Requiring Women to Shave their Legs?

[monkey68]

Now I admit to becoming Sasquatch sometimes during the winter but, don't you feel better after shaving? My skin always feels better, maybe it is the lotion in the shaving gel or something.

I definitely do not feel better when I shave my legs. The skin on my legs is so sensitive, I always end up with dry, itchy skin that bleeds so easily, no matter which razor blade I use or which shaving cream I use. Believe me, I've tried them all from the men's stuff for sensitive skin to the really expensive stuff. Everything always leaves me with the same results. I still shave my legs because people give me freaky looks if I don't, but when I was in Europe, it was so nice not to have to shave my legs quite as often. You see plenty of people there with hairy legs and no one has a problem with it.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

If a woman wears a short skirt uniform to work & needs to be told to shave her legs there is a problem. YUCK!

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

Well, I'm lucky in that even though I'm a brunette I have extremely fine hair both on my head (baby-fine but really, really thick) and my legs.....you can only tell I need to shave if the sun hits my legs at a certain angle. On the other hand, I can see where some women can let it get out of control. There was one girl at a church I used to go to who obviously never shaved her legs and had extremely heavy black hair on her legs.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Personally I think hairy legs are gross. The same goes for hairy pits. There are many lines of work where a man cannot have a scruffy look and I think the same should apply to women. Hairy legs and pits do not put forth a clean appearance to me anyway. I don't want the saleswoman in a tank top that looks like Cousin It to help me. Mainly because even if she was a wonderful and great salesperson, all that body hair would be distracting to me. Honestly- pit hair with mushed up deodorant in it would completely skeeve me out. We all have our things that we don't like and that is one of mine.
Oh- and you can see blonde hair on your body. There used to be a girl I knew in school. She had a lot of facial hair. So instead of getting it waxed she used to bleach it. The hair was super light but it just looked like she had a very blonde beard. Not cute. JMHO.

 

[SydSim]

You are one of the first Dis'ers that doesn't have the opinion "I let my girls shave as soon as they asked. If I can see it, you should shave it". There was a poll some time ago about girls shaving legs, and almost everyone thought that it was crazy not to.

I don't think a lot of people realize that there are many people that not only don't shave, but also don't even think about hair on women's legs Me being one of them!

American society has to realize that people have different views on things like these. Just because some people find it to have unshaven legs, that doesn't mean that everyone does.

That being said, to me, an unkept beard in the professional workplace appears differently than unshaven (which some people would say are unkept) legs.

 

[tazdev3225]

i shave my legs once a year for my anniversary as a present to my DH. I have extremely fine blond hair. Once in a while if the sun hits my legs just right you will notice the 4 hairs that grow. My dd's unfortuntely take after their father. My one DD shaveS every day including her armpits and the next day she has so much stubble she needs to shave again. I do like to tease her about it. I consider myself lucky and would not conform to that company's policy.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Many companies in the South require women to wear pantyhose with their skirts, a practice I find ten times more barbaric than asking them to have clean shaven legs.

Yes ma'am, it's 105 in the shade and I'm going to require that you encase half your body in a sausagelike tube of vice grip strength nylon. Have a nice day!

Society's always going to put pressure on people to conform to certain norms. If you have legs that are so hairy that it distracts from business, then it's a problem for the business.

However, since we still have some liberty left in this country, you're free not to work for that company. I absolutely refuse ever, ever, to wear pantyhose (nylons, for you northerners), and have turned down jobs because of that stipulation...

 

[Hercules10]

I prefer they shave their pits...something about them waving at me with hair flying out from under the sleeve.

 

[Tina]

I used to work with a woman who didn't shave her legs or her armpits. She liked to wear a lot of sleeveless dresses.

 

[ols386]

Wouldn't a woman have to not shave her legs for an extended period of time for anyone to notice?

If the men are required to be clean-shaven, then I guess the women should also. Seems like a double-standard if the men have to shave, but the women don't. I guess I can't imagine that a women has to be TOLD to shave her legs.

Some women in Europe don't shave their legs or armpits. I know a woman from Germany, who used to come to the U.S. on business, and it was obvious that she didn't shave. (I worked for the same company as she did, and she was actually a co-worker of my husband....well, actually she did the same job function in Germany as he did in the U.S., that's how we knew her.)

 

[MaumeeMom]

Many companies in the South require women to wear pantyhose with their skirts, a practice I find ten times more barbaric than asking them to have clean shaven legs.

Yes ma'am, it's 105 in the shade and I'm going to require that you encase half your body in a sausagelike tube of vice grip strength nylon. Have a nice day!

LOL! ITA I hate hose!!

 

[AlleyKat]

American society has to realize that people have different views on things like these. Just because some people find it to have unshaven legs, that doesn't mean that everyone does.

I compare the task of women shaving their body parts and the time it takes to do it to dusting...why bother, it just grows(dust, as well) back!!

That stated, I do shave(not often) but HATE it, just as much as I hate dusting!!!!!

I could care less if someone chose not to shave, male or female. I may not like what I see, in terms of hairiness, but that hair will not affect my quality of life!

 

[Tina]

Wouldn't a woman have to not shave her legs for an extended period of time for anyone to notice?

That would depend on the woman. I have a friend that can go 2 weeks without shaving and will barely have stubble to show for it. I can go about 8 hours before I have noticeable stubble.

 

[alexandria674]

I prefer they shave their pits...something about them waving at me with hair flying out from under the sleeve.

Sorry, but I think a woman needs to shave the pits and legs if it is noticable. I mean, choose a battle, over equal pay or maternity leave, but not the dark hair of a woman's leg hair. If a man has to shave his face, a woman who wears a skirt should shave her legs.

I once knew a girl who had blond, long facial hair and it would gross me out everytime I saw her drink milk. I kept picturing ZZ Top drinking milk.

 

[turkeymama]

You are one of the first Dis'ers that doesn't have the opinion "I let my girls shave as soon as they asked. If I can see it, you should shave it". There was a poll some time ago about girls shaving legs, and almost everyone thought that it was crazy not to.

I don't think a lot of people realize that there are many people that not only don't shave, but also don't even think about hair on women's legs Me being one of them!

American society has to realize that people have different views on things like these. Just because some people find it to have unshaven legs, that doesn't mean that everyone does.

That being said, to me, an unkept beard in the professional workplace appears differently than unshaven (which some people would say are unkept) legs.

After reading this thread and thinking on it quite a bit, I have to agree with you. The high-school I attended was very diverse. Most of the African-American girls I was friends with never shaved their legs. Nobody thought they were gross or unkempt. We never really thought about it at all. That is just the way it was. Most of the African-American female coworkers I have had in the past 10 to 15 years felt the same way and didn't shave either. That didn't make them look any less "groomed" than anyone that did shave their legs. All the ladies were required to wear hose if we wore dresses or skirts and sleeveless tops/dresses weren't allowed anyway.

I'm sorry, I think this is a case of apples versus oranges. Fair doesn't always mean equal. We have another thread on here discussing the fairness/equal issue.

 

[bicker]

American society has to realize that people have different views on things like these. Just because some people find it to have unshaven legs, that doesn't mean that everyone does.

However, that's not really relevant to this scenario: It isn't a matter of different views, each being worthy of respect, but rather is a matter of what sells the most; what fosters the greatest return on investment for owners. I doubt anyone thinks they look good in a chicken costume, but if it gets enough more people to buy chicken at a specific chicken eatery, then someone's going to be assigned to stand outside, in a chicken costume, waving at passing cars, and there's nothing wrong with requiring an employee, hired for that purpose (perhaps among others) to do that.

 

[luvavacation]

My parents did not allow me to shave my legs, but then I grew up in both Europe and America, and my parents kept to the European way of life, even when here. I assume most people here, if they grew up in two different cultures, would stay with what they are familiar with, even if they lived in a country that felt female body hair was a sign of fertility and attractiveness, Americans abroad would still shave! It is just a part of American culture, to have clean shaven women.

I have to smile, though, reading some of these comments. I see both sides of the issue, and I can not tell you how funny it is when my relatives from Europe come to visit and find American women so odd because they seem "ashamed" of their body hair. My male relatives don't understand why on earth American men like their women to be clean shaven like little girls (don't even start me on their views of bikini waxes! ). I know that is not how Americans view it, but sometimes it is interesting to see how others view what we do in America.

Now maybe it is because I do view the American view of shaving my body hair as a double standard that I hate it so much, but I do it, as it is a culturally expected thing to do here. However, as soon as I get off the plane when I go visit my family abroad, I am free and letting the hairs grow where they like (I am also tossing my swimsuit top, but that is a whole different cultural subject matter! ).

 

[tasha99]

I think shaving/not shaving is mostly cultural. Growing up with a European mom (from Ukraine but raised in Sweden), I was mortified that she didn't shave, especially when I was a teenager. Now I'm a little more well traveled, and I know that there are lots of groups of women who don't shave. Seeing it as a requirement is strictly small town American thinking, in my opinion. I could see a business wanting to appeal to the most people possible, but I could also see complaints and potential lawsuits outweighing that benefit.

 

[ArelysAdriana]

Many companies in the South require women to wear pantyhose with their skirts, a practice I find ten times more barbaric than asking them to have clean shaven legs.

Yes ma'am, it's 105 in the shade and I'm going to require that you encase half your body in a sausagelike tube of vice grip strength nylon. Have a nice day!

my job requires pantyhose even if you are wearing pants. The parking lot for my job is about 3 blocks away. I live in Louisiana. No way in hell am I wearing pants AND hose.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Hairy legs on women? Gross. I let my girls shave as soon as they ask (only dd12 has asked, at 10, and I let her). I can't imagine it's even an issue -who doesn't shave her legs?

Actually, I have several friends who don't. One is very overweight and has a hard time reaching them. She doesn't wear shorts though. The other has had two hip replacements (complications of chemo), needs to have her knees replaced, and has necrosis of the ankles. She is also rather overweight as the result of medical treatments and has a very difficult time shaving.

Wouldn't a woman have to not shave her legs for an extended period of time for anyone to notice?

If the men are required to be clean-shaven, then I guess the women should also. Seems like a double-standard if the men have to shave, but the women don't. I guess I can't imagine that a women has to be TOLD to shave her legs.

Some women in Europe don't shave their legs or armpits. I know a woman from Germany, who used to come to the U.S. on business, and it was obvious that she didn't shave. (I worked for the same company as she did, and she was actually a co-worker of my husband....well, actually she did the same job function in Germany as he did in the U.S., that's how we knew her.)

See, that's one question I wonder about. I shave, but not everyday. At most twice a week, so yeah, there might be a little stubble. I'm wondering how "clean shaven" we're talking here. Again, I can't imagine going around looking at women's legs. It's not even on my radar.

My dad is visiting to help me unpack so I asked him about why they wouldn't let me shave when I was younger. He said that they just felt it was inappropriate for a young girl. That when he and my mom were growing up girls did not start shaving until they were at least 14 or 15, much like wearing make up. (I will note that I did convince them pretty quickly, but it took some work.)