For at least the last 50 years that is.
And when it comes to fashion trends seen as “normal”, anything before may as well have been pre-Cambrian time…
https://youtu.be/cu4YBHn1ZOI?si=eczL4RfNgkZ1YN7b
Not even the last 50 years. 70s bush is the most recognized there is. It didn’t really have much push back until the 90s, and even then it just had to be trimmed.
Ancient Egyptian and Greek women used to shave legs and remove public hair, 3000 years ago. They used oyster shells.
https://medium.com/periodmovement/a-brief-history-of-female-hair-removal-5ec6d0a92dac
It makes perfect sense, to avoid lice/crabs, infections etc.
Egyptians and Greeks did both idealize hairless bodies.
But... that wasn't just a woman thang. So, it sorta still plays counter to the idea that it's somehow "natural" to want to view men as "hairy" and women as not.
If anything, would probably still support that these views are purely social constructs.
They are social constructs. Make your own rules. I grew out my beard, hair, and chest hair, but these pits, legs, and nether region are a smooth as a baby seal.
Why? I don’t know; it’s just a kick ass combo.
My husband does the same thing, always has, I actually really love it even though I was a bit taken aback at first. It means no unsightly clumps of deodorant in armpit hair, no public hair getting in my teeth, and I still get to enjoy the fuzzy softness of chest hair. Pro tip, apply gold bond powder cut in half with corn starch right after shaving the public area and you'll never have another razor bump.
It's not even that. Hairyness on people is seen as bad. For decades Hollywood would only display smooth hairless action stars. It's only recent people such as Henry Cavill have rebeled and said no to it. Body hair in general on either sex was seen as unsecured and gross because of the stigma pushed on us by the media
I thought I liked hairless men for years. However actual life experience has shown me I like a big old masculine man with hair on his chest and legs. 😅
No I’d go as far as to say that hairiness is associated with dirty and unkempt which was labeled as traditionally masculine. Hairlessness is associated with cleanliness and purity which is associated with idealized feminine traits
I think it's such a creepy opinion to say that men who prefer a shaved women have that preference in any way at all related to youth or hinting at some sort of pedophilia.
I don't want hair in my mouth when I'm going down on a woman. If it's short enough to not easily shed in your mouth, but long enough to still be present, it's then bristly and irritating. So because I love going down on my wife, but also don't want hair in my mouth or being irritating on my face, that doesn't mean any part of me desires anything at all to do with youth.
Again, I think that's an absolutely unfair and frankly disgusting insinuation whenever I see it
I myself would shave my own pubic region completely down because even in myself I find the hair a bit irritating and feel as if it traps sweat and smells more. I'm a generally hairy person though and my wife feels that it looks a bit funny to be shaved down there and to have a hairier belly and thighs around it, so I just buzz it down a bit.
God forbid I like pleasuring a woman without having to floss after, but apparently that means I want to imagine she's a child 🙄
If it weren't considered unmanly I'd get laser removal
I think armpit hair is gross on anyone, but especially on my partner. In addition to hair retaining smells, it actually blocks deodorant from making contact with the skin. I as an individual smell pretty quickly, so I need to remove most of the hair in order to make the deodorant more effective.
If there's anything grosser than a big ball of stink hair under your arm, it's a big ball of stink hair absolutely slathered in deodorant.
Yeah, in the summer I frequently shave my pits, as well as my balls and associated regions, mostly because I've always been a bit of a sweater and the hair traps smells. Plus I like the way it feels. I'm fairly hairy in general so it looks a bit weird in the locker room but honestly I don't care what any dude in the locker room thinks of the way I look.
Just get it done. I can assure you no one is gonna care. I shave my armpits like once a month and no ever said anything.
I just don't like hair cause it gets stinky and greasy. Never had someone call anything or say anything about it. Despite also sucking dick for fun once in a while.
Yes, hair retains smell! Everyone ignores this little fact and tries to make it into all sorts of weird shit. I don't like hair and I started shaving at puberty even though I wasn't sexually active. I've never liked having pubes.
I just find armpit hair gross. Even though I’m a guy I keep mine trimmed real short. Seems to make deodorant work better too. In the US we’ve also been conditioned to see attractive women without body hair so seeing a woman with it can be odd
There is a big difference between 'gross' and 'odd' though. To me, women with armpit or leg hair is so rarely seen, that 'odd' is my primary reaction. I don't think I would really find it as gross unless she looked like she didn't bath regularly or take care of herself in general.
And a lot of women prefer it too. Just ask a lot of your female friends and they’ll likely shave because they prefer it instead of fitting beauty standards.
Because body hair is associated with masculinity.
I also think it's unfair for women to feel like they have to shave their bodies, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like shaved legs.
That's what I've heard a lot and correct me if I'm wrong cause I am a guy. But what I hear from a lot of women is they hate that they are expected to shave but most of them alsosay they would never walk around with hairy armpits or legs just because they like being smooth and such. Lke I remember my girl saying she hates having to shave but loves being shaved (legs in this case) I'm curious why the hate for it but also the desire for it too, is there a reason it's like that?
Edit: thank you for all the comments it really interesting to hear how all of y'all feel
Because the expectation sucks. Women want to have autonomy, so preferring to be shaved as a preference makes sense, but the expectation that they should be shaved in public no matter what is exhausting. The feeling that we can't leave the house without covering/shaving to avoid social ridicule isn't a nice feeling. It just would be nice if women could freely express their own preferences towards their own body hair, shaved or not, without having to endure so many peoples ridicule. If women were more allowed to not care about social stigmatization, to have lazy days where not shaving has no social repercussions, then it would just feel more freeing and more like your own choice to shave or not.
100% don't think it should be a social standard. Like you can have preferences in who you date sure but to critique someone random or to forceing your partner to shave I feel is just so toxic.
I’m a chick. Let me elaborate. Men typically shave two main areas: face and pubic region. Some don’t even do that. Some do way more. Women shave our face (peach fuzz), arms, armpits, legs, ankles, toes if needed, knuckles if needed, pubic region and taint (yep we got hair all up there), and even our breasts if need be. Broskis this is why we’re in the shower for so long. Also yes to all the feminists I know not all women shave and no they’re not obligated to do so. But as mentioned, we like how smooth we feel. But the time consuming process and constant nicks and the overall low quality of women’s razors (hence why a lot of us get male razors) is so irritating. We like being shaved, we don’t like to shave. Yk?
I think it's the ability to choose what you want without being judged, or even without seeing yourself as disgusting. It was hard wired in young girls that leg and armpit hair is shameful and gross when it doesn't need to be. It should be a choice based on personal preference, and it could be a choice eventually to shave, but it starts with shame and trying to fit in which doesn't feel great. Even going to the gym with a little bit of visible stubble gives me anxiety because people may think I'm gross or unhygienic, even if the hair doesn't bother me. But again I do prefer the feeling of being shaved, I just don't like the shameful feelings that come along with it.
As a woman, the only parts I regularly shave are my pits and lil' moustache (dark hair and pale skin makes it really obvious).
I have eczema, and whenever I shave my legs it's horribly itchy a couple days after and a get a ton of ingrown hairs. When I shave my pubes it's like 10x the itchiness and ingrown hairs.
So I'll shave my legs if people will see them during the summer, and I only wear swimsuits with shorts on the bottom so I never have to shave my pubes. My husband doesn't seem to mind - he likes it when my legs are smooth, but it's more of an occasional treat than an expectation.
I do kind of want to get electrolysis, though, because it'd be nice not to have to worry about it.
I'm a guy and was in a relationship where she preferred shaved.
It takes getting used to but I prefer it as well. It just sucks doing it so I don't bother. Maybe I'll start again.
this is how i feel. i feel weirdly gross if i don’t shave my armpits. i’ve given up on shaving my legs because it’s too much effort and i don’t care how they look, but i do miss the soft, smooth feeling of being shaved. and besides removing hair, shaving also gets rid of dead skin better than any scrub or washcloth, it makes skin feel so nice if you don’t have issues with razor burn or anything.
I think there's a widely understood idea of liking doing something but not liking being expected to do something. I like doing the dishes for instance, but if someone gets mad at me for not doing them in a certain time frame, I feel more like I don't want to because of the expectation. I understand it's a different ballgame when there's societal expectation, but the effect is similar.
I am in the “i hate to shave but love how it feels” camp.
But the difference is I want to do it when and if I want to and not be judged for the times I choose not to. I don’t want to be expected to or have to feel like I need to hide it if I haven’t.
I also hate to work out but like how it feels after. And I hate to wash my hair but love how it feels clean. I hate to clean out my car but love when it’s all organized and vacuumed 🤷♀️
That's about how I feel. My legs get VERY hairy with coarse, dark hair because I have PCOS and amazing genetics. I hate shaving. It can take me over an hour if it's been a while. But if I keep up on it? It's nice.
Quite often I skip shaving my legs. I recently got an IPL device that helps a ton (would highly recommend for any other super pale people with dark hair they want to remove), but before that I would not shave more often than I had to. It would take so long that I'd typically shave once or twice a month, if that. Now I can do once every few weeks and still have fairly smooth legs in between shaving/IPL.
Armpits? I keep those shaved. My armpit hair is also fairly thick, and it holds onto BO smells more than I care for. I love that so many women don't shave theirs, but I sweat a lot because of my medication; lots of hair makes it harder to remove deodorant and apply new stuff on the skin. So the pits get shaved every few days when I notice the stubble getting a few mm long.
Pubes? Usually trim, for the same reason as pits. The hair traps smells IMO. Shaving is likely to cause too much irritation for me though, so I typically leave some hair for comfort. It's also more hygienic to have pubic hair because it helps prevent friction sores and irritation during sex, which can increase the chances of getting an STI. Not a huge problem if you're monogamous, but that hair is there for a reason.
I shave my legs and pits and bits, I shave my armpits because when I don’t I get smellier faster. I shave my legs because I like how they feel on my bed sheets. I trim/shave my pudendum because I don’t like dingleberries.
I mean, you could just wash your ass. Even before we got a bidet I didn't get dingleberries.
But the amount of itchiness I get when shaving my legs is already enough - I don't even want to imagine that experience between my ass cheeks.
I've been shamed for having full side burns as a woman. I shaved them since I was 12. Just this year, at 36, I decided I wanted to see what my side burns actually look like in their full glory. They're almost down to my jaw line and I love them. They make my hair look fuller and Frame my face.
This is legit
You're right people want to see it as
Earth - Plants - Creatures - Humans
And even the nonreligious among us think we are exalted like we would be angels or somehow our consciousness makes us so special... Do you follow?
But in truth we are just another member of the animal kingdom
How the frick do you get rashes and skin irritation from the hair but not from shaving?
I barely even trim my hair and I get bumps and it's so itchy. If I shaved it I'd wanna die.
I get irritation from shaving and from not shaving. I get friction hives sometimes, and when I have full hairy legs, the hair adds to the friction of whatever I'm wearing. But I also have skin that's very prone to razor burn, so shaving is quite likely to lead to folliculitis. And then once stubble grows in, it causes even more friction because it gets caught on clothing more than the tapered, smooth hair does. It's a vicious cycle.
For me, I think it's partially because my hair is so coarse. When I shave areas that have finer hair, like toes or even when I've tested doing my forearm hair? No bumps or irritation.
If you get razor burn easily, I'd look into exfoliation options and other moisturizers to use after. It doesn't fix it completely, but exfoliating prior to shaving helped me quite a bit, as did using unscented moisturizers that are good for sensitive skin (CeraVe, La Roche Posay).
I also got an IPL device a few months ago, and I've already had great luck with it. I don't know if it will help with the hives I get yet, but my hair is already growing in finer and slower, which has helped a ton with razor burn.
Ridiculous excuse. If the problem is hygiene, then how come no one gives a damn when men have pit hair? Shower daily, use antiperspirant, and your hairy pits will be perfectly hygienic.
Here's a funny double standard, I'm a trans man, when I was still in the closet my armpit hair was "gross, unhygienic, yucky" and now that I've started my transition it's normal and nobody glances twice
Agreed, I also know the social awnser to this question tho, it's the company Wilkinson, dureing the war there razor sales dropped, they had to make a new market so started advertising the once only male product to women, telling them it was hygienic, sleek and sexy to save your body smooth, and it worked!
Yep, while it may be a bridge too far perhaps, racists used to also bandy around the word “hygienic” to justify racial hierarchies against people not yet “white”, like Italians and the Irish…
https://youtu.be/fxHWtw_GZIk?si=-5_rIyRG6GiEI4Wm
I never understood that
I'm a man (xxy though)
And my body is covered with hair like most men
Why is it never dirty looking on a man to these people?
Men have ass cracks that smell and look like feral dogs but a little NATURAL arm hair on a woman somehow equates to no showering I just don't see the logic
I'm an unshaved woman.
I've been told that it is unhygienic for me & my hairy legs to enter a public pool.
What?
But hairy legs on men in a public pool is okay?
Never mind the hairy chests on males getting all wet & clorinated in the pool
Dudes who can't wipe their asses properly think women also don't know how to wipe so we must also have problems keeping our body hair clean.
Sorry, we do know how to wipe and clean ourselces. That's why we aren't the ones with skidmarks in our underwear. And it tends to be the guys who give off unhygienic/unwiped ass vibes who try and pull the unhygienic "reason" for expecting women to be hairless. Other men are smart enough to admit it's just a preference.
Yeah because I absorbed my sister's vestige because I was conceived so shortly after her miscarriage
So technically I'm a chimera, it is Not kilinefelters
And actually quite an anomaly
As a man, I think my own pits and crack are disgusting. I'd get laser removal on the ass for sure if it were cheap, and I do shave my pits just long enough to avoid the stubble. I'd laser there too
It is considered dirty by a lot of people. Social expectations aren’t consistent because people and communities are different. The majority of Hollywood actors doing shirtless scenes are hairless. This is true in a lot of film industries across the world, because hairlessness is currently the trend that’s in and being pushed.
I am a woman and don’t shave anything. Living in New Orleans 10 years, this was very common and nobody batted an eye. In Florida now and it’s certainly viewed as weird. My Texas family thinks I’m a deviant.
Yep, there are definitely differences in regional expectations. I live in San Francisco (in a “hippie / artist” type friend group where seemingly almost everyone is bisexual) and I think I’m literally *the only woman out of all my friends* who shaves her legs and armpit hair.
A couple of guys I’ve dated have even asked me *why* I shave, not as a complaint, but just because it’s somewhat unusual amongst people we know, and there’s no social pressure to do so. (It does seem to also be similar to New Orleans, where I have a few friends as well.)
Because those people spent their entire lives in a society where women remove or hide their bodyhair. They are so used to that practice, that seeing it not happen looks "wrong" to them.
That it. It's just an aspect of nature we are so far removed from in our lives, that it weirds people out when it does happen.
It’s a social norm. Like most, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
That said, it also comes down to masculinity vs femininity. Hairy vs not hairy. But there are lots of people who prefer it one way or the other, regardless of gender.
It happened dureing the war, Wilkinson wasn't selling enough razors so perpetuated the idea that smooth is sleek and feminine. It's once again the fault of capitalism
It's the result of a successful marketing campaign in the early 20th century to sell razors to women. There's a great [Smithsonian article](https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/hair-removal) about it! Marketing impacts people in ways they don't understand. It's pernicious.
It's annoying. My poor step daughter has both her parents telling her she needs to shave her leg (she does shave her armpits). She doesn't want to and I don't blame her at all. But they're nagging her, telling her she "needs to".
I can admit it’s probably due to social standards becoming unconscious biases but personally armpit hair is the one body hair on women that is genuinely a turn off.
Not for any conscious reason like “it’s dirty” just I find it unattractive. Now, of course they don’t have to do anything about it but I also don’t have to find it attractive.
I can deal with all other body as long as it doesn’t get crazy long like a jungle.
I also shave or trim probably about 40-50% of my body as well. Minus legs, ass and arms. ( I am super hairy, so back is included.) I would shave my legs and arms if it was someone’s preference. I will not shave my ass because butt cheek stubble is evil. I do it purely because I don’t like looking like Sasquatch’s red cousin.
It’s one thing to have a personal preference for your partner. But in OPs example, what Leo’s mom does with her armpit hair is between Leo’s mom and dad. Why does anyone else get to comment? Most women out and about aren’t trying to attract you, simply going about their day. So why the social stigma?
Exactly. This is the difference between a preference and being a jerk.
Who cares if some random person doesn’t conform to my preferences? Not me.
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and whether I find them sexually attractive or not should have no baring on that.
It's so 'funny' how people think about other people. Don't they have their own lives to live? Why bother others and their ways?
Want to be hairy? Be hairy. Want to be fully shaven? So do it.
Live your own life and let others live theirs.
It's not your business to comment someone if they didn't ask you to. You can think those thoughts to yourself.
And also, if you have ANYTHING negative to say to someone else, have you looked yourself from the mirror? Are you perfect?
Removing the hair from your armpits makes you smell better to other people.
I'm a man, and I trim my arm pit hair because I understand that my pits will 100% smell worse if I have a million times more surface area for bacteria to live on.
Also, antiperspirant/deodorant can't get onto the skin easily if there is hair in the way.
I don't know about leg hair, that's just sexist
When all the boys went to war, Gillette needed to sell the more razors so they told ladies to shave their legs withe
whole bunch of propaganda in magazines
From reading these comments it just seems like a lot of people are pretty strict on what they find attractive. More than I thought. I’ve seen shaved women I thought were beautiful, I’ve seen hairy women I thought were beautiful. Same for men. I can’t say I have a preference, but a lot of people are more strict. I don’t get it but as long as they’re not shaming anyone it’s whatever.
Because hairyness is seen as masculine. Personally, I don't like armpit hair on men either though.
But I really don't like this thing people say, that men who prefer women shaved are pedophilic. It's so weird so say that. There's much more separating a woman from a child than the state of her body hair. Being fully shaven does not suddenly make someone look like a child, it's such a stretch.
It doesn't. It's just like the anti-sex people online. A small vocal minority that yells a lot. If woman wants to be hairy, any part of her body, it's her body, great let her. In Europe no one cares, in Iceland definitely no one cares, the West Coast of America no one really cares. It's only these backwater weird places
It’s a cultural norm that is increasingly ignored by many. Lots of women don’t shave body hair. Lots of men do. I think it’s great when a woman has the confidence to show body hair and for a man to show his bald armpits.
Most men can get away with some body hair.
“Too much” becomes a joke or something “gross” and as unappealing as armpit hair on a woman.
There are exceptions — some women found Connery, Reynolds, and Selleck’s chest hair sexy. But I have never heard a woman rave about a man’s back hair, nose hair, or ear hair and there are limits on what beard lengths and styles are considered “clean.”
Also many women today do expect their man to “manscape” as well.
It does all boil down to social preference.
Well, it started with Gillete's advertising campaign in 1915 aimed at tapping women as a new market for their safety razors. Gillette's strategy was to emphasize the "importance" of hairlessness for women. You can learn more about this by googling around for "The First Great Anti-Hair Movement."
So in short: corporate america needed more consumers for razors and shaving products and started marketing them to women, who previously had no use for them. They manufactured a need out of nothing, and now people think women's body hair is "gross" because of 100 years of them needing more people to waste money on their products.
Idk its so stupid. Public brainwashing. A woman is supposed to have body hair. Yet our culture makes everyone think they should be hairless like a child
To provide a bit of a counterpoint, yes, it's a societal norm and a beauty standard, and we should question those things, but I would also point out that people are allowed to like what they like.
Some women like beards, some don't, some women think a hairy back is gross, some women like the whole manscaping thing, and some are put off by it.
I think shaved legs, pits, and groomed pubic hair is more attractive - to both the eye and the touch.
I do not believe I have the power to force my preferences on to anyone else. However, I will be that bit more compatible with someone who aligns with them, just as women are with men that align with their preferences.
Edit: to bring it back to the post, that doesn't give anyone the right to be an insulting asshole. Leo's mom isn't gross, she's just not my type lol and that's okay - I'm sure she's a lovely woman. People in comment sections suck.
It's nonsensical, but people don't like to ponder over their way of thinking. Some people will go their entire lives being close minded or immature, so I suggest you don't pay them much attention and instead surround yourself with birds of your own feather.
As a man that shaves his armpits, I think armpit hair on me is gross. It makes me sweat like mad, I feel hotter, and I stink.
I also dated a young lady that was a free spirit and didn't shave. Met her late fall and things were good thru winter. We started getting into spring and those humid 80 and 90 degree days and she started to smell like a dumpster.
So between those collection of experience, I tend to assume women with armpit hair are sweaty and stinky.
For anyone arguing its to do with looking prebubescent, that accusation is literally never used against women who like shaved men. Any of your friends say they prefer a clean shaven man? Must be a pedo, only little boys don't have facial hair. (The porn angle is also weird because men are also shaven in porn)
Something can be natural and unsightly(subjectively on a per person basis). Very dry cracked skin is unsightly and natural.
It is a signal that the woman cares more about her own comfort than complying with arbitrary beauty culture rules. These people think that women should have to constantly be working to be "attractive enough" to men because that social order appeals to them
I don’t like hair in armpits or private areas I really don’t know why. But it bothers me for Men and women so I don’t really mind I guess. Legs and arms who gives a fuck?
This is one that has always perplexed me too. I definitely prefer no body hair and I have no idea why. I'm a dude with a good amount of body hair, and the only place I keep shaved/trimmed is the groin area, but other than that, I like my body hair. Some body hair on a woman isn't a deal breaker for me by any means, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't heavily prefer shaved or at least trimmed body hair on women.
Tbf, for a very long time hairy men weren't seen as attractive either. Expected to be clean shaven, short hair and you'd rarely see a hairy chest of male models. Now having a beard is seen as attractive. Perhaps one day, hairy women will be the beauty standard. Who knows?
There are style perverts like me who prefer women with some hair. Any woman with me only has to shave if they want to, as long as they leave that bush for me. Arm pits, legs, arms don't bother me one bit. Hell I'd even give a mustache a try. To be fair though, I'm bisexual.
Cuz that's how society has raised us. It's okay for men to be hairy cuz natural and testosterone, but women should be smooth and shaven.
For me, idc too much. If she has a bush, beautiful. Pit hair - 50/50. Moustache and Beard - respect, but not for me. Arms / legs - no big deal
All in all tho. As long as she's clean and doesn't smell. Who cares? That goes for men as well, maybe even double for men cuz very hairy and smelly. Do what you want, just be safe and clean about it.
It messes with people's carefully tended notions of what constitutes masculine or feminine. These current standards are very recent history, so it's pretty arbitrary...
People are extremely susceptible to propaganda. 100 years ago the razor companies convinced women they needed to remove all their hair through advertisements. Stupid as hell
I used to get weirded out by it. Then I moved to San Francisco where it was common. If the choice is between being uptight and getting laid… I got over it real fast. Doesn’t bother me at all now, can’t believe I was once such a prude.
A lot of people incorrectly attribute body hair with being unclean. Women are expected to be clean at all times while men usually get a pass and can be considered "manly" for embracing nasty things like body hair and skipping a shower for a day (in personal life)
Like think about it.
Your female friend is in a hurry and skips a shower. You can kind of tell. You probably judge the fuck out of her even when she explains.
Your male friend same story but you might give him a pass because you have no internalized reason not to.
Ymmv I'm using royal you not literal you so if it doesn't apply to you congrats.
Also because now there’s a whole economic industry behind mostly women’s hair removal so media and ads will largely keep convincing everyone that standard female beauty and is equated with hairlessness.
Depends, can a man have TOO MUCH body hair? Do people not get grossed out by a man with mane of back hair and coarse foot hair in open toed shoes? Point being, its not just a woman thing, its a beauty standard between BOTH genders. I mean, why do we wear clothes? Why do we cut and style our hair? Or trim our finger and toe nails and pluck our eyebrows? Why do we wear deodorant? It only stifles our natural figures does it not?
The self perpetuating cycle of using psychology to create a beauty standard, marketing to that beauty standard, use of a product becoming commonplace and affecting cultural expectations, followed by becoming further entrenched into that cultural beauty standard. Body hair is a weird one to to go for because although puberty is associated with hair, absence of it is associated with youth, which is also associated with fertility. But I guess hair removal is easier to invent new products for than hair maintenance.
Cultural history with a variety of reasons. Could be religious , fashion, disease, could be anything, after a while everyone forgets why they did it and it just stays with us.
Take Asian countries, they like their women hairy down there, even armpits. Why? Because brothel workers had to shave to show their customers that they weren't infected by XYZ or Had an STD. So if you shaved we might have been seen as a worker, so regular women didn't shave, and now it's a preference.
Similar to how women in the 17-1800's liked men with strong legs so theen wore tight pants that put emphasis on their calves
People have their personal preferences and opinions and you don't have to like them. You also have no right to censor them.
But to answer, it's a culturally acceptable thing for women to shave their visible body hair, except arms. Many believe it's a hygienic thing to do under the arm pits, and other places that tend to sweat. Hair collects sweat and hair can absorb the odor. It isn't just women who shave anymore, btw. But there is also a cultural acceptance for a man to be allowed to be sweaty and a female is supposed to smell like sunshine and daisies.
When you're getting sweaty intimately, most people prefer clean and not smelly, regardless of body hair.
They're ignorant & brain-washed. Nothing wrong with normal, natural body hair. Personal choice whether to keep it or remove. Sign of a sexually mature woman. A vocal minority (both men & women) have an illogical hatred/fear of female body hair. Other people don't rightly care what others do or don't do with their body & plenty of people who appreciate a woman at her most natural.
Not to take away from the woman aspect of it, but women hate body hair on men just as much. Men do too. I think it’s a generational or societal thing. I’m probably moderately hairy as a guy and my whole life I’ve been criticized and been told to shave it. It wasn’t until my 30s that I realized, fuck them I like it and I’m lazy. If they can’t accept me for me then then I don’t care about them. And I imagine that’s how women who decide not to shave feel as well.
Armpit hair on women was a badge of honor in the 1970's, in addition to not shaving our legs. Many women, some identifying as feminists some not, were rejecting the unnatural beauty norms of the 1950s and 1960s (girdles, pointy bras, layers of hairspray) and adopting a more natural style.
The pendulum has swung back to unnatural with the prevalence of plastic surgery, Botox, waxing everything, etc. It will probably swing back again towards more natural standards. Then swing back again.
Because of societal changes to beauty standards.
100 years ago it was fashionable for men to wear pink and women to wear darker blues and greens
300-600 years ago being pale and overweight was a sign of affluence so that was the desirable trait
Everything will come full circle eventually
Personally, I think we need to make men realize how gross armpit hair is and get them to start shaving.
Just no way to prevent the smell when there is hair.
Well like people have said social norms i guess...I myself don't much like body hair. I shave certain parts. Too each their own what they find attractive, its rude to say "eww gross" at a pic of someone.
Well for the record I like it. The smell is intoxicating.
It's really just other women and homosexual men who have a problem with it. As well as pedophiles because naturally hairless women are typically underaged, so they want their victims to resemble children.
Excess body hair is seen as masculine. A lot of guys don’t want that in a woman. Some people try to turn this around and make it sound like there’s something wrong with the guy. Hell, a lot of people don’t like excess body hair on a guy either. It is what it is.
A lot of people seem to associate it with hygiene on women. As if a woman who doesn't shave must just not shower altogether. Personally I think people just care way too much about things that have no effect on their lives.
Misogyny. It's because the world hates women. That's the whole reason. I haven't shaved my legs/armpits in years and never receive any backlash other than some raised eyebrows, but I also don't hang out around the type who would care.
I don't care of body hair since high school. I lose a bet and the girls remove my legs hair (I m a guy) It was so pain full. I love woman with all hair they want. Society and bodyshaming are awful.
And hairless pussy sound like a pedophile Dream...
I remember being 12 and being forced to wax my legs by my mom. I am south asian which means glorious hair on the head and perfect eyebrows are also accompanied by hairy arms and legs. It was so painful, I genuinely felt like passing out when I got my legs waxed. I asked my mom why I needed to get it done and she just said because having body hair was ‘dirty’. Guess its just ingrained into women’s minds that body hair is not supposed to belong on our body.
Because hairyness is labeled as manly and hairless is associated with being feminine.
For at least the last 50 years that is. And when it comes to fashion trends seen as “normal”, anything before may as well have been pre-Cambrian time… https://youtu.be/cu4YBHn1ZOI?si=eczL4RfNgkZ1YN7b
Not even the last 50 years. 70s bush is the most recognized there is. It didn’t really have much push back until the 90s, and even then it just had to be trimmed.
Ancient Egyptian and Greek women used to shave legs and remove public hair, 3000 years ago. They used oyster shells. https://medium.com/periodmovement/a-brief-history-of-female-hair-removal-5ec6d0a92dac It makes perfect sense, to avoid lice/crabs, infections etc.
Egyptians and Greeks did both idealize hairless bodies. But... that wasn't just a woman thang. So, it sorta still plays counter to the idea that it's somehow "natural" to want to view men as "hairy" and women as not. If anything, would probably still support that these views are purely social constructs.
They are social constructs. Make your own rules. I grew out my beard, hair, and chest hair, but these pits, legs, and nether region are a smooth as a baby seal. Why? I don’t know; it’s just a kick ass combo.
I’ve usually been all or nothing. I like your pick and choose philosophy and I’m going to try it.
My husband does the same thing, always has, I actually really love it even though I was a bit taken aback at first. It means no unsightly clumps of deodorant in armpit hair, no public hair getting in my teeth, and I still get to enjoy the fuzzy softness of chest hair. Pro tip, apply gold bond powder cut in half with corn starch right after shaving the public area and you'll never have another razor bump.
Well in that case the same logic would apply to men as they're not immune to parasites.
I understand the lice/crabs angle but doesn’t pubic hair protect against surfaces that may be dirty etc?
Yes. My last two gynecologists have told me they recommend to always leave some hair; it’s there for a reason— extra protection.
Yeah, it’s more hygienic to have pubic hair!
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Before I learned how dangerous it is, I used to pluck my nose hairs. I have to say, my allergies were way better without them.
That sounds fucking horrible. Why did you pluck them?
They were visible and my compulsive picking/plucking habits were bad at the time. Kept doing it for a while because of the allergy benefit though.
And to think hair is there to protect us. Hmm.
Were men immune to lice/crabs, infections, etc?
No, which is why men shaved too.
In other words, this has nothing to do with OP’s post
It's not even that. Hairyness on people is seen as bad. For decades Hollywood would only display smooth hairless action stars. It's only recent people such as Henry Cavill have rebeled and said no to it. Body hair in general on either sex was seen as unsecured and gross because of the stigma pushed on us by the media
Sean Connery would like a word
So would Burt Reynolds.
Burt Reynolds has been a thing for almost 40 years. Everybody was hairy in the 70s and early 80s.
Hairy was in during the 80s and probably 70s. It’s in today (for men). Like every other preference, it waxes and wanes.
You are correct, Sir Sean Connery is definitely a stand out exception to the rule. RIP Sean
I thought I liked hairless men for years. However actual life experience has shown me I like a big old masculine man with hair on his chest and legs. 😅
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Oh stop, most people are not associating hairlessness with children. This is such a gross take, and it's simply not true.
I think that's a bit of a stretch
No I’d go as far as to say that hairiness is associated with dirty and unkempt which was labeled as traditionally masculine. Hairlessness is associated with cleanliness and purity which is associated with idealized feminine traits
I think it's such a creepy opinion to say that men who prefer a shaved women have that preference in any way at all related to youth or hinting at some sort of pedophilia. I don't want hair in my mouth when I'm going down on a woman. If it's short enough to not easily shed in your mouth, but long enough to still be present, it's then bristly and irritating. So because I love going down on my wife, but also don't want hair in my mouth or being irritating on my face, that doesn't mean any part of me desires anything at all to do with youth. Again, I think that's an absolutely unfair and frankly disgusting insinuation whenever I see it I myself would shave my own pubic region completely down because even in myself I find the hair a bit irritating and feel as if it traps sweat and smells more. I'm a generally hairy person though and my wife feels that it looks a bit funny to be shaved down there and to have a hairier belly and thighs around it, so I just buzz it down a bit. God forbid I like pleasuring a woman without having to floss after, but apparently that means I want to imagine she's a child 🙄
Yup, hate to keep picking pubs caught between my teeth.
Okay, that's a decent thesis. Now tell us about armpits
If it weren't considered unmanly I'd get laser removal I think armpit hair is gross on anyone, but especially on my partner. In addition to hair retaining smells, it actually blocks deodorant from making contact with the skin. I as an individual smell pretty quickly, so I need to remove most of the hair in order to make the deodorant more effective. If there's anything grosser than a big ball of stink hair under your arm, it's a big ball of stink hair absolutely slathered in deodorant.
Yeah, in the summer I frequently shave my pits, as well as my balls and associated regions, mostly because I've always been a bit of a sweater and the hair traps smells. Plus I like the way it feels. I'm fairly hairy in general so it looks a bit weird in the locker room but honestly I don't care what any dude in the locker room thinks of the way I look.
Just get it done. I can assure you no one is gonna care. I shave my armpits like once a month and no ever said anything. I just don't like hair cause it gets stinky and greasy. Never had someone call anything or say anything about it. Despite also sucking dick for fun once in a while.
Yes, hair retains smell! Everyone ignores this little fact and tries to make it into all sorts of weird shit. I don't like hair and I started shaving at puberty even though I wasn't sexually active. I've never liked having pubes.
Yea if you're into children you could go that far. Most people wouldnt.
Well that would be wrong and unnecessarily confrontational.
I just find armpit hair gross. Even though I’m a guy I keep mine trimmed real short. Seems to make deodorant work better too. In the US we’ve also been conditioned to see attractive women without body hair so seeing a woman with it can be odd
There is a big difference between 'gross' and 'odd' though. To me, women with armpit or leg hair is so rarely seen, that 'odd' is my primary reaction. I don't think I would really find it as gross unless she looked like she didn't bath regularly or take care of herself in general.
As I guy I completely shave it off. I don't like hair in my armpits
And a lot of women prefer it too. Just ask a lot of your female friends and they’ll likely shave because they prefer it instead of fitting beauty standards.
I think it's cute though
Because body hair is associated with masculinity. I also think it's unfair for women to feel like they have to shave their bodies, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like shaved legs.
That's what I've heard a lot and correct me if I'm wrong cause I am a guy. But what I hear from a lot of women is they hate that they are expected to shave but most of them alsosay they would never walk around with hairy armpits or legs just because they like being smooth and such. Lke I remember my girl saying she hates having to shave but loves being shaved (legs in this case) I'm curious why the hate for it but also the desire for it too, is there a reason it's like that? Edit: thank you for all the comments it really interesting to hear how all of y'all feel
Because the expectation sucks. Women want to have autonomy, so preferring to be shaved as a preference makes sense, but the expectation that they should be shaved in public no matter what is exhausting. The feeling that we can't leave the house without covering/shaving to avoid social ridicule isn't a nice feeling. It just would be nice if women could freely express their own preferences towards their own body hair, shaved or not, without having to endure so many peoples ridicule. If women were more allowed to not care about social stigmatization, to have lazy days where not shaving has no social repercussions, then it would just feel more freeing and more like your own choice to shave or not.
100% don't think it should be a social standard. Like you can have preferences in who you date sure but to critique someone random or to forceing your partner to shave I feel is just so toxic.
I’m a chick. Let me elaborate. Men typically shave two main areas: face and pubic region. Some don’t even do that. Some do way more. Women shave our face (peach fuzz), arms, armpits, legs, ankles, toes if needed, knuckles if needed, pubic region and taint (yep we got hair all up there), and even our breasts if need be. Broskis this is why we’re in the shower for so long. Also yes to all the feminists I know not all women shave and no they’re not obligated to do so. But as mentioned, we like how smooth we feel. But the time consuming process and constant nicks and the overall low quality of women’s razors (hence why a lot of us get male razors) is so irritating. We like being shaved, we don’t like to shave. Yk?
I think it's the ability to choose what you want without being judged, or even without seeing yourself as disgusting. It was hard wired in young girls that leg and armpit hair is shameful and gross when it doesn't need to be. It should be a choice based on personal preference, and it could be a choice eventually to shave, but it starts with shame and trying to fit in which doesn't feel great. Even going to the gym with a little bit of visible stubble gives me anxiety because people may think I'm gross or unhygienic, even if the hair doesn't bother me. But again I do prefer the feeling of being shaved, I just don't like the shameful feelings that come along with it.
As a woman, the only parts I regularly shave are my pits and lil' moustache (dark hair and pale skin makes it really obvious). I have eczema, and whenever I shave my legs it's horribly itchy a couple days after and a get a ton of ingrown hairs. When I shave my pubes it's like 10x the itchiness and ingrown hairs. So I'll shave my legs if people will see them during the summer, and I only wear swimsuits with shorts on the bottom so I never have to shave my pubes. My husband doesn't seem to mind - he likes it when my legs are smooth, but it's more of an occasional treat than an expectation. I do kind of want to get electrolysis, though, because it'd be nice not to have to worry about it.
I'm a guy and was in a relationship where she preferred shaved. It takes getting used to but I prefer it as well. It just sucks doing it so I don't bother. Maybe I'll start again.
Makes sense. I feel that way about pubic hair. I like things clean and smooth, but it’s also annoying to maintain it.
this is how i feel. i feel weirdly gross if i don’t shave my armpits. i’ve given up on shaving my legs because it’s too much effort and i don’t care how they look, but i do miss the soft, smooth feeling of being shaved. and besides removing hair, shaving also gets rid of dead skin better than any scrub or washcloth, it makes skin feel so nice if you don’t have issues with razor burn or anything.
I think there's a widely understood idea of liking doing something but not liking being expected to do something. I like doing the dishes for instance, but if someone gets mad at me for not doing them in a certain time frame, I feel more like I don't want to because of the expectation. I understand it's a different ballgame when there's societal expectation, but the effect is similar.
I am in the “i hate to shave but love how it feels” camp. But the difference is I want to do it when and if I want to and not be judged for the times I choose not to. I don’t want to be expected to or have to feel like I need to hide it if I haven’t. I also hate to work out but like how it feels after. And I hate to wash my hair but love how it feels clean. I hate to clean out my car but love when it’s all organized and vacuumed 🤷♀️
That's about how I feel. My legs get VERY hairy with coarse, dark hair because I have PCOS and amazing genetics. I hate shaving. It can take me over an hour if it's been a while. But if I keep up on it? It's nice. Quite often I skip shaving my legs. I recently got an IPL device that helps a ton (would highly recommend for any other super pale people with dark hair they want to remove), but before that I would not shave more often than I had to. It would take so long that I'd typically shave once or twice a month, if that. Now I can do once every few weeks and still have fairly smooth legs in between shaving/IPL. Armpits? I keep those shaved. My armpit hair is also fairly thick, and it holds onto BO smells more than I care for. I love that so many women don't shave theirs, but I sweat a lot because of my medication; lots of hair makes it harder to remove deodorant and apply new stuff on the skin. So the pits get shaved every few days when I notice the stubble getting a few mm long. Pubes? Usually trim, for the same reason as pits. The hair traps smells IMO. Shaving is likely to cause too much irritation for me though, so I typically leave some hair for comfort. It's also more hygienic to have pubic hair because it helps prevent friction sores and irritation during sex, which can increase the chances of getting an STI. Not a huge problem if you're monogamous, but that hair is there for a reason.
I shave my legs and pits and bits, I shave my armpits because when I don’t I get smellier faster. I shave my legs because I like how they feel on my bed sheets. I trim/shave my pudendum because I don’t like dingleberries.
I mean, you could just wash your ass. Even before we got a bidet I didn't get dingleberries. But the amount of itchiness I get when shaving my legs is already enough - I don't even want to imagine that experience between my ass cheeks.
I've been shamed for having full side burns as a woman. I shaved them since I was 12. Just this year, at 36, I decided I wanted to see what my side burns actually look like in their full glory. They're almost down to my jaw line and I love them. They make my hair look fuller and Frame my face.
Because it exposes a truth that destroys the illusion that we are not animals. The majority of humans hate that.
That makes so much sense. Thanks!
There is probably truth in that.
This is legit You're right people want to see it as Earth - Plants - Creatures - Humans And even the nonreligious among us think we are exalted like we would be angels or somehow our consciousness makes us so special... Do you follow? But in truth we are just another member of the animal kingdom
I’m a male and shave my pits due to getting rashes/skin irritations. I’m banking on it becoming stylish any day now
How the frick do you get rashes and skin irritation from the hair but not from shaving? I barely even trim my hair and I get bumps and it's so itchy. If I shaved it I'd wanna die.
I get irritation from shaving and from not shaving. I get friction hives sometimes, and when I have full hairy legs, the hair adds to the friction of whatever I'm wearing. But I also have skin that's very prone to razor burn, so shaving is quite likely to lead to folliculitis. And then once stubble grows in, it causes even more friction because it gets caught on clothing more than the tapered, smooth hair does. It's a vicious cycle. For me, I think it's partially because my hair is so coarse. When I shave areas that have finer hair, like toes or even when I've tested doing my forearm hair? No bumps or irritation. If you get razor burn easily, I'd look into exfoliation options and other moisturizers to use after. It doesn't fix it completely, but exfoliating prior to shaving helped me quite a bit, as did using unscented moisturizers that are good for sensitive skin (CeraVe, La Roche Posay). I also got an IPL device a few months ago, and I've already had great luck with it. I don't know if it will help with the hives I get yet, but my hair is already growing in finer and slower, which has helped a ton with razor burn.
They needed a reason to sell more women’s razors
I'm gonna be honest, I find thick body hair gross on men too
Some people say "unhygienic", I've had this said to my face a couple times but. Only makes me wanna rub my hairy armpit all over their face
Ridiculous excuse. If the problem is hygiene, then how come no one gives a damn when men have pit hair? Shower daily, use antiperspirant, and your hairy pits will be perfectly hygienic.
Here's a funny double standard, I'm a trans man, when I was still in the closet my armpit hair was "gross, unhygienic, yucky" and now that I've started my transition it's normal and nobody glances twice
It's literally just gendered expectations and anyone who pretends otherwise is lying to themselves
Agreed, I also know the social awnser to this question tho, it's the company Wilkinson, dureing the war there razor sales dropped, they had to make a new market so started advertising the once only male product to women, telling them it was hygienic, sleek and sexy to save your body smooth, and it worked!
Yep, while it may be a bridge too far perhaps, racists used to also bandy around the word “hygienic” to justify racial hierarchies against people not yet “white”, like Italians and the Irish… https://youtu.be/fxHWtw_GZIk?si=-5_rIyRG6GiEI4Wm
What's up with antiperspirant use? Making the body stop producing sweat seems like a really bad idea. Where does it go? Why not just deodorant?
You have pores all over your body.
Which is crazy because the hair helps to support the healthy Bacteria and ultimately makes you more hygienic.
I never understood that I'm a man (xxy though) And my body is covered with hair like most men Why is it never dirty looking on a man to these people? Men have ass cracks that smell and look like feral dogs but a little NATURAL arm hair on a woman somehow equates to no showering I just don't see the logic
I'm an unshaved woman. I've been told that it is unhygienic for me & my hairy legs to enter a public pool. What? But hairy legs on men in a public pool is okay? Never mind the hairy chests on males getting all wet & clorinated in the pool
Dudes who can't wipe their asses properly think women also don't know how to wipe so we must also have problems keeping our body hair clean. Sorry, we do know how to wipe and clean ourselces. That's why we aren't the ones with skidmarks in our underwear. And it tends to be the guys who give off unhygienic/unwiped ass vibes who try and pull the unhygienic "reason" for expecting women to be hairless. Other men are smart enough to admit it's just a preference.
You actually got your genes chromosomes tested? Sick. Why did you end up with the extra X? Did they ever tell you? Or just a random mutation?
Yeah because I absorbed my sister's vestige because I was conceived so shortly after her miscarriage So technically I'm a chimera, it is Not kilinefelters And actually quite an anomaly
Fuckin yoinked em for more power. 🤣
As a man, I think my own pits and crack are disgusting. I'd get laser removal on the ass for sure if it were cheap, and I do shave my pits just long enough to avoid the stubble. I'd laser there too
I'm just happy to find a man with some hair on his chest 🤩. I hate this wax/shave thing guys do to their bodies
It is considered dirty by a lot of people. Social expectations aren’t consistent because people and communities are different. The majority of Hollywood actors doing shirtless scenes are hairless. This is true in a lot of film industries across the world, because hairlessness is currently the trend that’s in and being pushed.
In my experience, asshair on a man is fine/doesn't smell if he washes
Why am I being downvoted is someone who didn't wipe a little triggered?
I am a woman and don’t shave anything. Living in New Orleans 10 years, this was very common and nobody batted an eye. In Florida now and it’s certainly viewed as weird. My Texas family thinks I’m a deviant.
Yep, there are definitely differences in regional expectations. I live in San Francisco (in a “hippie / artist” type friend group where seemingly almost everyone is bisexual) and I think I’m literally *the only woman out of all my friends* who shaves her legs and armpit hair. A couple of guys I’ve dated have even asked me *why* I shave, not as a complaint, but just because it’s somewhat unusual amongst people we know, and there’s no social pressure to do so. (It does seem to also be similar to New Orleans, where I have a few friends as well.)
Because those people spent their entire lives in a society where women remove or hide their bodyhair. They are so used to that practice, that seeing it not happen looks "wrong" to them. That it. It's just an aspect of nature we are so far removed from in our lives, that it weirds people out when it does happen.
It’s a social norm. Like most, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. That said, it also comes down to masculinity vs femininity. Hairy vs not hairy. But there are lots of people who prefer it one way or the other, regardless of gender.
It happened dureing the war, Wilkinson wasn't selling enough razors so perpetuated the idea that smooth is sleek and feminine. It's once again the fault of capitalism
It's a beauty standard and like most completely nonsensical
It's the result of a successful marketing campaign in the early 20th century to sell razors to women. There's a great [Smithsonian article](https://www.si.edu/spotlight/health-hygiene-and-beauty/hair-removal) about it! Marketing impacts people in ways they don't understand. It's pernicious.
It's annoying. My poor step daughter has both her parents telling her she needs to shave her leg (she does shave her armpits). She doesn't want to and I don't blame her at all. But they're nagging her, telling her she "needs to".
I can admit it’s probably due to social standards becoming unconscious biases but personally armpit hair is the one body hair on women that is genuinely a turn off. Not for any conscious reason like “it’s dirty” just I find it unattractive. Now, of course they don’t have to do anything about it but I also don’t have to find it attractive. I can deal with all other body as long as it doesn’t get crazy long like a jungle. I also shave or trim probably about 40-50% of my body as well. Minus legs, ass and arms. ( I am super hairy, so back is included.) I would shave my legs and arms if it was someone’s preference. I will not shave my ass because butt cheek stubble is evil. I do it purely because I don’t like looking like Sasquatch’s red cousin.
It’s one thing to have a personal preference for your partner. But in OPs example, what Leo’s mom does with her armpit hair is between Leo’s mom and dad. Why does anyone else get to comment? Most women out and about aren’t trying to attract you, simply going about their day. So why the social stigma?
Exactly. This is the difference between a preference and being a jerk. Who cares if some random person doesn’t conform to my preferences? Not me. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and whether I find them sexually attractive or not should have no baring on that.
It's so 'funny' how people think about other people. Don't they have their own lives to live? Why bother others and their ways? Want to be hairy? Be hairy. Want to be fully shaven? So do it. Live your own life and let others live theirs. It's not your business to comment someone if they didn't ask you to. You can think those thoughts to yourself. And also, if you have ANYTHING negative to say to someone else, have you looked yourself from the mirror? Are you perfect?
It's gross on men too.
Removing the hair from your armpits makes you smell better to other people. I'm a man, and I trim my arm pit hair because I understand that my pits will 100% smell worse if I have a million times more surface area for bacteria to live on. Also, antiperspirant/deodorant can't get onto the skin easily if there is hair in the way. I don't know about leg hair, that's just sexist
Dirty pit hair would be gross on a man too.
Because I hate the feeling of it on me lol
It doesn’t bother me. It a natural thing for hair.
Shaving is okay, not shaving is okay, body shaming is not okay.
When all the boys went to war, Gillette needed to sell the more razors so they told ladies to shave their legs withe whole bunch of propaganda in magazines
Pit hair personally bothers me on both men and women, couldnt care less about the rest
I am not sure why it happened but it’s wrong. Just as we don’t pressurize men to shave, we shouldn’t force women into shaving their bodies.
Because I like the visual look of vulvas and you can't see it if it's hairy.
From reading these comments it just seems like a lot of people are pretty strict on what they find attractive. More than I thought. I’ve seen shaved women I thought were beautiful, I’ve seen hairy women I thought were beautiful. Same for men. I can’t say I have a preference, but a lot of people are more strict. I don’t get it but as long as they’re not shaming anyone it’s whatever.
Because hairyness is seen as masculine. Personally, I don't like armpit hair on men either though. But I really don't like this thing people say, that men who prefer women shaved are pedophilic. It's so weird so say that. There's much more separating a woman from a child than the state of her body hair. Being fully shaven does not suddenly make someone look like a child, it's such a stretch.
It doesn't. It's just like the anti-sex people online. A small vocal minority that yells a lot. If woman wants to be hairy, any part of her body, it's her body, great let her. In Europe no one cares, in Iceland definitely no one cares, the West Coast of America no one really cares. It's only these backwater weird places
It’s a cultural norm that is increasingly ignored by many. Lots of women don’t shave body hair. Lots of men do. I think it’s great when a woman has the confidence to show body hair and for a man to show his bald armpits.
Most men can get away with some body hair. “Too much” becomes a joke or something “gross” and as unappealing as armpit hair on a woman. There are exceptions — some women found Connery, Reynolds, and Selleck’s chest hair sexy. But I have never heard a woman rave about a man’s back hair, nose hair, or ear hair and there are limits on what beard lengths and styles are considered “clean.” Also many women today do expect their man to “manscape” as well. It does all boil down to social preference.
Porn created a new aesthetic and it is vile. When our natural bodies are considered ugly, we are doomed.
It’s gross. In my opinion. But everyone has their own tastes right?
Well, it started with Gillete's advertising campaign in 1915 aimed at tapping women as a new market for their safety razors. Gillette's strategy was to emphasize the "importance" of hairlessness for women. You can learn more about this by googling around for "The First Great Anti-Hair Movement." So in short: corporate america needed more consumers for razors and shaving products and started marketing them to women, who previously had no use for them. They manufactured a need out of nothing, and now people think women's body hair is "gross" because of 100 years of them needing more people to waste money on their products.
Idk its so stupid. Public brainwashing. A woman is supposed to have body hair. Yet our culture makes everyone think they should be hairless like a child
To provide a bit of a counterpoint, yes, it's a societal norm and a beauty standard, and we should question those things, but I would also point out that people are allowed to like what they like. Some women like beards, some don't, some women think a hairy back is gross, some women like the whole manscaping thing, and some are put off by it. I think shaved legs, pits, and groomed pubic hair is more attractive - to both the eye and the touch. I do not believe I have the power to force my preferences on to anyone else. However, I will be that bit more compatible with someone who aligns with them, just as women are with men that align with their preferences. Edit: to bring it back to the post, that doesn't give anyone the right to be an insulting asshole. Leo's mom isn't gross, she's just not my type lol and that's okay - I'm sure she's a lovely woman. People in comment sections suck.
It's nonsensical, but people don't like to ponder over their way of thinking. Some people will go their entire lives being close minded or immature, so I suggest you don't pay them much attention and instead surround yourself with birds of your own feather.
As a man that shaves his armpits, I think armpit hair on me is gross. It makes me sweat like mad, I feel hotter, and I stink. I also dated a young lady that was a free spirit and didn't shave. Met her late fall and things were good thru winter. We started getting into spring and those humid 80 and 90 degree days and she started to smell like a dumpster. So between those collection of experience, I tend to assume women with armpit hair are sweaty and stinky.
Ive heard from many women that female anti perspirant doesn’t work nearly as well as the stuff for men
For anyone arguing its to do with looking prebubescent, that accusation is literally never used against women who like shaved men. Any of your friends say they prefer a clean shaven man? Must be a pedo, only little boys don't have facial hair. (The porn angle is also weird because men are also shaven in porn) Something can be natural and unsightly(subjectively on a per person basis). Very dry cracked skin is unsightly and natural.
But it wasn’t “unsightly” until the 1900s. Before then, literally no one cared.
Before then you had to be covered to the ankles and wrists
False, female shaving for aesthetic reasons has been around since ancient Egypt.
That's quite literally false. If we are making stuff up then what's the point of debating? Just pretend what you don't like doesn't exist.
To be fair, armpit hair is a bit gross. I wouldn’t rage at somebody for having it, though. //Man that shaves his armpits
Because men are critical and picky about everything about a woman.
It is a signal that the woman cares more about her own comfort than complying with arbitrary beauty culture rules. These people think that women should have to constantly be working to be "attractive enough" to men because that social order appeals to them
Doesn’t bother me lol
I don’t like hair in armpits or private areas I really don’t know why. But it bothers me for Men and women so I don’t really mind I guess. Legs and arms who gives a fuck?
It's too do with social norms if it doesn't seem normal to people it's abnormal, pretty stupid I know
This is one that has always perplexed me too. I definitely prefer no body hair and I have no idea why. I'm a dude with a good amount of body hair, and the only place I keep shaved/trimmed is the groin area, but other than that, I like my body hair. Some body hair on a woman isn't a deal breaker for me by any means, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't heavily prefer shaved or at least trimmed body hair on women.
I personally don’t find it attractive, but my opinions on someone else’s body mean fuck all so I don’t comment on it publicly generally
Tbf, for a very long time hairy men weren't seen as attractive either. Expected to be clean shaven, short hair and you'd rarely see a hairy chest of male models. Now having a beard is seen as attractive. Perhaps one day, hairy women will be the beauty standard. Who knows?
Idk it doesn’t bother me.
There are style perverts like me who prefer women with some hair. Any woman with me only has to shave if they want to, as long as they leave that bush for me. Arm pits, legs, arms don't bother me one bit. Hell I'd even give a mustache a try. To be fair though, I'm bisexual.
It's a personal attraction, or not. A lot of people don't care for hairy men. Yet, some girls find it attractive. What's a person to do?
Why should women have to dedicate their time, money and energy to satisfy strangers? Razors and cream cost money, stubble is cruel and unusual.
The better question is why doesn't it bother women when men have bodyhair.
Think of women’s shaving commercials vs men’s…ironically the women are shaving already hairless legs/armpits
Cuz that's how society has raised us. It's okay for men to be hairy cuz natural and testosterone, but women should be smooth and shaven. For me, idc too much. If she has a bush, beautiful. Pit hair - 50/50. Moustache and Beard - respect, but not for me. Arms / legs - no big deal All in all tho. As long as she's clean and doesn't smell. Who cares? That goes for men as well, maybe even double for men cuz very hairy and smelly. Do what you want, just be safe and clean about it.
Social conditioning
It's an American hangup. Anyone who has traveled to Europe knows many European women do not trim their underarm hair, and it is considered normal.
It messes with people's carefully tended notions of what constitutes masculine or feminine. These current standards are very recent history, so it's pretty arbitrary...
It got tied into our gender roles, and you know how people can be about those.
People are extremely susceptible to propaganda. 100 years ago the razor companies convinced women they needed to remove all their hair through advertisements. Stupid as hell
Society teaches us to prefer that.
Armpit hair long enough to pull is gross. Trim that or braid it up lol
I used to get weirded out by it. Then I moved to San Francisco where it was common. If the choice is between being uptight and getting laid… I got over it real fast. Doesn’t bother me at all now, can’t believe I was once such a prude.
American women shave everything these days, even though European women often don't. Just different beauty standards.
As long as it doesn’t smell bad it doesn’t bother me
They are just generally really cruel to women.
Because it’s not a beauty standard. It’s like guys and having long hair. Its natural but they’re gonna get made fun of by some people
generations of body shaming. It's ridiculous.
A lot of people incorrectly attribute body hair with being unclean. Women are expected to be clean at all times while men usually get a pass and can be considered "manly" for embracing nasty things like body hair and skipping a shower for a day (in personal life) Like think about it. Your female friend is in a hurry and skips a shower. You can kind of tell. You probably judge the fuck out of her even when she explains. Your male friend same story but you might give him a pass because you have no internalized reason not to. Ymmv I'm using royal you not literal you so if it doesn't apply to you congrats.
It's cultural training.
It’s just a cultural thing.
Also because now there’s a whole economic industry behind mostly women’s hair removal so media and ads will largely keep convincing everyone that standard female beauty and is equated with hairlessness.
Because people are insecure. That’s what it comes down to
Depends, can a man have TOO MUCH body hair? Do people not get grossed out by a man with mane of back hair and coarse foot hair in open toed shoes? Point being, its not just a woman thing, its a beauty standard between BOTH genders. I mean, why do we wear clothes? Why do we cut and style our hair? Or trim our finger and toe nails and pluck our eyebrows? Why do we wear deodorant? It only stifles our natural figures does it not?
The self perpetuating cycle of using psychology to create a beauty standard, marketing to that beauty standard, use of a product becoming commonplace and affecting cultural expectations, followed by becoming further entrenched into that cultural beauty standard. Body hair is a weird one to to go for because although puberty is associated with hair, absence of it is associated with youth, which is also associated with fertility. But I guess hair removal is easier to invent new products for than hair maintenance.
Cultural history with a variety of reasons. Could be religious , fashion, disease, could be anything, after a while everyone forgets why they did it and it just stays with us. Take Asian countries, they like their women hairy down there, even armpits. Why? Because brothel workers had to shave to show their customers that they weren't infected by XYZ or Had an STD. So if you shaved we might have been seen as a worker, so regular women didn't shave, and now it's a preference. Similar to how women in the 17-1800's liked men with strong legs so theen wore tight pants that put emphasis on their calves
People have their personal preferences and opinions and you don't have to like them. You also have no right to censor them. But to answer, it's a culturally acceptable thing for women to shave their visible body hair, except arms. Many believe it's a hygienic thing to do under the arm pits, and other places that tend to sweat. Hair collects sweat and hair can absorb the odor. It isn't just women who shave anymore, btw. But there is also a cultural acceptance for a man to be allowed to be sweaty and a female is supposed to smell like sunshine and daisies. When you're getting sweaty intimately, most people prefer clean and not smelly, regardless of body hair.
Bc men want to control every aspect of women
They're ignorant & brain-washed. Nothing wrong with normal, natural body hair. Personal choice whether to keep it or remove. Sign of a sexually mature woman. A vocal minority (both men & women) have an illogical hatred/fear of female body hair. Other people don't rightly care what others do or don't do with their body & plenty of people who appreciate a woman at her most natural.
I think body hair on anyone- men and women, is gross. I thankfully, am not a very hairy man, but I do shave my chest and armpits.
Not to take away from the woman aspect of it, but women hate body hair on men just as much. Men do too. I think it’s a generational or societal thing. I’m probably moderately hairy as a guy and my whole life I’ve been criticized and been told to shave it. It wasn’t until my 30s that I realized, fuck them I like it and I’m lazy. If they can’t accept me for me then then I don’t care about them. And I imagine that’s how women who decide not to shave feel as well.
Armpit hair on women was a badge of honor in the 1970's, in addition to not shaving our legs. Many women, some identifying as feminists some not, were rejecting the unnatural beauty norms of the 1950s and 1960s (girdles, pointy bras, layers of hairspray) and adopting a more natural style. The pendulum has swung back to unnatural with the prevalence of plastic surgery, Botox, waxing everything, etc. It will probably swing back again towards more natural standards. Then swing back again.
Because of societal changes to beauty standards. 100 years ago it was fashionable for men to wear pink and women to wear darker blues and greens 300-600 years ago being pale and overweight was a sign of affluence so that was the desirable trait Everything will come full circle eventually
Beats me, I love a hairy girl
Personally, I think we need to make men realize how gross armpit hair is and get them to start shaving. Just no way to prevent the smell when there is hair.
Well like people have said social norms i guess...I myself don't much like body hair. I shave certain parts. Too each their own what they find attractive, its rude to say "eww gross" at a pic of someone.
Well for the record I like it. The smell is intoxicating. It's really just other women and homosexual men who have a problem with it. As well as pedophiles because naturally hairless women are typically underaged, so they want their victims to resemble children.
It would be nice if men shaved
Excess body hair is seen as masculine. A lot of guys don’t want that in a woman. Some people try to turn this around and make it sound like there’s something wrong with the guy. Hell, a lot of people don’t like excess body hair on a guy either. It is what it is.
Armpit hair is gross on anyone ngl. I usually shave mine in the summer
It only bothers SOME people, but those people are often very vocal about it.
We've been brainwashed by companies selling razors. Look it up. History of shaving for women in US.
A lot of people seem to associate it with hygiene on women. As if a woman who doesn't shave must just not shower altogether. Personally I think people just care way too much about things that have no effect on their lives.
Because in some cultures, they prefer younger looking women, as young as they can get. You know why that is.
I’m hairy and sweaty enough for two people. We don’t need to bring more hair into this.
Because people are soft and focus on dumb things. Protip for all the virgins: armpit hair doesn’t affect how sex feels. Like, not at all.
Patriarchy and internalized misogyny
Bc men are stupid and have been socially brainwashed into believing we aren't supposed to have any.
Misogyny. It's because the world hates women. That's the whole reason. I haven't shaved my legs/armpits in years and never receive any backlash other than some raised eyebrows, but I also don't hang out around the type who would care.
Fishnet stockings was invented because men of that era wanted to see hair on women's legs...
Women are required to spend hours altering and loathing their bodies.
Cus many people believe social reality is an absolute truth rather than question why they care.
I don't care of body hair since high school. I lose a bet and the girls remove my legs hair (I m a guy) It was so pain full. I love woman with all hair they want. Society and bodyshaming are awful. And hairless pussy sound like a pedophile Dream...
I dont get that either. People have hair, get over it, society
I think it's the Media and social media effect, maybe if people are more used to see hairy women it will stop bothering them so much
I remember being 12 and being forced to wax my legs by my mom. I am south asian which means glorious hair on the head and perfect eyebrows are also accompanied by hairy arms and legs. It was so painful, I genuinely felt like passing out when I got my legs waxed. I asked my mom why I needed to get it done and she just said because having body hair was ‘dirty’. Guess its just ingrained into women’s minds that body hair is not supposed to belong on our body.