# boys shaving their legs?!?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2001, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313 "2001-02-21T05:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Palmyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/57b2e6/32.png) [@Palmyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palmyra)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/21 "2001-02-22T06:18:38Z")
damn vB code… ---
**Author:** ![OneChance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/74df32/32.png) [@OneChance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneChance)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/22 "2001-02-22T08:25:32Z")
The first time I shaved my legs was when I did a one-night gig as a stripper, so it was for a pretty good reason. But then I started doing it more and more because I liked the way it looked when I was tan (my legs are all muscle, too, so you could see the muscle better when I shaved). It freakin’ took me 45 minutes to an hour to shave my legs. I have no idea how women can get it done in a few minutes. I have to be extra careful because I don’t want to knick something, like my shin. Anyway, I stopped doing it because (1) I just don’t have an hour every few days to shave, and (2) I hated people gawking at my legs. I do still trim my pits and shave a bit down there, though. ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/23 "2001-02-22T08:59:41Z")
So I saw Ashton Kutcher, who plays Michael Kelso on _That 70’s Show_, on Conan O’Brian last week. He talked about shaving his legs, or rather about shaving one leg. The reason he did this (or does this, I can’t remember) is because he’s single. See, at night he can then feel his shaved leg with his other leg and…it feels like a lady is there with him. Oh dear…that was both funny and sad at the same time. Mainly sad because I thought to myself, “Hmmm…that could work…,” but only for a few seconds. Honest! Really! 😃 No, I don’t shave my legs. It never crossed my mind. I skip shaving my face as often as possible. When things get really busy, like if I’m finishing a film for a class, I’ll usually be sporting a full beard pretty quickly. Having to shave my legs would just be one more thing. Also, I’m a hairy guy (only on my face, arms, legs, and chest, though), but I’m not furry. Besides my beard growing quickly, the rest of the hair is actually fairly light and soft. ---
**Author:** ![bwanasimba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/53a042/32.png) [@bwanasimba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bwanasimba)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/24 "2001-02-22T14:24:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Democritus \* > **In cycling, it’s become a tradition. I think the biggest two factors are comfort and vanity, though, for cyclists at least. When you ride a few thousand miles a year, you develop great looking legs. They get tanner and look better shaved…** Mmm. It _is_ a tradition, I grant you that, and the legs _do_ look good, I’ll also grant you that. Riders do it because the pros do it - it’s the same reason why people buy ultra expensive lightweight titanium bikes to shave 1/2 pound off their riding weight when they should just cut out the butter and twinkies ;). If you are going over the Alpe D’Huez, that’s one thing, but for regular riders it’s completely another. But the pros really do shave mainly to cool the muscles, as I mentioned in my OP. LK ---
**Author:** ![Totoro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Totoro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totoro)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/25 "2001-02-22T14:30:09Z")
Well, I shave my armpits, just because it’s much nicer. Less smell, less sweat, no hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/26 "2001-02-22T15:41:43Z")
If you’re in a sport where you have to tape your ankles, don’t you have to shave there? Otherwise the tape is MUCH harder to remove, I would imagine… ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/27 "2001-02-22T18:00:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bwanasimba \* > \*\* But the pros really do shave mainly to cool the muscles, as I mentioned in my OP. > > LK \*\* Well, since you mentioned it twice… Actually, shaving the hair off the legs works _against_ cooling the legs. Shaved legs allow the sweat to run off quickly, while hair on the legs holds the sweat close to the skin. Since the cooling effect comes from the sweat evaporating directly off the skin, it would be preferable to let your leg hair grow somewhat. As for me, I’d rather _look_ good. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/28 "2001-02-22T20:27:06Z")
Speaking as a cyclist, shaved legs are so much easier to massage, you also use far less warm-up balm. When you are racing day after day, most amateurs are racing at least twice a week in summer and will use maybe another race a week as a form of training to maybe work on jumps or try something they would not normally do in a race, you get exposed to the sun a lot.Shaved legs are much easier to put the sun lotion on. ---
**Author:** ![Melpomene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Melpomene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melpomene)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/29 "2001-02-22T21:45:48Z")
I can’t speak form the male shaver’s POV, but as someone who dated a guy in high school who had shaved is legs for swimming…I can say that it was damn sexy. There was something very pleasant about his legs having so little hair on them. Then again, I’m not a big fan of hair anyway, so I suppose I’m biased. I don’t see anything wrong with a guy shainvg his legs if he wants…and as for the itching - well, I don’t think it itched the first time I shaved my legs. If it did, I sure don’t remember. They haven’t itched for a real long time, unless I dry-shave, then its flaky/cracked skin and does itch like a bitch. Uhmm…that’s all from me… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SkySlash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SkySlash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkySlash)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/30 "2001-02-22T21:47:04Z")
> [@](#): > > So I saw Ashton Kutcher I hate that fucker!!! :mad: He is a disgrace to the sacred nature of my first name! -SS ---
**Author:** ![Neil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/839c29/32.png) [@Neil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neil)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/31 "2001-02-22T23:39:46Z")
I couldn’t imagine taking the time to shave my legs every day, and since I’m a guy, nobody cares much anyway. On a vaguely related note, one of my friends passed out at a party. When he woke up, his friends had shaven one of his lower legs. They were planning on shaving his head, but they couldn’t find any shaving cream. He wasn’t happy about the whole incident, and other guys ribbed him quite a bit for it. I’ve never heard of any guy besides swimmers at my school who shave their legs. I’ve tried trimming below the waist. Not shaving off all the hair, just a trim. I didn’t shave anything down to the skin, but it still itches. What do you folks do to stop this? -Neil ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2001, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/32 "2001-02-23T00:08:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Myron Van Horowitzski \* > \*\*If you’re in a sport where you have to tape your ankles, don’t you have to shave there? Otherwise the tape is MUCH harder to remove, I would imagine… \*\* I play volleyball, and all last season I had to have both my ankles taped. Being the lazy bum that I am, I avoid shaving like the devil itself and prefer to just wear long socks on game days. The only problem is when they run out of underwrap and the tape goes directly onto your skin. Unless extremely careful, you get a halfway-done wax job and lots of pain wherever it’s taped. ---
**Author:** ![bwanasimba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/53a042/32.png) [@bwanasimba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bwanasimba)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2001, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/33 "2001-02-23T09:05:33Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Democritus \* > Actually, shaving the hair off the legs works against cooling the legs_\* Whaaaaaaaaat? Does this mean I’ve been doing it all these years just for vanity??? I’m crushed! [serious voice]Is that really true? I can’t comment from a professionally educated biological / physiological point of view, but I’ve been riding seriously for 17 years and have read a lot of stuff too specifically on the heated muscle thing. I’d be grateful if you could show me where to look for your explanation (cause I’m pretty sceptical!)[/serious voice] > [@](#): > > \*As for me, I’d rather look good. 😉 \* no arguments on this one, blue! 😉 LK ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2001, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313/34 "2001-02-23T09:19:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SkySlash \* > \*\* > I absolutely detest shaving…but I hate facial hair, and really can’t stand body hair much at all period. The buttocks region just blows my mind…why the hell do we men have hair on our ass? > > It boggles the mind… > > -SS \*\* If I weren’t already married… …swoon… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boys-shaving-their-legs/55313.md?page=1)