question

[seldear]

After reading through the comments on this metaquote, I'm curious.

Someone mentioned being a fat, hairy-legged feminist in the comments, which reminded me of something.

I don't shave my legs. I can count the number of times I've shaved my legs on my two hands without resorting to binary code. (Because, yeah, geeks read this LJ.) The first time it was pure practicality - my cat had serious fleas, I had serious fleabites, and I woke up one night at 3am and shaved my legs in the bathtub so I at least didn't have the hair itching me.

Of course, the housemates had something to say the next morning about the razor and hair in the bathtub. "SEL!"

But all the same, the girls in my church youth group - and my fellow youth group leaders - were fascinated by the fact that I didn't shave my legs. One of the guys said he had to tell his psychology class about this, because all the girls bemoaned the fact that they had to shave their legs, but shaved them anyway.

And the question that people inevitably asked me after the initial disbelieving: "You don't shave your legs?" was, "Are you a feminist?"

To be honest, I just never got in the habit while a teenager and never picked it up. Still haven't. My legs are still hairy. Possibly even hairier because of the occasional shave.

Why is the shaving or not-shaving of legs apparently such a feminist statement?

I honestly never worked it out, because I don't use makeup, wear jewellery, or wear particularly stylish clothing, and none of that is a feminist statement. Yet, not-shaving one's legs is.

Why?

Comments

[calyx.livejournal.com]

because all the girls bemoaned the fact that they had to shave their legs, but shaved them anyway.

You gave your own answer, really.

Feminism is about rebelling against things women have had, or THOUGHT they had to do. Men don't have to shave their legs? Why should women?

I shave my legs only when I get super tired of the hair. It isn't a feminist thing, it is just because I'm fat and shaving your legs with belly rolls is HELLA hard to do.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Well, my first boyfriend thought it pretty novel.

"You've got hairy legs!"
"So do you."
"Yeah, but I'm a guy."
"We're all born with hair on our legs, you know."
"..."

[arrietty.livejournal.com]

Winter is always when I relax the shaving. Oh and when I was pregnant, you try shaving your legs when you have a 10lb baby in your inside.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I don't imagine it would be very easy. Maybe while you're in the bath - but the stretching would probably still be bad.

Besides, I imagine you have other things to worry about when you're pregnant.

[arrietty.livejournal.com]

LOL yes you do...

Bath!!! ROFL - the last time I had a bath I couldn't get out of it.

Sometimes RA is very annoying.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

RA?

[arrietty.livejournal.com]

Oh sorry, I forget. Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've had it for over 13 years and basically drives me nutso and I can't do a lot of things that I used to do.

But I won't die of it, and it is possible to live with it so... no worries.

I just can't have baths anymore - and no... don't tell me I smeel. lol. ;) I do have showers.

[erica-w.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was an "adventure".

[arrietty.livejournal.com]

*nods*

[venom69.livejournal.com]

I believe it had something to do with Hippies from the '60's who believed that shaving ones legs meant that you were conforming to the male stereotype of the 'perfect' woman.

Whereas with makeup (don't use it), jewellery (live in it), or particularly stylish clothing (stylish?) are just considered your own personal sense of fashion, "each to their own" and all that. There's a bundle of options with that. Shaving your legs, you either do or don't.

But I could be - and probably am - wrong.

I have got to stop checking my flist when I'm sleepy. I ramble.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

I have got to stop checking my flist when I'm sleepy. I ramble.

Rambling in this LJ is fine. Ramble away, hon! ;)

I dunno. Maybe not shaving my legs is my own personal nonsense of fashion, then! ;)

[marag.livejournal.com]

I haven't shaved my legs in 15 years. ::shrug:: Many women think I'm nuts as well, but I just can't be bothered. Shaving my legs was incredibly itchy and a waste of time.

Oh, and I don't wear makeup or stylish clothing, but I miss wearing my nice jewelry. (Babies break jewelry, sadly.)

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

I like jewellery, I just forget to wear it! And any rings on my fingers get taken off and left in forgetful places. Which means I later find myself rushing around trying to work out where I left them last!

Well, Yael will someday be old enough to be taught not to grab at the jewellery, and you can wear the jewellery again!

[sharim.livejournal.com]

I shave my legs because I like the feeling of not having hairy legs, if that makes sense. It makes me feel a little more girly and that's good ;)

However, I only shave it when I KNOW I'm going to be at the pool for teaching, or playing netball in my skirt (which these days is weekly so the razor comes out a LOT more often than it used to).

Sometimes when I'm in a frivilous mood I'll make the effort and shave just to feel girly afterwards and for pampering, but ultimately it's such an EFFORT that more often that not I leave it as long as possible without worry about it.

Then again, I'm pretty lucky - I have very very very light hair and as such you hardly notice it unless you look closely so I can get away with not shaving often ;)

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

See, I like the feeling of shaved legs. It does feel nice.

(I knew a guy who did cycling and liked having shaved legs so much, he shaved his legs all year round, not just cycling season!)

And the other times I've shaved my legs, it's been pure vanity - a wedding or a holiday. I just don't do it regularly.

And, like I said, I never worked out the inverse relationship between leg-shaving and feminism.

[sharim.livejournal.com]

I don't do it regularly normally either, but that doesn't explain the whole feminist thing, does it?

interesting thoughts, sel!

[meeshy.livejournal.com]

I rarely shave mine, generally only once at the beginning of the summer.

But I do have freakish legs - I shave, I have no hair for months, and when I get hair its only in 2 places one on each leg *G* So you know less of a statement more like the lacking in needing to!

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

My mother has the same kind of thing - very sparse hair on her legs. Unfortunately, my sisters and I inherited legs from our dad's side of the family!

[sesaworuban.livejournal.com]

I kinda wish I'd never started because I've never shaved the top of my legs and they have these fine blonde hairs that are just fine. It's a pain in the arse but fortunately, I rarely wear skirts and my husband doesn't seem to notice either way. But I like the feeling of 'pampering' myself and that means removing hair from various places, using nice shampoo and doing facials etc. etc.

Oddly, I've decided that it's a step further than feminism to do girlie things or not as you choose. The power of a woman is in being as womanly and she wants in the areas she chooses to be. :)

[stef94.livejournal.com]

I tend to only shave my legs in summer when it looks like I may be wearing shorts or a skirt. Other than that, it's just too much hassle.
I =love= the feeling of cleanly shaved legs, but after all that effort that feeling only lasts maybe a day.

I think the whole "not shaving legs = feminist" thing comes from the conforming to the male image of Perfect Woman.
Same goes for not shaving the armpits.
I think in the end a lot of women just can't be bothered, and that's the reason they don't shave.
But to men it seems to be the epitome of feminism.. especially when it's a relatively goodlooking woman (prettyish face, not overweight) not doing the shaving, men tend to yell "Feminist!"

It is all rather strange when you think about it. But then again, we're talking about men and what they think ;-)

[havocthecat]

Since the 1920s, I believe, during the flapper era--suddenly you had to shave your legs and your armpits to wear those skimpy dresses. It was a whole thing with thinness and shaven legs and all those fun things we associate with femininity really coming to the fore. ('Fun' is a sarcastic term or not, depending on your POV.)

At least, IIRC, anyway.

[hwcarnage.livejournal.com]

O_O

Do you go swimming or wear shorts?

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Yes, and yes. :)

[mtgat]

My guess? I think it all goes back to mating stuff. Men are programmed to seek young mates. (see "age of marriage throughout most of history") The younger a woman is, the less hair she has on her legs and armpits, as a girl who has just become menstrual has very little hair. Even though no man in his right mind would confuse a thirty-year-old with shaved legs with a twelve-year-old, it doesn't stop the "she looks young = potential mate" reaction. This wasn't quite the issue prior to the twenties or so, when hemlines came to the knees (or above) and women's legs could actually be seen. But since then? Big deal. (There's also the issue of seeing the old Greek statues, which are/were considered the epitome of classical beauty, and being statues, they had no leg or arm hair. Shaving's a weird subject.)

The concept that hairy legs = feminist stems from the idea that women should not think of themselves entirely in terms of whether or not they'll get a man. (Which is also why so many people conflate "feminist" with "lesbian.") In the seventies, not wearing makeup was a Very Big Deal for some people, and was equated with feminism. Today it's not as much of an issue, but it's still present as a bias. Some feminists don't shave their legs as an active statement that they are not defined by someone's else's idea of sexy. Others don't shave because they really can't be bothered by said definition.

I shave my legs every day. I like the way my legs feel when they're smooth. I don't wear makeup except on job interviews, and the only jewelry I wear anymore is my wedding ring. I wear jeans and t-shirts and I wouldn't know a stylish piece of clothing if it bit me on the arse. I'm a feminist because I think I'm my husband's equal (and I'd like to thwap people who think "equal" means "exactly alike") and I think he and I should have the same kinds of opportunities, ditto for our son and daughter, and that if those opportunities are different because of institutionalized or historical problems, that those problems need to be addressed and fixed. Hairy legs are optional.

[aldiara.livejournal.com]

This isn't strictly on topic, but after so many people on here have commented that it's just too much effort and not worth the hassle to shave, I do have to wonder how they do it to make it so very cumbersome *blinks* Wet-shaving in the shower usually takes all of two minutes, am I missing something? lol... as far as I'm concerend, anyone can shave or not as they want, I just wanted to point out that washing your hair and brushing your teeth is a lot more trouble than shaving your legs (though hopefully you don't have to stop brushing your teeth to be a REAL feminist... because, you know, why do what's expected ;))

[goddess09807.livejournal.com]

I started shaving my legs because my mom told me I should and then all my friends started sporting shaved legs and I never really considered *not* shaving. It just became part of my daily routine until I discovered waxing. I guess I just got so used to doing it and I really liked the way my legs felt.

[angst-angel.livejournal.com]

Myself, I only shave when I have to wear skirts/dresses. :D

[sjshipper.livejournal.com]

I think it's like bra-burning, a remnant of a time when you were Saying something by Not doing it. I am not a big woman, chest-wise, even pregnant, so I absolutely don't wear a bra around the house. In public, yes, b/c my mother screams in my head if I don't (well, since college at least). But at home, off it goes, with the jewelry and make-up. But I don't think of it as a statement. I just don't need the support some ladies do. I shave b/c I like the feel. In winter I only shave on Sundays, the only day of the week I'm not in pants. In summer its more mandatory, personally. But I have really blond, fine hair, and I wonder if it would have stayed that way on my legs had I never started. Wow, tmi, right? Sorries.

[crossingharlem.livejournal.com]

hey.
saw you on lj mindmap.
picked you randomly.
adding you.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

LOL. Okay. Uh...welcome. Hope you enjoy yourself around here!

Kinda historical

[resurgamlaura.livejournal.com]

Time for a little bit o' history:
It's been that way for a while-sorta. I'm an ancient civilisations student and there are very painful accounts of hair plucking for both men and women down at the baths. Though, in that climate, underneath heavy robes, it was probably more hygienic as well as being aesthetic. Make-up for a woman, as well as short/colourful robes, were associated with prostitution because a good wife wouldn't advertise herself to other men. This is why I think that you can be an independent, educated woman who can make whatever choices she damn well wants (with me concerning marriage and kids) whilst still wearing make-up and skirts (the skirts are more practical for my figure anyhow) and shaving your legs because you personally don't really like body hair on EITHER gender and find the experience kinda therapeutic. And on the subject, if a man wants to wear make-up, shiny things and get his pins out, I deem it only fair and equal. So, slightly skewed feminism from this leg shaver.
Having a parent getting free razors from work was also a factor (*g*).