If they don't shave, that's what they look like to me....
Besides She shaves..
Posted on 07/02/2002 9:21:16 AM PDT by Olydawg
Women on campus and everywhere should put away their razors and reclaim their body hair this summer.
The woman who chooses to give up shaving doesn't just save herself some time, money and skin irritation, she can discover the sense of personal acceptance, freedom and natural beauty that her body hair can bring.
Women are compelled to shave more in the summer as their legs, armpits and bikini lines become more regularly exposed.
Women don their shorts, skirts, tank tops and swimming suits and try their best to sustain a standard of hairlessness that is inextricably tied to American society's perceptions of beauty and femininity.
This standard is symbolically oppressive and absurdly impractical, but American women willingly persist in the 20th-century tradition of shaving.
American women did not remove underarm or leg hair prior to 1915 because full-coverage clothing styles made these areas rarely visible, according to an article, by Susan A. Basow, in the Psychology of Women Quarterly entitled "The Hairless Ideal: Women and Their Body Hair."
As skirts got shorter and silk stockings became fashionable in the 1920s, advertisements began to encourage women to "smooth away" body hair that was described as unwanted and ugly. The majority of American women have been shaving ever since.
An American woman begins shaving as an adolescent rite of passage into the world of womanhood, a habit that is adopted and unquestionably upheld.
Society teaches her that shaven legs and arms and a well-maintained bikini line are essential to feeling beautiful, feminine and sexy.
She believes she must strive for hairless glory as a necessary part of maintaining her sex appeal and attracting and pleasing men.
But is there really anything intrinsically attractive or sexy about a woman's lack of body hair?
Shaving commonly causes cuts, scrapes, razor burn, dry skin and ingrown hairs. These skin afflictions are not only irritating and painful, but are unnecessary and unattractive.
In addition to the physical hazards involved, shaving is a symbolically unsettling practice.
According to Basow's article, "As middle-class white women moved out of their 'separate sphere' of domestic life ... the removal of body hair may have served to maintain a distinction between the genders and de-emphasize women's adult status."
The presence of body hair is an indicator of a woman's sexual maturation. Removing it denies that maturity and independence.
Women should look like women, with their hair growing where it's meant to grow.
Basow wrote that hair removal symbolizes "that a woman's mature sexuality is controlled at the same time as her 'tamed' sensuality is on display."
On a more practical note, shaving and hair removal in all its other forms wastes time and money. Five minutes of shaving on 100 sunny days add up to more than eight hours of skin scraping.
Couldn't women better spend that time enhancing who they are instead of taking away from it? Rather than being trapped in the shower shaving, women could be frolicking in the sunshine or reading in the shade.
At $1 or $2 per razor head, women spend their money on yet another frivolous beauty product marketed with and sold off of the idea that women need to buy items to make them beautiful.
Despite all the symbolic, financial and time-related reasons not to shave, many women shy away from the possibility or don't even consider it because they fear the stereotypes often associated with women who do not shave.
They do not want to be viewed or labeled as the organic, tree-hugging, penis-loathing, militant, lesbian feminist.
They do not want to go against the norm or draw negative attention to themselves, so it's easier to remove socially unacceptable body hair than have to explain it.
"Although shaving, for most women, is habitual behavior and usually viewed as trivial, the intense social reaction to violations of this norm emphasize its power," Basow wrote.
Women need to critically consider why they battle nature by removing their body hair and decide what it means to them.
They need to realize that their body hair can be a liberating and valuable element of their bodies and lives.
A woman's body hair is not a hindrance to her femininity; it is a symbol of her sexual maturation and womanhood.
The woman who gives up shaving is one step closer to learning how to truly accept and love her body the way it is.
- Dr. Evil
Oh, really? Has anyone ever seen a portrait from the revolutionary period when bare shoulders were 'in' that showed arm pit hair?
So9
Lets it spread through the moss, dry and flake off
So9
If they don't shave, that's what they look like to me....
Besides She shaves..
- "Miss Afghanistan" picture... check.
- Andrew Dice Clay quote... check.
- Pictures of ZZ Top... check.
- "Chewbacca in a headlock/leglock" joke... check.
Heck, there must be *something* else to contribute to this thread. Ah, of course. The old "Why sex is like golf" joke, which reads (in part):
****
- Play must be approved by the owner of the course.
- The owner is responsible for all maintenance and must keep the fairway neatly trimmed.
- The object of the game is to take as many strokes as necessary until the course owner is satisfied that the play is complete. Failure to do so may result in being denied permission to play the course again.
- It is considered bad form to begin playing the hole immediately upon arrival at the course. The experienced player will normally take time to admire the entire course, with special attention to well formed bunkers.
- Players are encouraged to have proper rain gear along, just in case.
- Players should not assume a course is in shape for play at all times. Some players may be embarrassed if they find the course to be temporarily under repair. Players are advised to be extremely tactful in this situation. More advanced players will find alternate means of play when this is the case.
- Players are advised to obtain the course owner's permission before attempting to play the back nine.
- Slow play is encouraged; however, players should be prepared to proceed at a quicker pace, at least temporarily, at the course owner's request.
**********
de Da dit DaaDaa da Da dit daaDaa
Women shave their body hair simply for the reason that it is fashionable. It's not due to "male oppression" and more than oppressive males decide the "hot new look" in the fashion magazines.
These things are cultural. Like different styles of clothing, make up, hair style, tatoos, body piercing and all the rest. People learn to find certain things attractive. It takes generations to change these styles, but inevitably they do change. And not through political moves, or pseudo-journalistic harrangues.
Silliness - the author has defined shaving as "taking away" when the bulk of women clearly consider it "enhancing." Another leftie trying to define her way through a political argument, and not very deftly at that.
Personal freedom is sometimes difficult for leftwing political theorists. Rather than insisting that all women change their behavior based on her political predilictions, I'd suggest our author take a "pro-choice" approach and let them do what they want. They will anyway.
Ballet dancers can be pretty gamey all right. "Football on the Waterfront" is one way I have heard the dressingroom scent described.
The darker your hair, or skin, the more apocrine glands you have and the stronger your natural scent
So9
This message brought to you by TODAYS communist party!
I quit shaving my arm pits for my husband about a year or so ago and actually think I prefer it. I shave them if I am going to risk a chance of them being viewable in public. I also have very light (in color and amount) body hair. Previously, I had shaved my arm pits every day since I was in my preteens. Now, I have found that I sweat less and have less paranoia about "pit" odor when I don't shave them.
Here is why: When you have freshly shaved pits, it is hard for deoderant/anti-perspirant to stay on the skin. I would end up re-applying my deoderant multiple times a day. Now, I put it on once in the morning and it's good the rest of the day. I don't know if this works with people who are really hairy, but most people I know who skip shaving aren't very hairy naturally.
I'm not a feminist. I'm not a granola. I still shave often and never show hairy legs (or even arms for that matter). I would, however, recommend giving pit shaving a break for a couple of weeks. The experience may surprise you.
I can't even find anything funny in it and that is unusual. Then again...
She hates short shorts.../Nair spoof
Don't knock it til you've tried it.
Hey, once with an x-gf we did a good for the goose/good for the gander swap.
Um, dog?
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