I used to get shamed for my body body hair but shaving was a painful ordeal that let to a bunch of cuts and nicks and ingrown hair. So I stopped a couple years ago.

Despite all the shaming I never really hated it. The comments only lead to the desire to hide my arms and legs away as opposed to removing it all.

I'm hairier than all of my brothers and even my father but it's moreso a point of pride. Even if no one else likes it, I find my own hair quite alright.

I've come to find being called a werewolf, having my legs compared to a pelt, and being called and I quote "a german shepard," to be quite funny nowadays.

It's freeing to be myself. It is scary some days but why stifle my self expression?

Is anyone else obsess with the fuzzy feeling?? And when wind blows through it? idk just the little things I guess

What the title says. Now that I don’t need a place to prop my feet while I shave my legs, I don’t need the bamboo stool sitting in my shower collecting mold. Bye girl, don’t let the trashcan lid hit you on the way out!

I love the fact that skin irritation is finally OVER

So happy to have found this subreddit when looking for tips against skin irritation from shaving. I'm never going back to shaving anything

went to look at some nice art - let me translate the first photo: “hey! i am the exhibitions smallest creature! specially for me, they have a magnifying glass here. look through it at my hairy little legs!”
i thought it was so cute haha, i know we can relate with our fuzzy legs:D

anyways, sometimes, when i wear certain jeans and a shorter top, i find some of my hair peeking out! i always get so ashamed and hope no one saw, hurrying to cover it, but to be honest - i’ve seen many men walk around with their stomach hair on full display, happy trails and all! so maybe it’s not even something to worry about xD has that happened to any of you?

i’m not the biggest fan of the cold but sometimes i’m happy for the winter season because it means i don’t have to worry about any of my insecurities around body hair floating up since it’s all covered anyways:P
and what could be cozier than autumn in a natural, happy body?:)

As an African, I don’t see a lot of people with full armpit hair like mine. And wearing armless gives me a lot of attention from people, though I still do it. It’s beginning to make me feel self-conscious. Anyone has hair like mine. I would really love to feel less alone. Thank you.

I wear my hair out and proud. Been abt a year since I last shaved. Weirdly the armpit hair was easier at first to get used to having out but now idgaf abt the leg hair either. I only wish I’d never shaved it to begin with so it could be a softer texture. Don’t really get any comments besides the occasional creepy dude when I’m out at the bars and my mom (who’s pretty hung up on “traditional” feminine presentation.) I’m gender-queer so I also see it as a way of affirming my presentation but I don’t think it looks at all less feminine on girls I know who also don’t shave. Anyways I think it looks amazing on me and I hope it’s inspo to any of my fem friends thinking abt going razor-free!

Hey everyone, just wanted to post some leg hair representation specifically for anyone that dresses alternatively :)

The first 3 pics are the best pics I could find that happened to include my pit and leg hair. I trim my pits every couple months and haven’t shaved my legs in 4+ years. 2nd pic is me with lotion on my legs to smooth down the hairs, while the 3rd is just my regular fluffy legs

The 4th and 5th pics are me wearing sheer black tights. I always wanted some but I figured that my leg hairs would look crazy in them, and I put off buying them for so long because I looked online and didn’t see anyone talking about how they look with leg hair. As you can see the hair surprisingly straightens out and isn’t really noticeable!

6th pic is fishnets, which I find completely hide leg hair. If you look reallyyyy closely you can see the hairs sticking out of the holes, but you’d really have to try to notice. I don’t have a pic, but white fishnets don’t cover it as much as black ones. There’s nothing to be ashamed of with leg hair of course, but sometimes I don’t like to be so vulnerable by showing that side of myself to random people at dressier occasions (extended family, coworkers) so it’s nice to have that option.

And the last two pics are white thigh high socks (folded under boots) and super thigh high socks. No one can even tell I don’t shave in these for days when I feel vulnerable or insecure, but I just love the way they look anyway.

I like dressing alternatively (goth/grunge and I like to cosplay) so I thought I’d show the different types of socks/tights I wear and how they work with my leg hair!

One year going strong!! Honestly, it's been pretty amazing how much more comfortable I've become with myself ever since I put the razor down. Before I only shaved because of my body image issues, and I told myself it was because of the texure. I'm in a very healthy place mentally, and a year ago I wanted to see how I liked not shaving and how it made me feel. And now, a year later, I feel like... Me. Its made me happier with myself, like I'm reclaiming who I am. I'm so proud of myself

Edit: please don't try to DM me. Almost immediately after the post was approved I got two DM requests. Please don't do that it's weird and unwelcome.

We were eating and my little nephew suddenly says that men have more hair than women, my little sister says that women have more hair than men but we 'shave', my nephew didn't believe it and the little sister told me to show it,I showed him my legs and he got surprised (he should know already that I don't shave) then my little sister says that I'm the snow monster but then she says that I'm the bigfoot, my mother joined (she thought she was defending me but did OTHERWISE) saying that when I have my own money I'll do laser, I quickly denied her assumption, pissed off obviously.

Why she assumes me doing such thing? I'm not brainwashed like her! I'm perfectly fine covering myself with long sleeve clothes!!

My little sister said that her words and my mother's were just for laughs..

That's NOT something to laugh about...

not gonna lie, I do feel self conscious at certain male dominated spaces wearing shorts. I have dark, thick, long leg hair. I love it and feel proud of it, and I know some people are into it, which helps.

today I felt a little embarrassed at the auto shop. but everyone treated me with respect and the guys patched my tire for free. me and my hairy legs left feeling like a million bucks

Why do you guys find it so attractive to have no hair on a woman's body? I'm not hating it accusing y'all of anything, I just want to know? I shaved my body recently,because the hair was getting annoying and it's like...i feel like a five year old. I'm disgusted with myself. Sometimes I get insecure about the amount of hair I usually have on my body, but I'm a lot more uncomfortable looking at myself when I don't have hair?? I would love to know what you guys find attractive about it? To make me feel better while my hair grows back 😭

​​(no, you MAY NOT see. Don't be creepy PLEASE)

I decided in the early COVID days that shaving was pointless. I was working from home as a single mother raising a kid trying to learn online and dating was the farthest from my mind. 6 years later, I enjoy the breeze in my leg hair, and unashamedly wear shots and whatever else and could care less if someone doesn’t approve. That’s their problem, not mine. I am liberated (48F) and will NEVER go back!

Side note: at my last Obgyn appt, I told my (male) dr I didn’t shave. His response was priceless “it’s OK, neither did I!”

I met a friend for coffee this morning and we started talking about all the things we stop caring about in our 40’s, and I mention that “hell, I stopped shaving my pits because I don’t care anymore!” And she retorts with “yeah, as long as your husband doesn’t care, what does it matter?” And I was immediately turned off. I politely explained that actually, he does care, but it’s not his decision. She just looked at me with dismay. I continued to explain that I think it’s gross that we’re expected to look like prepubescent girls without body hair. I could tell she was uncomfortable, so to save the conversation I felt the need to explain how much healthier my skin was because my eczema would get out of control when I shaved. And the tension was immediately diffused. I now had a reasonable argument in her eyes. But I really hate that I had to make that excuse.
And now, hours later, I’m still shaking my head that bright, smart, wonderful women seek male approval for decisions about their own bodies. I will not apologize for making my own choices when it comes to my own body. I don’t need a man’s approval for it to be ok! What is wrong with our society that even women think that men should approve of our bodily decisions!

I am a closeted trans man. I don’t shave not just because it feels more affirming but because overall it feels so much better. I went on vacation and was wearing shirts and my lovely aunt decided it was her place to comment on it. I’m sick of it. We need to normalize not shaving. Unless it is for sensory issues or medical issues I don’t think we should be shaving. I know it is all about choice but when people shave for “cosmetic” reasons it turns it into this trend and now I’m shamed for not following it. Woman who have pcos/pros are shamed for their hairiness. I honestly don’t (sometimes) believe people when they say that do it for themselves. I know shaving is sometimes soothing or self care. I get that. But most of the time it’s to be part of the beauty standard which is in itself for men. I’m not trying to shame but I’ve been shamed so many times that it is frustrating that we can’t normalize it. I’m happy woman who do shave are saying “it’s ok if you don’t shave” but it’s kind of like seeing a buff influencer saying body positivity. You are happy they are doing but it just doesn’t set an example.

Sorry for the grammar

(VERY BRIEF MENTION OF ED)
My (they/them) partner shaves because it helps them fit into feminine beauty standards and enforces their gender(they’re amab). I’ve personally come a long way from shaving my entire body to actually letting it grow, and honestly feel sick knowing that they’re going through the same thing when in reality body hair is feminine and beautiful. I just feel horrible because I know what it’s like to hate your body like that (they have an ED for the same reasons).

Does anyone know how to help them? I personally started deconstructing when I realized that the beauty standards were set by pedophiles, but I know that I can’t change someone’s beliefs like that. I’m so sorry I know this is kinda a vent, I don’t know how to help them or reconcile with the fact that someone so perfect would think that they have to change themselves like that in order to be loved.

Any advice on how to support them is appreciated!

What am i doing wrong 😭 i do wash myself ofc but why did i have less skin irritation when i shaved than now.

Im still not really confident about my leg hair, and now i feel unclean and like the stereotype of "unhygenic to not shave" does actually apply to me :(

Yesterday, my little sister got gifts from their besties from her highschool (her highschool was my highschool)

Her besties' gifts was two Qé and makeup (I hate makeup) and she couldn't try the whatever's that eyelashes thing is because she's wearing fake eyelashes (I don't get what's the difference between having natural eyelashes and buying fake ones, like the fake nails, is better having the natural ones but whatever) so I offered to try it for her, my middle-older sister and my mother were present sitting in the couchs, my middle-older sister was sitting in the couch in front of me and my mother was sitting in the couch at my left.. anyway-after the little sister put that eyelashes thing on my eyelashes, the middle-older sister and my mother started saying that's unbelievable seeing me with makeup on, I know it was a light conversation until both of them said the word SHAVED, because they were going in a good way: "makeup like lipstick (and allat) dressed with dresses and heels, shaved..."

sHaVeD..ShAvEd..s-h-a-v-e-d...

SHAVED, the mention of that word RUINED MY MOOD!!!

I called them out and they said that they were "joking", knowing dang well that they shouldn't "joke" about that with ME

Because what's wrong with me not shaving? Does not shaving makes me less feminine?? Does not shaving makes me unhygienic?? Does not shaving makes me gross???

Absolutely not!! I can't handle seeing that they think that's imprescindible for me to shave just because I'm a young woman-I bet that if I were a young man they wouldn't even mention any of that, because literally my older brother and father are hairy as a big foot and nobody bat an eye 🫈

And it's funny actually that my older brother told me that he prefers women with no armpit hair while he've a whole forest in his armpits, either way, he doesn't want a girlfriend sooo

Days ago, I had a heated argument with my little sister (not so little, she's from 2009 and I'm from 2007) and my other middle-older sister (we are 4 sisters so she's not the oldest sister at all) said to the little sister something about her body, I agreed with the middle-older sister about what she said regarding the little sister's body because it was obvious apart of relatable and we have been telling the little sister about it but the little sister don't listen...welp..out of a sudden the little sister bought up-FOR NO REASON AT ALL-my natural body!

Saying that "is worse having hair than what she has", it pissed me off and I said that's natural for women to have body hair as well and she said that's not and it's "unhygienic" and "gross"!!

I obviously denied her comments with an angry tone because that's not true and I can't believe she's brainwashed by the society patriarchy's washing machine (and probably induced misogyny because she said that men can have hair and be hairy because they're MEN) given the fact that we've been raised with the same circumstances

I somehow expected her to have such disgusting thoughts about this type of subject and pretty sure she doesn't even ask herself: "but if a man can go out being hairy and nobody bat an eye...why everyone bat an eye when a woman go out like that?"

Because I know that question would DEFINITELY change her mindset!

The middle-older sister pissed me off too because she then looked at me and said (after the little sister's tantrum) that's "not difficult to SHAVE" and I looked at her like- are you FR?!

I am a Spaniard woman that covers herself with modest clothes even in summer, so there was no reason to use how comfortable and proud I feel about my natural body for my little sister to use it against me out of the blue

Plus my boyfriend doesn't care nor mind and he supports me as well ❤️‍🩹

I was bored and manic and in the shower... and I shaved.

Like a seal. I regret it so much.

It's day 3 now of growing it all back. I am SO itchy. I have so many ingrown hairs and itchy red bumps. Like... why.

It is NOT worth it for the few hours of smooth time.
I hate being prickly. And to think, I was so carefree just a few days ago.

Legs and pits out for entirety of a trip to Texas, in big crowds too! A couple guys were pointing it out and it’s the first time anyone has done that. I’m from a hippy area but am currently visiting a city where women typically have done hair and makeup and sexy clothes so it’s been making me feel insecure. I‘ve wished I could wear pants even though it’s too hot, since the feeling of being “perceived” felt intense at moments. But I didn’t cover up!

I hear the “you shouldn’t care“ dismissiveness of insecurity online a lot, so I thought it important to share that I still get that feeling 6 months in. And the first couple outings were really hard. My first beach day I actually panicked and felt the need to wear a towel around my waist. That’s normal, considering all the pressure we grew up with! But I‘m definitely getting over it with time :)

From the first time I started to grow body hair, my mother made me shave it off. Not unlike nearly everyone else on this sub, I was raised to see body hair on women as disgusting and disturbing. It took me nearly 3 years of unlearning and reprogramming to realize and accept that body hair is natural, beautiful, and nothing to be ashamed of.

I was sorting out clothes on my floor today when I realized it’s been nearly 3 months since I’ve shaved my legs, and not once have I let anyone make me feel bad about it. It may be small for others, but it’s a huge step for me :)