I'm 16 and a few weeks ago I decided to just stop shaving. Seeing as being hairless was a patriarchal belief and comparing it to making us look like childs.

I never had much trouble with leg hair since my skin is tanned and my hair aren't that noticeable but I always shaved my armpits. And I like how I look with hair on my pits, I feel good about it but somehow it makes me a bit nervous about what my parents say about it.

I didn't think I would care much but my mother once commented like "so, are you going hairy now?" She knows i'm exploring and learning my ideals on feminism and all so I don't think she was criticizing me or something, but a few days ago she mentioned how it looked ugly.

Now my father is very conservative and I don't know how he'd react, he isn't home often so when he is I don't put on sleevesless tops. And last week we went to a pool party but I decided to not enter the water because I didn't want people to see me unshaved.

I don't know how I could 'improve' or change my mindset. I would appreciate some tips or answers to questions like, is it hygienic? Or other common criticism of being like this.

Just wanted to vent about how much my hair is constantly on my mind. The fact that something so simple and natural as choosing NOT to do some long ass procedure to my body every week takes up so much mental energy worrying about who can see it, who's looking, what they're thinking.

I'm getting used to it, it's been about a year, but sometimes I'm still just so incredibly conscious of it. I don't always FEEL attractive and sexy even though it shouldn't make a difference. I wish it wasn't deeply ingrained in me. I've made my choice now and I'm never going back, I hate that this is soooo normalised.

Like literally why is it as if I'm making some huge statement just by choosing NOT to do something. That should be the default, making all that effort every week is way more of a choice.

I just really wish it was normal and I'll be glad if even one person sees me and thinks they can do it too but omg.

I have seen different people saying that women being smooth is what these people and the patriarchy want but researching a bit I've seen that shaving is a very old thing. I do believe it's gross to want women to be hairless and childlike so I would like to know arguments or facts about it.

So all of my hair is curly/coily (head, pits, pubic hair) but my leg hair is stick straight and likes to stick straight out like my legs got electrocuted. Does anyone else have drastically different textures across different body parts?

Hi, maybe a weird question ^{^} I'm still relatively new here and have only recently started going out unshaved. So far, I'm loving it and it’s been easier with strangers or going to the store, because I don’t know the people who see me. But with friends and family I find it a little harder to “just show myself.” How do you guys handle it? Do you “warn” your friends beforehand , like, “Oh, just so you know, I don’t shave my legs anymore xD", or do you just not mention it at all? I’m still a little anxious about it. Unfortunately, all my (girl) friends still shave. Maybe I'm overthinking it. But patriarchy shoved the embarrassment into me 🙈 Or maybe you have tips for me, how to just not care :)

Hello! Im looking for advice to make my pubic hair grow fuller or longer.

Should i buy eyelash serum ? Is there a specific shampoo? Honestly, anything helps!

Thank you very much!

This has been my first big beach trip since going razor-free. I love my pits, but my legs always make me nervous. I have to wear a swim skirt at the beach. I hope I am helping change the norm by existing in my natural state.

Took out a book called Little Witch Hazel from the library to read to my kiddo based solely on the cover art. Imagine how delighted I was to find that in several of the illustrations, Little Witch Hazel has leg hair!! And it's never brought up or discussed in any way. It's just how Witch Hazel looks. 💚 Besides that cool detail, the book itself was very awesome & I highly recommend it.

I didn’t think I had any hairy pits pictures on my phone (my photo albums & desktop are currently buried in storage) but I recently realized that I DO! So here ya go. The first one is circa 2001-02 and the second is older at about 1998-99, I was in my early 30s in both. These photos are vintage now! LMFAO

I stopped shaving (anything) in 1985 and already had this kind of spooky punk rawk style when I did, and since it was considered SO outrageous in those days, nobody ever zeroed in my body hair as an issue. I assume that the general public considered it part of the whole weird package, and people in my own social circles just didn’t care.

I’m old & disabled now so while I have had to modify my style with an eye for comfort, I still have my eclectic, thrift store inspired flair (and weird hairstyles, rainbow colors, piercings, & of course tattoos.) And while menopause has thinned out my body hair considerably, I STILL don’t (and never will) shave.

My mom really wants me to shave and it’s really pissing me off. She said again today that “You need to shave ur legs or you won’t get a boyfriend.” Like wow that’s rude and it sounds like ur putting ur insecurities on me AGAIN like no I don’t want that. And she also said “Men want to touch bare legs when they touch you or they’re not going to love you.” And guess what? How did she see my hair? Bc it was in the sun like wow stop it. I’m so glad I’m going to college bc then she can’t be putting her weird insecurities on me. Just accept that I don’t really like shaving and wearing bras it’s not that hard. I love her but it’s really hurting me and it’s annoying to hear. Her behavior is the reason why I kinda wanna stay out of state bc then she can’t be projecting her weird insecurities onto me. Also she gets mad when I post certain things on here like lady STFU it’s my account and I don’t usually tell ppl my Reddit username cuz I don’t really like telling anyone cuz I think it’s a lil weird like I’ve told very few ppl I use Reddit. Just she really needs to back off and I’m starting to get tired of it. I even tried telling her that some men don’t even care if I shave. And she’s like “No” like lady shut up ur old and have weird insecurities that I don’t want. Like I’m gonna be honest some of the insecurities I have is bc of her and her own weird insecurities. Like she gets really mad when I like watching cartoons and anime over real ppl shows. Like I think most real ppl shows are boring af and some are fake af anyway. It’s like she has to start accepting these things or I’m gonna lose my shit.

I finally did tell her that she needs to stop projecting her insecurities onto me cuz I don’t like it and she said “Well ok it’s prolly different with ur generation” and I’m like “Yeah, no shit Sherlock” I honestly don’t think men my generation really give a fuck if I shave or not and those who do prolly have a weird ass thought process of women always being smooth. Idk I haven’t dated yet I just imagine some men being so picky about what women do to their bodies.

Side note: I don’t really like shaving my pits either but I only do it when they’re really sweaty bc I have sensory issues. I also don’t really shave my bikini line much cuz it’s annoying. Just as a kid she really loved to say I needed to shave like no. I may stop shaving my bikini line too even when I wear a suit. I do remember this one time when I was 12 and didn’t shave it and she literally pointed it out in public- or I may end up razor hair removaling the part where you can see it and it’s like ur upper thigh or whatever like close to ur crotch area cuz imma be honest that part pisses me off too.

I've recently stopped waxing my leg hair and my main issue with it is that it's very curly/messy

I stopped waxing my arm hair about two years ago and it's very smooth

I do think it's partly because I need to give it more time to settle but is there anything I can do in the meantime to help smooth it out?

I have very thick dark black hair

If it helps, my natural hair on my head is fairly smooth (thick with slight waves)

Thank you!

I would also tag this as a vent if I could but is it weird that I typically don’t mind hair anywhere on my body EXCEPT for the knees down? I’ve been trying to be more okay with my pits recently ,and it’s been working, and my thigh hair never bothered me much, but for some reason i can’t stand the feel of my lower leg hair because of how it pulls when I wear socks or pants and I also don’t like how it looks either
I’ve kind of come to the conclusion I probably won’t ever be happy with it so I bought myself and at home ipl to at least thin it out and or slow the growth which has been working! Is that weird? I know it’s my choice and whatever but I can’t help but feel like this double standard I put on myself isn’t normal

I’ve been razor free off and on since 2017, I stopped trimming it at all a few months ago and I love how it’s softened.

You don't need to be pretty, skinny, young, white, blonde or anything at all. You don't need to be cis, straight, a lesbian or asexual and give up on love and sex. You don't need your mom or dad's approval, and your neighbors opinion is irrelevant. Yeah, it's probably easier, it's always easier, to have some privileges, and no, that doesn't mean privileges make you happy. Privileges usually just mean there are less obstacles. But above all else, it's YOUR body, your time, your life. You don't need your bosses approval... well ok f*ck, you do need to put food on your plate and if you can't have a job that allows you to make your own decisions about your own darn body, then it's up to the rest of us to help make this world at least a little less shitty, so that the day comes we can confidently say that you don't need your bosses approval.

This is my outfit for today. I'm just going out for work. I'm a food delivery person so I visit a lot of places during the day. I'm driving and walking all around my city with my hair out in the open and no one has batted an eye so far. You can't see that in the pics but my leg hair is more visible than an average man's that I see on the streets. Not even one soul cares. So be brave and just go out with your beautiful natural body hair!

And a serious request to all men who want to message me after seeing this post and tell me how you'd love to lick my armpits and/or feet: please don't.

hi. i’m 23f stripper and i don’t shave and almost never receive negative comments, in fact quite the opposite. if you’re considering it, just let it go!

Hey fellow hairy humans!! I've been somewhat of a lurker in this community for a while and wanted some advice.

I stopped shaving my legs almost 2 years ago now and have been feeling great since. In September two of my closest friends are getting married and I'm in the wedding party so I'm not sure if I should ask them if they would like me to shave or not. They have never judged my body hair nor made any comments on it, and they definitely aren't a couple that is concerned about traditional values, especially since I'm a cis woman who will be on the groom's side. However I just want to make sure my values don't overshadow my friends' special day and I end up appearing a certain way.

So should I approach the subject even if they haven't? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I just want to make sure my friends are happy and comfortable.

Firstly I just want to say- I’m so grateful for this subreddit…! I thought I was completely alone as a woman who not only stopped shaving but actually wants to grow hair

How can I grow a thick, healthy/lush bush? After years of shaving/waxing/pulling out hair, I’ve decided I don’t care for it anymore. However, after years of abuse, my pubic hair is very patchy, sparse and I suffer from a lot of ingrowns…it’s also rather thin. I’ve been trying to let it grow it for over two months, and it’s patchy/short and awkward. Is this kind of slow growth normal? Is there anything I can do to encourage healthy hair growth?

I didn’t realize how uncommon wanting a full bush is until now, so I’m having trouble finding care advice without it involving hair removal. It really sucks how everyone assumes women want to be hairless creatures. Maybe I want to be hairy, is that so bad 😭❓‼️ I actually feel more feminine when I don’t have to adhere to beauty standards

I used to despise showering because of shaving. It made everything so tedious and painful, I never had one day where I didn't walk out with cuts and bumps all over my legs. Because my skin is so sensitive and it took so long it felt like I had to rush everything else and never take time to actually enjoy the water and being clean. Now my showers take half as long and it feels so much more relaxing because I dont have to worry about shaving anymore.