As a currently hairy-legged (but not man-hating) woman, can I just say that I fucking hate the fact that I have to shave my legs to be considered "professionally dressed" even in a laid-back place like a library. Signed, still putting off the Great Spring Shave despite the fact that it's been 80 all week and I am running out of pants. Why can't we have the right to choose not to shave without being considered a freak?

Timelies all!

Wish I could get away with not shaving my legs.Ok, I am wearing jeans or chinos most of the time, so nobody sees my legs but me and my husband most days, but I've been doing this since I was 12 so I'm used to it. (Also, pale skin and dark hair not a good combination on the legs, IMO.)

As a currently hairy-legged (but not man-hating) woman, can I just say that I fucking hate the fact that I have to shave my legs to be considered "professionally dressed" even in a laid-back place like a library. Signed, still putting off the Great Spring Shave despite the fact that it's been 80 all week and I am running out of pants.

I'm not hairy-legged! I shaved yesterday for the first time in months.

This is not to your point, but I'll take the somewhat occasional leg shaving over daily face shaving that most men endure. (Not that they have to. But the face grooming seems more onerous, generally speaking.

I would say the number of feminist who don't support that are pretty small

I will say as someone who presents EXTREMELY femme, people get very surprised that I am a feminist, and I have had many, many other women tell me that I'm "too girly" to be a "real" feminist.

Lots of women shave their legs every day (or wax). I used to shave every day in high school. (I'm really hairy. Now I could give a fuck, and shave as rarely as I can get away with.)

Huh, I wonder why face-waxing for men has never caught on. A lot of them wax chests and arms and backs and stuff...

It's 8 PM and I am as drunk as a skunk. To be fair it was @8C here (IN MARCH!) and drinking on a patio was the only response.

I rarely shave my legs. Like a few times a year. Would that be different if I didn't have fair hair? Maybe. But I don't get modern standards of beauty. Of course, many times it strikes me that if I was prettier, thinner, less hairy, I wouldn't be a perma-single.

This is not to your point, but I'll take the somewhat occasional leg shaving over daily face shaving that most men endure. (Not that they have to. But the face grooming seems more onerous, generally speaking.

Off-topic, Ryan's become quite fascinated with watching his daddy shave. (Especially since I got a new shaver a couple of weeks ago, and this one allows the use of shaving gel.

Re the feminist discussion, I would feel presumptuous calling myself a feminist. I'd have no problem stating that I support feminism or feminist ideals, or such like.

I wonder why face-waxing for men has never caught on

How regularly would you have to wax your beard to be practical? It is fussier than shaving, and less easy to do yourself.

I don't shave, but I can't pretend it's a big feminist thing. I'm not hirsute at all, and I will also cheerfully wear opaque tights 365 days a year anyway.

I notice one poster on the thread who is defiantly stating that she does not modify her appearance any further than required for hygiene and...okay? There's a prize for that? I don't even know. She's saying she deliberately doesn't wear makeup, and all I can think is...as opposed to me, who doesn't wear it by accident?

Actually, I accidentally wore lipstick today. I forgot my Vaseline at my desk when I went out for lunch and my lips got dry and I had to put on lipstick. It was so traumatic. The Man had total dominion over me for at least half an hour.

Hey, I'm a LESBIAN feminist, and I dislike hairy legs (on me) so much I've gotten them LASERED OFF. er, the hair, not the legs.