Let’s Quit Shaving
Let’s be honest, the number one reason women shave their legs, armpits, or genital areas has been mainly to please a man. The whole thing was created by the razor industry between WWI and WWII. The concept was simple; shame women into removing their hair so they are never without your product. (If this is news to you, go look it up! I will be right here when you come back.)
This article is about why you should rethink shaving every day. Our eco-friendly reasons and more will show you that shaving does more harm than good.
I was about 13 when I first shaved my legs in a bathtub with a friend, we were both wearing our swimsuits and feeling so grown up. I remember thinking “this is what we have to do…for the rest of our lives” and I went along to be “cool” with my friend.
At 40, I’m now thinking “stop shaving”. Stop shaving everywhere and stop shaving all year long. I’m talking about armpit hair, leg hair, and that fabulous bush down under.
It’s absolutely not necessary.
I want to make one thing clear – there should be ZERO shame towards any woman who wants to shave, just as there should be zero shame towards any woman who doesn’t want to shave/wax/pluck.
Up until now, how women should look has been a social construct mostly influenced by men and marketing. Although I’m an Out Lesbian today, I struggled for years trying to mask myself as a woman who always did her womanly duties of shaving certain places while not talking about the cost or danger of it.
Let’s break it down – here are some more reasons why you should stop shaving:
Health Reasons
Shaving is dangerous. Shaving injuries are common. Be extra careful if you’re removing any pubic hair, because some folks end up requiring medical attention.
- Shaving can lead to nicks and cuts, which can introduce bacteria into the body and lead to infections.
- Shaving can also cause ingrown hairs, which can be uncomfortable and even painful.
- Shaving can also irritate the skin, leading to redness, itching, and even rashes.
- Shaving can increase the risk of STDs and other diseases since it can create tiny openings in the skin that can serve as entry points for viruses and bacteria.
There is one good thing about shaving though. Shaving your pubic hair can help protect you from public lice (crabs) since there’s no hair for the little guys to hang on to. That being said, it doesn’t protect you from other STDs or STIs.
Psst: Although more research is needed, this article suggests there may be a correlation between shaving pubic hair and vulvar dysplasia, or vulvar cancer.
Cost Reasons
Back when I was shaving my legs, I was buying razors in bulk and it still felt really annoying that I had to spend money on them. And there’s not just one to buy. As with any “demand”, the market becomes saturated with new products like eyebrow razors, epilators, cordless, and some even come with LED lights.
Similar to other female products, they are just “affordable” enough to make you a consumer for life. A small price to pay now is nothing, but when you add it up over a few decades – that’s what should be shameful to those companies digging into your wallet.
(I also think it’s BS that people have to pay for menstrual products just so we can continue living in this society that says we are nothing more than a human replicator, but that’s for another blog.)
Plastic / Garbage Reasons
Obviously, disposable razors are pretty bad. They’re made of plastic and they are thrown away after only a couple of uses and maybe even just one use. Their only benefit is that they can be cheap. However, since they are cheap, they are also more likely to cause injury.
Once they’ve sold you on razors they then tell you not to shave dry for fear of razor burn (our fix is don’t shave, theirs is to sell you more products) so they sell you, shaving cream, shaving oil, and even aftershave products.
Even razors that are not “disposable” doesn’t mean they last forever. You’re going to need to buy another one at some point if you keep shaving. Many companies are still selling them made out of plastic and/or the packaging contains plastic. It’s a lot.
Here’s a razor that was made out of ocean plastic, which is something I would like to see more of.
Conclusion
Obviously, shaving is a personal choice. It’s your body. Do what makes you happy and feel confident. Ignore those who want to shame you into it (like society and the razor industry).
Not shaving does not make you less of a woman.
If your person doesn’t love you for you and all of you and all of your beautiful freaking hair, then you need a new person.
Grow out your armpit and leg hair and realize that nobody gives a frak. It really doesn’t change anything except how some judgy assholes see you. That actually makes the assholes near you show themselves so you can avoid them.
When I first let my leg hair grow and then it got so long that when I would look at my leg it would remind me of one of my brothers’ legs. It was kinda trippy but also made me think about how similar we really are.
There are so many social “norms” that hold us back from the FULL experience.
I hope you’re able to grow out your armpit hair, leg hair, and everything in between, and enjoy the experience. If you’ve never done it it’s a liberating and unique feeling. Dismantling the societal expectation of your smooth pits and legs can be a rough-edged puzzle in your mind – but it is worth it to simply feel like you do have a choice.
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