Can't go any longer... I have to ask. :O

I find, in adopting an increasingly natural lifestyle, and going out of my way to weed out all the unnatural chemicals, including my "organic" shampoos, moisturizers, makeup--the idea of shaving gets sillier and sillier. So much of the healing on raw, I have discovered, comes with accepting yourself as a WHOLE person--total forgiveness from the inside out, happy with your uncosmeticked appearance as the skin heals and acne fades, etc. ==> So why should I have to shave?!

I have actually quit shaving my legs, just because I've been dealing with a horrid itchy skin condition on my calves (and getting rid of all the products/irritation has helped tremendously).

So, you know, growing up in America, as a very little girl, with friends who competed about deodorant, push-up bras, and shaving as early as fourth grade... you get these ideas in your head about what feels comfortable and what doesn't. What's supposed to be and what isn't.

I overheard a bunch of the women I work with talking one day, one girl saying she only ever shaves if she's seeing someone, another saying she wouldn't ever go without her Brazilian wax.

I've also overheard GUYS talking before, too. Some of them will say how hideous and terrifying to see a woman with hairy legs (honestly, WTF)--but I once saw a female pianist performing with my best guy friend, and the surprise fact she didn't shave her armpits only made him infatuated with her more.

I guess, ultimately, people who judge you--especially about something as silly as shaving--aren't worth the energy. My mind knows this. I want to stop shaving. I probably will. It's expensive and makes my skin very unhappy. Winter is almost over.

And when guys shave... it looks really weird!! Like sheared sheep or something. But it sucks SO much that Western culture has been conditioned to think of women as otherwise. Myself included. -.-

Has anyone made the transition? How have you dealt with it? Was it easier to get comfortable with than you realized? What about trimming? What do you do about going to the beach? >.<

*deeply conflicted*

I think what ever makes you comfortable and happy is what you should do. I used to wax my back after I heard a table full of women all agree that back hair on men was universally repulsive to all women. ...now I couldn't care less. I'm me...as is. If someone wants to judge me by a genetic disposition for the location of body hair...well, that's someone I don't need to know.

Aesthetically, on women, it doesn't matter to me, although having no hair at all seems a little weird. I must admit that i find myself attracted to women who don't shave, not so much out of aesthetics, but because it symbolizes their free spirit...which is as sexy as it gets for me.

Aloha Nui Loa,

Greg

A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. - William James

There is no pill that can be swallowed,
There is no guru, that can be followed, - Michael Franti (Pray For Grace)

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. - Albert Camus

I gave up shaving and cutting my hair several years ago, it all fits with living how nature intended us to.

I find women who don't shave much more attractive.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

I think - for the most part - that it is a myth that 'hairy legs' are going to be a make-or-break thing for a guy that meets an attractive girl. As a guy, I certianly stopped shaving my face - and simply trim it as I trim the hair on my head...for neatness. It is a curious double-standard that a woman should HAVE to shave her legs....and I have no objection to a woman that doesn't do it....that otherwise smells quite nice! LOL.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

There's so much to say about this topic and, at the same time, very little to say about it.

The fact is, America IS obsessed with looks. Culturally, for many, many years, women have been expected to shave armpits and legs. (By men, women, Hollywood and the Media.) This has conditioned society to prefer women this way. Now, it looks "unnatural" for women not to shave.

If a woman chooses not to shave, she has every right not to. Unfortunately, she's also choosing to put up with unasked for attitudes, judgment and opinions; especially if she still chooses to go sleeveless and wear skirts at, or above, the knee. Even though we don't ask people for their opinions, they give them anyway. We all know that. When something goes against the social norms, it invites outspoken criticism and cruelty.

If you're not thin-skinned or dress so it's not apparent, then, you won't have a care in the world!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2008 07:00PM by Simple Living.

I got tired of it--the time, the money, the scars from cutting myself! I couldn't justify it anymore, it just seemed silly. I can see not wanting to seem like a freak (most women I know shave just to fit in, or becasue they are uncomfortble with their bodies), but besides that, I don't see any real reasons. Aesthetics and feel are culturally-induced preferences that will change as you get used to it. So, yeah, it was nice to change that for myself. The underarm hair took awhile to get used to aesthetically, but now I feel like a pre-pubescent girl without it! It's nice to feel real comfortable with your body. And on raw, you'll still smell very nice.

There are both women and men who are into hair. I love hairy men...beards, hairy chests. Yummy. I've bumped into men who love 'above average' hairy women. Just like there are those who prefer shaved or bare. I personally don't like the look, but won't condemn anyone who does or perhaps is influenced by what the masses are doing. If it is because they're uncomfortable with their body or think it's awful to have hair, maybe they'll figure it out on their own when they're ready.

I'm a pretty hairless female. I don't have much hair on the legs and don't shave them. I do still shave my armpits once every two months or so and sometimes my va-jay-jay for the man. But I'm leaning towards not having hot burning wax yank out the hairs of my most sensitive special place and will probably give it up altogether. He doesn't really care actually so I shouldn't blame him. It was fun at one point to get the brazilian waxes and now it just seems pretty pointless to do it. Not to mention it's not the most pleasant of experiences.

Wow, we really do give up some private info on these boards I was just thinking. LOL. I don't even think my best friend knows I shave my pits once every 2 months or that I even have a brazilian. Certainly it's not a conversation I will have with the postman or my next door neighbor. haha.

Peace.

~RawAngel

I once worked with a girl who didn't shave anything (I always thought she looked like Eve, as in when you see renditions of Adam & Eve - long dark curly hair), and her boyfriend loved it.

My bodybuilder friend Luis used to LOVE hair on women - armits, legs, elswhere.... he always used to go on excitedly about random bodyhair sightings on sexy women.

I think the key is to just be sexy - if you're a slob, then yeah people are going to perceive the hairy legs as gross, because the whole package is unappealing.

As for men, I don't like shaved bodies, only shaved faces. Body hair on men is sexy.

On girls I couldn't care less what a girl decides to do with her own personal body hair.

The beach - my friend Luis's favorite body hair sighting was on a girl at the beach, she was holding an iguana and wearing a white bikini, and he could see black hair coming out from underneath. Then her boyfriend walked up so he didn't get to talk to her much.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2008 07:52PM by sunshine79.

Actually, no one has ever said anything to my face about my body hair. A friend told me that an acquaintence remarked (with a disgusted tone) that I had body hair--my friends just said "so, what" and it made him look silly (he is known to be rather misogynistic anyway). The other surprising thing is that women will often comment that my leg hair is nice and that they would grow it out if it were like mine (relatively light, I guess)--I tell them they can, too, but they are afraid of what people will think. So if you hang with the right crowd, people will be nice. Normal but conventional people will be polite and keep thoughts to themselves. Random strangers will yell nasty things anyway, and they can't really see body hair from the street.

I don't need to shave at all because of my skin brushing. It is very interesting.
I also don't use any deodorant,cream,anything. I feel great and I do not smell at all.Freedom !!!!!

one of my ex's used to wax his back and trim his stuff. now, the nether regions i don't mind a little trim, it makes, erm, navigating a bit easier so... by all means. i have a trimmer, i use it here and there. but the chest and back, well, hair is pretty darn masculine and i don't mind it at all.
the legs though, well, that's a hard call. i don't shave all winter unless i'm going to the public swimming pool and then i actually just run the trimmers over it without the guard. i suppose that i am just not that brave about it really. the armpits i like hairy, the legs... not so much. my last man Loved hair on my legs though so i would leave it for him. i never found it as sexy as he did but i loved that he enjoyed my natural ungroomed state he didn't like me to wash with soap either.
sometimes one must groom oneself to culturally acceptable standards for work. either that or sweat to death covering it up with clothing in the summer. believe me, hair peeking out from beneath my arms would never have flown at the bank. not in a million, trillion years. not even in hippy BC.

I just shave everytime I shower with a cheap plastic disposable razor. I don't have very thick hair on my legs or armpits so one razer lasts me about 2 weeks.

I look at it as a type of exfoliation. I don't remember a time actually that I ever had hairy armpits or legs because I began shaving so young (culture/peer influence).
But shaving doesn't seem like much effort for me so I don't see a reason to stop. Maybe because I do it in the shower or have been shaving for so long I never cut myself and it takes no time at all. I'd miss the soft feeling of smooth legs on myself if I stopped shaving. I love moisturizing my body with coconut or olive oil when I get out of the shower so I've never had a problem with dry skin anywhere even when I lived in NY and shaved every other day.

I occasionally get a Brazilian bikini wax. I think I have had so many waxes over the past few years though that the hair is now very fine down there and it takes a long time to grow back once I get it waxed. They say waxing weakens the hair and it grows back finer and finer if you continue to wax it. I think this is what's happened to me from waxing my bikini area every few months for a few years now!

hair, no hair,
i like em both.

it's definately individual preferences.

shaving can be a fun and stimulating thing though, you know,
surprising or being surprised by a shaved lower region.

good clean fun.

I thought about not shaving but don't want the negative attention directed toward me. I still flirt with the idea so you never know.

I love hair on men. My husband is very furry.

I have dark, thick hair (half Sicilian) so I've religiously shaved my legs, pits and crotch for years now. However, since becoming more and more connected to nature one day I realized that it simply didn't resonate anymore. That was a couple of months ago. At times I'll look in the mirror at my naked body and think about how gross all that hair looks, but for the most part I appreciate my natural body. It doesn't matter to me how other people view my body...all that matters to me is my comfort.

I thought that the growing back in phase would be horribly itchy and annoying, but it was actually quite tolerable. That only lasted for maybe a week and I haven't really noticed the hair since.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2008 05:19PM by blue_butterfly.

When I first stopped shaving, I wondered whether the guys I was dating would mind. Then I gradually realized that it didn't matter, because I was starting to attract a different sort of guy anyways, and no one since that time (maybe 12 years ago) has ever minded, in fact they might've thought I was weird if I did shave! It's an easy weed-out for the type of folks I wouldn't be comfortable with anyhow.

For several years I still went back and forth, maybe shaving or waxing a few times a year.. going into my grungy hippy look for a while then suddenly deciding I looked too grungy and trying to straighten up and look clean cut.... Now as things go I ended up living in a place in Humboldt County, California where not shaving (for men and women both) is the norm. I don't even think about it anymore.

I remember shaving my underarms and nicking them and getting these cuts and then getting the chalky deodorant in them and they'd get all irritated and sore, gahd that must have been sexy.

Love,
Uma

I visited Humboldt County a few years ago, on the way to the redwoods--VERY cool place--HUGE coop in Arcata, with a big transitional raw section (lots of non-organic, non-natural brands, too, never figured that out), plus a local currency. Glad to hear of someone enjoying the community there!

i shave my legs especially if its a first date and i'm wearing a skirt or a dress

i won't hestitate

and if i'm going to the beach wearing a bikini, i sure as heck am going to shave


( why WOULDN't I?... that's just crazy)

there is nothing unnatural about shaving

i use natural soaps

My partner would run a mile if I stopped shaving

Claire

i shave, but i think it's hot if a woman doesn't shave. i think it's hot when a woman shaves. like what was said before a sexy woman is sexy not because of the hair on her body, but just because she is.

i feel dirty when i don't shave. I stopped shaving for almost a year, and the whole time i felt kind of grungy even if i was clean. i think that is strange.

I love Brazilian waxing!!!

- N**z

I didn't shave for about 3 years. It was AMAZING how differently people treated me (badly!). I was once told by a 9-year old I was the ugliest person he'd ever seen. LOL - I have to say that deeply hurt though! And since I also had short, spiky hair at the time of course everyone assumed I was gay!

I guess it depends on where you work. Phantom, you do home daycare so that should work perfectly!

Neither my hubby or I care if the other shaves. We are both very accepting of each other's body's

You know what else I found too? If you're single, guys really don't care about your looks so much as your sense of humor and personality and your interest in them. It's a myth that "most" people think hair is disgusting.


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

I have to say as a guy, that I do not mind if a women does not shave. However, it is only true if she has the soft womanly body hair. It grosses me out if I see a woman whose arm/leg hair is coarse and thick like a guy.

I grew up in one of the Meditterranian countries and I never shaved until I was 23. Even now I shave only when I have to see a doctor ( public pressure) or go some place public. I think people should not be so judgemental and accept each other as we are. Some people are more hairy than other and some are not at all, and everybody has different taste as to how much hair they like/dislike on another person. When my mother was young it was sooooo popular to be hairy. The more hair the more a WOMAN you are. Unbelievable or what?
Personaly, I hate shaving because I have been pressured by society to do what I don't want orlike to do. I think it is a waste of time and people should GROW UP!!!

I couldnt agree more.

shaving takes up so much time and effort, and because Im blonde you dont notice the hair anyways until you feel it. I dont know about stopping shaving my armpits, but I do experience discomfort sometimes

Good for you! I think this is a huge part about truely thriving with a lifestyle like this- you have to give up a lot of what the idea of commercial beauty is, and with it, all the people who are aesthetically inclined to it. I find, that with my new diet and raw lifestyle, i am more alienated and only have a few close friends who wouldnt care to judge me (even if the next time they saw me I was a wooley mammoth). So dont shave- enjoy life! You already have the upper hand..

well, coarse dark leg hair over here... so sorry to gross you out. i'll try to be more blonde about it in future. pft.

I wax... but the hair on my body is really light blond and fine so if I go a week or two without waxing it is never really noticeable.



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

I shave my armpits every few days (3 or 4) and my legs MAYBE once a week. I shave more in the summer. In the winter I don't give a damn, my husband doesn't care either.
I only shave because I'm an avid swimmer and I feel somewhat weirded out if I show my armpit mullet when using my crawl stroke....

I would certainly never let a person see my private parts just to remove hair from them (2 useless acts and I'd have to pay money for them both!)...call me stuck up, it is my reality.

I'm definitely a lot happier and more comfortable without shaving my legs... maybe I'll try lemon-bleaching them for the summer?! Haha.

I also realized, I've had armpit hair for literally half my life, and I've never ONCE seen it grown in. I remember the first day I realized it was there and was like, "AHHHH!!!" and shaved it right away.

phantom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also realized, I've had armpit hair for
> literally half my life, and I've never ONCE seen
> it grown in.

interesting! same here...

if i lived in a colder climate where i wasn't wearing tank tops every day, i might check it out based on that statement alone! but i'm pretty sure my boss would have a heart attack if i started growing my armpit hair... maybe when i go on vacation next year, i'll try it.