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Why I Do Not Shave by sixrabbits
Whenever people find out that I don't shave there is always a few who ask "why?" Some of them seem honest curious, but more than a handful were disgusted.
I'm going to preface this with the fact that most of the time I'm talking about my legs. I sort of lazily shave my pits, but there may come a time when I stop shaving there too.
Secondly, this is all personal to me. Whether or not you shave any part of your body or not is none of my concern.
My Reasons
I don't have to
Really, I have no reason that requires me to shave my legs. I do try to keep my armpits trimmed, only because I don't like the smell of my own pits and I also don't like smelling like guy deodorant (I have not found a strong women's deodorant that I like)
Shaving does not make me healthier, it doesn't provide any particular benefits at all for me to shave any of my body hair off. Since I gain no benefits from it, I don't see any reason to shave.
People talk about lice and mites... but you can get those on your head too! So long as I keep clean I'm not likely to have that problem.
I wear pants all the time
It's a rare occasion for anyone to see my naked legs, so that's a lot of effort to put into something that most people won't ever see. I'm actually rather uncomfortable with bearing my legs, and normally I wear leggins or stockings of some kind with my shorts or skirts.
I don't like public pools either. Honestly my unshaven legs are the least gross thing at a public pool.
It feels weird
After years of not shaving my legs I tried shaving them once... it was horrible! See, your leg hair provides a barrier between your legs and your pants, and suddenly not having that barrier was really weird. It didn't stop feeling weird until my hair grew back.
Guys don't have to
Which kind of proves that there are not legitimate reasons to make me shave. If it benefited you in any significant way then men would be encouraged to shave too. But it doesn't. Like with the lice issue, men are not riddled with little parasites because of their body hair.
I honestly just don't want to
Flat out. I don't want to shave. Just like I don't want to wear shirts with glitter on them. It's just not my thing.
Actually, pretty much all the other reasons are secondary to this one. Apparently people don't accept the answer of "I don't want to" with a lot of things that they think are just 'part of life'. I end up questioning my reasons all the time because of this. Honestly though, I just don't care to shave my legs. They're my legs, and I am very happy with how hairy they are (dare I say, proud even!).
And yet it bugs some people!
I've seen folks of all types (both online and in real life) talk about body hair as if it was an infection. Predominately the conversation is about women who don't shave, and how they are disgusting and ugly. However, there are plenty of opinions out there about men's body hair. I will say that at least for us gals the consensus is that we should be as hairless as a child, with only small variations on how much hair should be between our legs.
I can understand that some people aren't fond of hairy legs, but some people seem to just hate the idea that someone out there is not shaving!
Why I Do Not Shave
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Comments
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I think it's perfectly cool for people to shave if they want to, but yeah, I used to get horrible ingrown hairs all the time on my legs.
It's just so weird that some people are so concerned with what others do with their body hair.
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It deeply bothers me that a decision like this has to be justified to other people. How about "because it's my body and fuck you" as a response?
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I usually just say that people are intimidated by my marvelous body hair.
But damn, someone once asked me if I was really just rebelling to piss people off and that it was incredibly immature. Its just one of those things that people seem to blow so far out of proportion, I had to get some thoughts out.-
Yeah, I can understand that! It just...it baffles me. Does everything women do with their bodies HAVE to be presumed to be for someone else, whether for their pleasure or to "piss them off?" I don't understand this world sometimes.
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I agree with this statement. I personally loooove feeling smooth, but that's me. Each to their own...do what you like and what makes you comfy.
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Exactly, it's a to each their own sort of thing. Women can be hairy and men can be smooth, it shouldn't be any big deal what anybody chooses to do with their body hair! Personally, I hate shaving, but more power to anyone who doesn't!
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It's a pain in the ass- and that's coming from someone who loves shaved skin. :P My fursona is even a shaved sheep.
I personally love how it feels, but goodness, it takes an hour for just one part of the body. I wouldn't judge anyone for chosing to maintain that upkeep or disregard it.-
My leg hair dulls razors pretty fast too. I commend people that have the patience to keep it up.
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It is very understandable. As a hairy beast myself, it's hard to up-keep something like that. It grows in too fast to justify 3 hours worth of shaving just to be silky smooth.
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Indeed, too much time. Plus I'm growing back hair because of my meds, it's just easier to be happy with the hair than to spend hours shaving it to make everyone else happy.
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it is up to everyone what they do with their body
I do shave but not with a blade ... and ingrown hair is never fun >.< ... but I had those even when not shaving, now I can find those alot easier when it happens and take care of it before becoming an ugly woundWith deorant, what brands do you have over there? There are so many variants over here and some that I stay away from since my skin cant handle it or to strong for my nose XP
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Exactly true, and yet some people still want to stick their nose in other people's business.
I used to use the Nair stuff (it dissolves the hair) but it's boring as hell to just sit in the bathtub waiting for this caustic goo to melt my hair off. Pros, no ingrown hairs or cuts. Con, it takes forever and stinks really bad.Most of the sports brands that are strong enough for me are the gooey type that turn pit hair into a goopy mess. Otherwise I have to turn towards men's deodorant.
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Never liked that nair stuff ... mostly of the smell and the feeling afterwards, never felt fully clean. Rather use a took that pulls the hair away instead, sure take time and getting use to the pain of that but no yucky stuff for me or a sharp blade over the skin.
Hmm usualy just roll the deodorant once or twice, not getting goopy with the ones I use.
Sport brands I tend not to use, certain chemical or version of alcohol in them that irritates the skin
Try Dove gofresh or antiperspirant. Those two works for me
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Dear lord, thank you for posting this. It sucks that you have to justify it but you're so on point with all of this. I'm the same way on every point, with small variations in the reasoning. I identify as a non-binary gender and having body hair actually helps with the dysphoria. But since I'm biologically female, I feel like I have to hide it lest I be ridiculed into oblivion and be made out to be some sort of unshaven beast. I see no benefit in shaving--I've shaved, and while it was nice to feel something smooth and silky where it was otherwise a rough thicket of hair, it was not worth the 12 dollar razor, the 3 hours of tedium, or the day-later regrowth.
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I kind of laugh sometimes when people ask why. Like they can't wrap their head around someone not wanting to spend tons of time doing a mundane task that is freaking pointless in the end (for me at least).
Oh yeah, razors are freaking expensive, and laughably over engineered.
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Hey, more power to you! Even better that you decided all of this of your own accord and not because of outside pressure. No matter how an opinion leans, no one's idea regarding your body is as important as your own. I like keeping my pits shaved down to minimize smell and because I personally don't like them hairy. However I loathe shaving my legs and that one time I did it a few years ago I hated it, for the same reason you do. I distinctly remember back in middle school of all places I got teased once for not shaving my legs and I was thinking afterwards "I don't even know you, we're not even friends. The fuck to I care what some random chick thinks?"
I think the one place where I really have to make myself shave is my face; I'm most definitely a woman but I get these fine, obvious sideburns that go all the way down past my jawline and hair on my upper lip just thick enough that every once in a while I have to take the shaving cream to my face, which always gives me a good chuckle about how un-ladylike the routine is. I don't mind doing that though since I generally only have to bother about once a month.
I hear you on the deodorant bit though; women's stuff is so wimpy, and since I don't particularly care about smelling like a man it's Old Spice for me, haha.
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Amen on that. I am honestly surprised at how bothered some people are by women not shaving.
Oh my gosh! First they stop shaving, then they take over the world and make us put the seat down!!!!
I have skin tags under my arms, so I'm always afraid to shave them, but so far I have only chopped one off by accident.
There was actually a Bob's Burgers episode where Tina, Bob, and Gene got their legs shaved and it was hilariously accurate to life. Even the post shave itching.If I was not a natural blond my sideburns would really stand out. Mine are not long, but very wide and kind of fluffy.
At least mustache razors are not as complicated as leg razors, which one would think would be the opposite case.It's like they think women don't sweat, and I don't like the smell of "fresh linen"! I should probably try Old Spice.
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I am also a person who prefers not to shave, and luckily, living the single life and it being winter, I never have to! But I'll shave if I'm going to be wearing attire that shows my legs...or if I know I'm going to have a REEEAAALLY hood date (ha ha that never happens).
I think women should not be expected to shave all the time. That and makeup, I just don't get it...
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Hurray for winter!
Just go on a date during the full moon and tell them you're a werewolf.Oh yeah.
Actually make up is a whole other weird thing. There seems to be a divide, but weirdly a lot of folks that say any woman that wears make up is a clown and insecure, or women who don't wear make up are angry feminist lesbians with an agenda.-
Werewolf date, my favorite kind! :D
I try not think about other peoples' opinions of makeup and try to focus on how happy I am just being myself. When I wear makeup, I feel like a whore and it makes me sad. I don't recognize myself. Why would I want to feel that way? So I don't do it. Other girls can wear makeup and they do it so expertly. I don't know why I always look so gross when I try. Maybe because I never practice? idk. Idc :D
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For me, personally, I feel that not shaving is gross and uncomfortable. When I don't shave I just feel unclean, so I do it all the time and it's obnoxious because it just keeps coming back and it's so dark!
I used to shave my arms because, again, I have really dark hair and I felt very masculine with it, as of recently I gave up shaving it and sure enough when I'm at work I had a few assholes come up and comment on how hairy my arms are. I can't fucking help that! It's bad enough I have to keep everything else up dated, I'm not wasting more time on them! My friend also got flack because she never shaved, but seriously... why the hell is it everyone's business? Are their lives really so dull they have to comment on whether or not someone shaves?
My Mom doesn't shave either, that or she'll do it now and then, and she's still considered a gorgeous woman and has landed herself a good man, so... I really don't know what benefit there is to shaving other than your smooth.
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My mom is the same way. She doesn't like how her legs feel when the hair starts to grow back, so she keeps hers smooth.
I'm kind of glad I'm blond, because my arm hair isn't totally noticeable, but it's really fluffy. My hair has started to grow down my neck and back, and I'm kind of hoping I'll get a full mantle. Then I can just call myself Wolf Girl and tell people I fight crime at night.
People are just really weird about what other people do with their bodies. I've heard plenty from my coworkers on that, but that was about other people because they all know I can mess them up. Only one coworker made a comment about it, but I just asked him if he was jealous that a woman had manlier legs than him.
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FeyPhoenix
I shave everything and I am born male, so really all and any shaving is a matter of preference! Some people are weird about certain things xD Shaving can actually cause problems, like ingrown hairs and such, so you're probably better unshaven :p