[G. Bruce]

Why do women shave their legs? Where was the practice started, and what perpetuated it into contemporary times? Every time I try to look up anything about it on the net I get directed to a fetish site.

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Name : G. Bruce, City : Sydney, State : NA Country : Australia, 

[Monique-M20338]

I shave my legs because I like them to be smooth and look smooth, and I feel more feminine after removing the body hair. Not that I have much, but I still like to be completely hairless. I can't really educate you on where or when the leg shaving of women started. I think it has a lot to do with the society we live in, which places emphasis on personal hygiene, as far as bathing, hair washing, etc. It may also be due to the great importance we place on appearence. So for a female to have body hair is the worst sin she could ever commit.

So why do men shave their faces? I'm wondering why you didn't ask that as opposed to women shaving their legs. Could it be to have smoother, better-looking skin or to maintain their appearance? Probably the reasons men shave their faces are the same for why women shave their legs: for touchable skin and for looks. Why did you think we shave? Surely it isn't for our health.

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Name : Monique-M20338, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 16, City : Ft. Myers, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[S-Hawkins]

I'm not sure, but I can speculate a bit. I know that in Renaissance art, women are often shown having no body hair at all. Hair on the body was considered a sign of power and strength. Men wanted to view women as weaker and yielding, and thus portrayed them with no body hair. Perhaps this survives in our time as a norm of being 'lady-like.'

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Name : S-Hawkins, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 33, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : TV production, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kerry]

I thought it was to duplicate the look of nylon stockings without actually having to wear them. Why we shave our underarms, however, is a mystery to me.

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Name : Kerry, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 32, City : Ventura, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Stagehand, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Kelly]

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_012.html I found the comment about the greek statues very interesting indeed. It looks like women in some cultures have been shaving for a bit longer than we all thought. I still say it has something to do with youthfulness too though.

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Name : Kelly, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 23, City : Augusta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Kelly]

Women's clothing has almost always tried to make the breasts look younger and perkier, and make-up and creams have been used throughout history to give a younger look to the skin. I've always just assumed that, like so many other things women do to their bodies, the shaving started as a way to give a more 'youthful' appearance - like that of a young girl with little or no hair on her legs and underarms. The smooth feeling and look was initially probably so very appealing to men, that all women started doing it, and now it seems 'unnatural' in our culture if a woman chooses not to. I could be way off, that's just what I've always assumed.

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Name : Kelly, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 23, City : Augusta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Wes24427]

I would suggest that the purpose of shaving in both sexes is to give off a more youthful image. Men who shave, especially as they reach middle age look younger, more boyish and consequently more vigorous than those with a more unkempt look and greying whiskers. Women also appear more youthful, virginal, and almost prepubescent when body hair is removed. The hair that we all shave is that which begins to grow at puberty.

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Name : Wes24427, Gender : M, Age : 53, City : Oak park, State : IL Country : United States, 

[tia24230]

i can't really remember the specifics and am not in the mood do do any research, but i recall doing a social studies project in grade 7 about ancient egypt. the egyptians found body hair to be 'impure' and would remove all the hair from their bodies, by shaving and even developing forms of waxing. even their heads were shaved (they wore wigs) and eyebrows too (they drew them on). i'm not sure if it dates back any further or whatever.. that's all i got right now

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Name : tia24230, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : white/filipino, Religion : Christian, Age : 16, City : bc, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : school, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Meiran]

I read/saw somewhere that ancient egyptians discovered that removing underarm hair helped cut down on body odor. I don't know who came up with it, but it works. The sweat doesn't get caught in the hair, and anti-persperant works better. I'd blame the ancient egyptians for the leg shaving too.

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Name : Meiran, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 24, City : Roanoke, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Rina]

Well, I know why I do it: to stop hair from poking through my stockings (which just looks weird). It's damned uncomfortable to have all those hair follicles pulled back in a direction they aren't supposed to go!

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Name : Rina, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 22, City : Royal Palm Beach, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Melinda]

to give a continuous smooth, clean, and soft look to the rest of the body it gives the appearance of purity and innocence as well as contrast to the male body.

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Name : Melinda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Baptist, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : fashion model/designer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Amy]

A lot of us DON'T shave as long as we can get away with. It's a hassle, it's time consuming, and more often than not I cut myself. If I'm not wearing a skirt or shorts, I don't shave. In winter I never do it. Body hair is a natural insulator and if I decide to shave in January (say to wear a dress or skirt on a date), I am much colder than if I don't (and wear slacks). The underarms are a different story. Shaving them keeps down body odor and helps my deoderant work better.

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Name : Amy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 29, City : Seymour, State : TN Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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