women & hair removal

[asthesparrow]

Hiya ENA!

Ever since High School I have greatly despised waxing and shaving. I remember when I was about 13 or 14, all of my girlfriends started to get waxed or shave (legs, armpits, below the belt) and it was almost "peer pressure" to do so. I remember being teased for having hairy legs. So I bucked the trend for a while, but when I started dating I guess I did what was "normal" and followed the crowd, lest I be judged by insensitive teenage boys.

 

It wasn't a huge deal whether I was hairless or not, but I guess at around 17 or 18 I grew a lot more comfortable with my body and I stopped hair removal. I trimmed - all over - but I was never completely hairless in the "usual" places.

 

So I've had mixed reviews obviously, my whole life, from both men and women. Some people refuse to .... go down on me... due to being "trim" there as opposed to hairless. Fine by me, when that has happened (only twice maybe?) I have literally left the situation. If you're that close-minded then I'm out of here!

 

However, I saw my family a few days ago. I don't see them often, maybe once a year. It was as if none of them had ever noticed I didn't shave until that day. I copped a lot of crap from every single one of my family members about how GROSS it is. One of my siblings said, "No wonder you're still single". Although my family and I don't get along and I don't give a stuff what they think, this one actually hit home for me because of how much I was teased ten years ago in highschool.

Basically the day after I saw my family I went and got a full wax. But you know what? I can't afford it that often, I PREFER girls with hair, and I guess if we look back in history only a few decades, hair removal is very much a late 20th century idea when we could reproduce hair removal products en masse, for cheap, and thus they became avail. to the masses in every shape and form so now hairless is the norm.

 

Your opinions? Wouldn't go down on a hairy girl? Would be turned off by trim armpits? Don't even care either way?

I rarely bring this issue up so it's interesting to hear what people think considering it literally is THE NORM.

[camus154]

Not going down on a woman for having pubic hair? That's a blessing in disguise, as I find hairless genitalia creepy and too close to prepubescence so I think you're dodging bullets on that.

 

I've dated women with both hairy legs and hairy armpits, but honestly I didn't care for it much. But...it really shouldn't matter much either way.

[agent1607307371]

I don't shave very often, and I don't find it unattractive either.

 

For some women also, shaving can be very problematic - with razor rashes and ingrowns. Some people can get it sorted while others can't.

[woodsrose10]

However, I saw my family a few days ago. I don't see them often, maybe once a year. It was as if none of them had ever noticed I didn't shave until that day. I copped a lot of crap from every single one of my family members about how GROSS it is. One of my siblings said, "No wonder you're still single".

 

How were they able to see/notice your armpits, legs, bikini areas? Do you have dark hair on your upper lip?

[asthesparrow]

I don't shave very often, and I don't find it unattractive either.

 

For some women also, shaving can be very problematic - with razor rashes and ingrowns. Some people can get it sorted while others can't.

 

Yeah, I always got ingrown hairs on my legs when I shaved them, even after trying absolutely everything I could to prevent them. That's the main reason OI stopped, that, and the fact that it grows back so fast, and my leg hairs are light blonde and soft so you can't really tell!

I don't know how most women can be bothered!

[asthesparrow]

I was wearing a dress with thin straps, so someone saw my armpits. Then after much hoopla I told them I don't do any form of hair removal.

Interesting you say that though - I feel if I did have a hairy upper lip I probably would tend to that area.

[agent1607307371]

OP - I have a mole on my jawline, and I pluck that to death. I worry it'll give me cancer, but mole hair is just more than I can deal with.

[asthesparrow]

OP - I have a mole on my jawline, and I pluck that to death. I worry it'll give me cancer, but mole hair is just more than I can deal with.

 

Hahaha. Mole hair is also more than I can deal with as well. Maybe it's just that I am english so have very light hair all over - it's not noticeable... and if a man I am with dislikes hair down there, he can get stuffed!

[woodsrose10]

I was wearing a dress with thin straps, so someone saw my armpits.

 

I'm assuming your armpit hair is long, stringy, and thick, right? (A la like a man's?) Some women (like myself) have fuzzy, thin armpit hair that can only be noticed if I wave my arms up high above my head. Otherwise, if I don't shave & leave my arms low and by my side, no one will notice.

 

Thing is, I did once read in a poll taken by a women's magazine that 89% of men are turned off by hairy armpits. I'm a girl, and I agree hairy armpits on a woman aren't exactly attractive. (And hey, if a guy shaved his armpits, that'd be weird & a huge turnoff!) I guess it's just the way we're all brought up. But of course, no one's forcing you to do anything u don't want to do. If you like your armpits a la Paula Cole, then power to you.

[woodsrose10]

Maybe it's just that I am english so have very light hair all over - it's not noticeable... and if a man I am with dislikes hair down there, he can get stuffed!

 

Hehe, yea I know what u mean. I never shaved/waxed my pubes until last year. Interesting how in Europe it's not that common. (For pubic hairs, at least.)

[agent1607307371]

Honestly, it seems to be pretty common. Especially the younger the woman. There's lots of media pressure to be hairless now.

[camus154]

The media is sick. I want a woman, not a little girl. Not a cutesy little landing strip. Give me '70s bush.

[Flyingpiglet]

I'm really quite dark haired..., and have plenty of it!

 

I use an epilator on my underarms and legs and hair removal cream on the bikini line, Too painful there for the epilator and shaving gives me a terrible rash!

It don't take the lot off, just a tidy up!

 

I would be far to self conscious if I didn't remove the hair somehow but as I say I am really dark.

But at the moment (UK winter and single) I don't go to much effort at all as Its all under wraps

[woodsrose10]

Honestly, it seems to be pretty common. Especially the younger the woman. There's lots of media pressure to be hairless now.

 

SO true! My gyno said, "Everyone and their brother is shaving!" I luv my bush.

[90_hour_sleep]

i hate shaving. it feels barbaric to me!! i guess i really don't care. would seem a ridiculous double standard for me to expect a clean shave...anywhere...when i'm pretty adverse to it myself. there's just too much emphasis on this idea of hair. i don't understand what's 'gross' about it at all. if it's clean (hygienic)...what's the problem? i'd much rather be with someone who has a basic level of comfort with her body...whatever that means to her. i feel sad about this cultural epidemic of vanity sometimes. is there anything more detrimental to our collective sense of well-being than being bombarded with ideas that we're not measuring up somehow? how can we ever share ourselves...love...if we're always fretting over how we should be instead of how we are.

 

i suppose it's inescapable.

 

i don't care though. hair...no hair. one might be more appealing or less appealing in my head...but my head is full of propaganda and social nonsense. you're fine how you are...however you are.

[asthesparrow]

The media is sick. I want a woman, not a little girl. Not a cutesy little landing strip. Give me '70s bush.

 

Damn straight!!

 

And 90 Hour Sleep, I agree with you. Too much worrying about how we should be, as opposed to focusing on, and loving who we ARE.

[tiredofvampires]

The media is sick. I want a woman, not a little girl. Not a cutesy little landing strip. Give me '70s bush.

 

Give me camus or give me death!

[tiredofvampires]

Camus, how do you feel about body hair on a woman in general? (armpits, legs -- non-bikini area)

[shes2smart]

Honestly, it seems to be pretty common. Especially the younger the woman. There's lots of media pressure to be hairless now.

 

Well, yes, and let's not forget the industry that's cashed in on making people feel insecure for crap like this. Doesn't matter what form of hair removal one uses -- money changes hands to make it happen.

 

Quickest way to get people to part with their money is to make them feel bad about something and then offer them the solution to feel better (for a price). We are being marketed to every minute of everyday.....and so many have no awareness of how much/how often/how pervasive it is at all.......

[camus154]

Camus, how do you feel about body hair on a woman in general? (armpits, legs -- non-bikini area)

 

I've dated women with both armpit and leg hair, and to be honest I do prefer shaven legs. However, the hairy pits was strangely a turn on. I have no idea why.

[tiredofvampires]

I've dated women with both armpit and leg hair, and to be honest I do prefer shaven legs. However, the hairy pits was strangely a turn on. I have no idea why.

 

That's interesting. When I was in Italy, I was hanging out with this sort of bohemian/art bunch of people, and this one girl was SO beautiful and she had underarm bush. I thought it was very erotic, even though I'm perfectly straight.

 

Does leg hair bother you even when it's fine/light?

[camus154]

I wouldn't say leg hair necessarily bothers me, it's just more of a preference. Light/fine hair I don't think I'd give a second thought about, and above all, if I was attracted to the woman in question it wouldn't really matter anyway (it wouldn't turn me off).

 

The armpit hair thing....the more I think about it, the more I think that was a turn on because it was sort of like a "daring to be natural" thing. Like, there's this new part of her body that you don't typically associate with women. Don't know if that makes any sense....

[tiredofvampires]

Yeah, there's something about body hair on people that looks sensual to me. It looks like they're showing intimate parts of themselves, especially axillary hair. That's just my take. It feels more raw. When a guy raises his arm and I can see the hair -- MELT! -- it's like a "sneak preview" haha.

 

I have fine hair on my legs that you can only see when really close up. No guy -- until my last ex, who lives in the glamour capital of the world -- displayed anything remotely like being turned off. I felt bad for months reflecting on the things he said. And I shaved a patch of it (last time I'd shaved was in high school), and you could barely tell the shaved part from the unshaved part. It's a bit like arm hair and one has to ask, why don't women have to shave there? When something doesn't make sense to me and only causes me hassles, I say forget it.

 

Never again. Guys who have a problem with it won't be on my wavelength about many other things as well.

[pl3asehelp]

I love hairy - delicious. Very animalistic. And to me not being vain is very attractive.

[thejigsup]

Most men I have known have found hair a turn-off. I am very blonde and my hair doesn't really show, I just feel "cleaner" when I shave. My legs are shaven and so are my pits. My eyebrows are plucked and I am trimmed below the belt. This is a personal preference as my sister and mom never shaved and it looked "unfeminine" to me and not attractive. If you are fine with hair then don't shave. It is your body and you should do what suits you.