Let’s Talk About...Hair, Baby

I would say that I am pretty good about hygiene.  I take care of my bizness and have never gotten complaints about uncleanliness.  There is one thing that I will slack off on occasionally. That one thing is shaving.  I’m pretty good about it in the warmer months.  I won’t let my leg or armpit hairs grow out past a light, sharp stubble; however, in the colder months I’m a bit more lax about it.  I won’t shave my legs for weeks, but I do shave my other parts (if ya know what I mean *cough cough*) regularly.  Now, I bring this up because as a single female (all the single ladies say, “Hey!”) in my 20s, it has been pointed out to me that cleanliness and upkeep is important if I want to be able to attract a man.  And as an Indian woman...the hair wrangling is important if not crucial.  I don’t think this is totally unreasonable.  There are times when I seriously do try, and I take care of myself religiously.  But then...there are the times when I flat out don’t care for months.  Those are the months when I feel as though all hope is lost, and I transform into a fake feminist with a distinct hatred toward the male race.  About three days after this declaration, I usually end up spotting a hot guy at the grocery store and scold myself for not putting in any effort.  He can’t see me like this!

Last week while I was at work (hardly working, as per usual) browsing through the ol’ HuffPo, I stumbled across an article about a woman who as an experiment stopped shaving her armpits which formed into a habit.  Now she just doesn’t give a shit and never shaves.  I admire this woman for taking a picture of herself exposing her unshaven pits.  It’s gross but admirable at the same time.  *Fist bump!*  I feel that it is the ultimate indication of confidence and a conscious acknowledgment of one's natural beauty.  A message that says, “Take me as I am! This is how I was made! All humans have hair!” It’s like that book Everyone Poops.  I think someone needs to write one called Everyone has Hair.  

I have also talked to a couple of guys on this matter.  I talked to one guy friend a while back who said that he actually dated a girl who never shaved her legs or her armpits.  He said that he didn't have any issues with it because it's the way all humans were made, and he thought it showed that she was a very confident woman.  Ok. Right...this guy was also a huge hippy so I’m not sure how I feel about his opinion.  I think it’s kind of gross when women don’t shave.  I understand that there are a lot of females out there (like the woman who wrote that lovely armpit hair article) who see it as a sign of the male race forcing women to contort themselves to fit the mold of a male fantasy.  A lot of women do not like the feeling of the nakedness that comes along with not having hair in most regions of the body.  

The last time I went to India, it struck me how many women over there don’t shave their legs or their armpits.  Another weird thing that I noticed is that women in India are more keen on grooming facial hair and ARM HAIRS than grooming their armpit or leg hairs.  This is totally a cultural thing as women in India are mostly covered up and don’t run around in shorts and tank tops no matter how hot it is outside.  But, I also think that the men there don’t really care because it’s totally normal.  

I think guys are pretty much split on whether or not they like women with hairy bodies or if they like women with smooth bodies.  I am personally ok with shaving my armpits, legs, and nether-regions.  For me, it is totally a hygiene related thing.  Also, I would not feel too comfortable having a guy see me all hairy.  I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t find hairy armpits to be too erotic.  

So, tell me what you guys think of the hair issue.  To shave or not to shave that is the question!  Also, if you have significant others, how do they feel about your shaving habits?