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

[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!