Nice, ain’t it?

I keep doing it for the same reason I started: I can’t handle the stigma attached to it. I was twelve when I started shaving my legs, and I only did it because my gym class peers harassed me by calling me either a gorilla or a “manlady.” The best part was when my (male) teacher sent me to the only female PE teacher (instead of punishing the bullies, of course), and she told me it was my fault because I had “bad hygiene.” I remember her saying that it was like taking a shower or using deodorant: “If [bullying classmate] didn’t bathe, they’d make fun of him too.” Now I feel filthy as soon as my leg hair grows out a little, and it’s no wonder why.

It’s complicated by the fact that I’m in college, and, in the current culture of people my age, I’m not sure if I’m even allowed to have pubic hair anymore. I’ve heard multiple stories of guys demanding their girlfriend shave their vulvas (and, often, it ended with the girlfriends doing it), which terrifies me. It terrifies me that, in this culture, people’s (and especially women’s) bodies aren’t their own. My leg hair had might as well belong to the schoolyard bullies, the teachers, or a random person in the street, and, if I date a man, I’ve forfeited my freaking pubic hair to him.

I hate it, but I’m just not strong enough to combat it. I hope to get there some day, as I have made progress (I’ve stopped straightening my hair, trying to tan, covering up my freckles, etc). But the body hair thing is the one thing I can’t get over. I can look at my bushy, curly mess of head hair and see it as part of my character, but I can only look at my leg hair and see it as disgusting. Reading stuff like this gives me hope, though. If someone else has done it…maybe I can too.

“As for pubic hair removing, this is definitely *much* older than the bikini. A quick look-up taught me that it was done as far back as Grecian/Roman times.”
Now, this I can shed some light on! It was necessary to remove pubic hair back then for many women, but not fashionable – removed pubic hair was a signal used by prostitutes to advertise their profession, hence the Merkin popular with many women of the upper classes.

And thanks to Elena below for clearing up the short-skirt question!

As for pubic hair removing, this is definitely *much* older than the bikini. A quick look-up taught me that it was done as far back as Grecian/Roman times.

[PS – For some reason I feel compelled to explain that I did not give this example because you are a Muslim, but just because it is the earliest occurence I can think of. I am not sure if this disclaimer is necessary, but some people around here have short fuses sometimes… :)]

In general, I think the allure of getting rid of body hair comes from two things, mainly: (a) Associating hairlessness with youth, and (b) Associating hairlessness with cleanliness.
The adoration of youth and the youthful body was kinda always there (at least on-and-off), and I think the cleanliness factor is more modern. I think body hair is [being] associated with dirt and body odour and things like that.
The above might have been said by other commenters, but it’s getting late here and I haven’t been reading everything carefully.

Ever seen/used a safety razor? I have one and it’s 100x better than “mach 500!” or whatever, and the blades are super cheap. But this is quite similar.

And only $1! ;)