probably eventually get to dishwashers and fridges and toilets. It's green, it's about turning back the clock.

Of course, nobody mentions the amount of water that leaks out of the water companies pipes, because that is not about educating the public, turning back the clock and turning the screw on the public.

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2030223/Women-shaving-legs-waste-50-BILLION-litres-water-year.html

www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/aug/26/water-conservation-women-shower-shaving

claig · 26/08/2011 21:21

I have never seen the term 'water conscious' before. But expect to see all the progressives using this term in future. It's part of the education process.

solidgoldbrass · 26/08/2011 21:28

An awful lot of 'eco' crap is anti-woman. They could have just pointed out to people that they should turn the tap off when cleaning their teeth, and not wash cars until you can't see out of the windscreen, but making consumerism all about silly vain selfish women is a handy way of avoiding making corporations address their responsibilities.

Dworkin · 26/08/2011 21:33

You shave your legs because?

I understand the anger, why should women be picked out, but the root of the problem of waste in water usage is that companies don't fix leaks. Yes; it is that simple.

claig · 26/08/2011 21:37

It is that simple. But the objective of these information messages are to educate the public in the way that is intended, it is not about solving the real problem of water leaks from old pipes.

Dworkin · 26/08/2011 21:42

@claig,
So the message seems to be:

keep calm and carry on.

Empusa · 26/08/2011 21:44

"It is that simple. But the objective of these information messages are to educate the public in the way that is intended, it is not about solving the real problem of water leaks from old pipes."

Yep

Valetude · 26/08/2011 21:47

How is the eco agenda specifically anti-women?

(Just interested, really. No axe to grind.)

claig · 26/08/2011 21:47

Not quite. The message is get ready to be taxed more and eventually have your water rationed, because you irresponsibly want to shave your legs in a way that is not 'ewater conscious' and because you prefer to flush your toilet after each visit etc. etc.

The ruling elites will stay calm and do as they did before, but the peasants are being sold the 'water conscious' message in order to get them to change their behaviour and more importantly to get them to willingly accept the turning back of the clock and the higher taxation that will keep them in their place.