# does it bother you when women don't shave? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368 "2002-08-30T20:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/1 "2002-08-30T20:53:17Z")
Does it give you the willies when women don’t shave their legs? How about their arm pits? Why? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/2 "2002-08-30T21:05:09Z")
Well, it doesn’t give me the _willies,_ it’s not like waking up and finding a spider on your face or something like that, but it’s definitely not my preference of what to see when I look at a woman, about on a par with really bad makeup. I guess there’s a stigma associated with it that says, women who practice proper hygiene shave, and I find myself wondering where else they may have cut corners in the hygiene department. I know, that is _so_ 20th century, but still. That’s where I spent most of my life. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/3 "2002-08-30T21:18:46Z")
2 week stubble? Fine. Buckwheat in a headlock? No thanks. None of it will “bother” me, but I don’t find it attractive. Why? Who knows. Conditioning, probably. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/4 "2002-08-30T21:49:19Z")
Well, I’m equal opportunity here. Leg hair, fine. Armpit hair is GROSS, on both women AND men. ---
**Author:** ![Omnipresent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@Omnipresent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omnipresent)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/5 "2002-08-30T23:28:57Z")
I don’t care for stubble myself. Especially legs. Love a good clean shaven, creamy leg. Shouldn’t be like 220 grit sandpaper. Even the camel-toe should be a close crop. Not wood floor mind you, but, Hitler mustache maybe! ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/6 "2002-08-30T23:53:00Z")
Speaking as a woman who can’t remember the last time she shaved either pits or legs . . . I’d have to say that whether a person shaves any part of his or her body is that person’s choice and none of my business. Disclaimers: (1) I have very fine, light body hair, and you’d have to be paying pretty close attention to notice that I don’t shave. Also, my legs and pits are rarely exposed in public anyway. (2) This thread does bring to mind the one and only time that pit hair truly grossed me out: I was in grade school and there was a crew doing some work on the building. One of the dudes raised his arm while wearing a tank top, and his extremely long pit hair fanned out like a peacock’s tail. I probably remember it as worse than it was. Where are the Europeans in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/7 "2002-08-30T23:58:59Z")
I hate to admit this, but yes, the sight of unshaven female armpits/legs is a bit unnerving. When I say unshaven I mean, full on thick, come as you were born hair-not just “I missed a week of shaving” hair… ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/8 "2002-08-31T01:03:32Z")
I like unshaven women. Girl hairs are different from boy hairs, and fun to stoke with fingertips. ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/9 "2002-08-31T03:59:54Z")
I am one of a small number of American men who find underarm hair on women erotic. I’m not too partial to leg hair, but I like unshaved underarms and untrimmed pubic hair. It’s not a requirement, but it’s definitely a pleasant surprise when it is revealed. Needless to say, with the current state of acceptance of female body hair in the US, I don’t talk about this much. ---
**Author:** ![im2evil4u](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5ac83/32.png) [@im2evil4u](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/im2evil4u)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/10 "2002-08-31T04:39:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Omnipresent \* > \*\*Even the camel-toe should be a close crop. Not wood floor mind you, but, Hitler mustache maybe! \*\* What about a mohawk? Or an un-treated wood floor? You forgot those. Okaaaay terrrrific! In anycase, **Genseric** my husband would agree with you. He is the son of a woman who “came off the boat.” He looooves a bit of pit hair. He swooshes his nose in it when it is at a lenght he prefers. He claims it “traps the essence of a woman”… all-righty then (I think I have said too much again but screw it). ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/11 "2002-08-31T05:06:56Z")
Hair = good. Cropped hair = good. Shaved = good. (This rating scale applies to everything anywhere below the nose. (Slight Highjack) But hey, I’m a bald guy…so I fit all categories somewhere on my corporeal being…that could influence my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/12 "2002-08-31T05:24:16Z")
This is probably just my own “ooginess” factor, but unshaven female legs in hose just looks weird to me. Mind you, I don’t think I’ve shaved my legs more than 5 times, if that–I have very fine body hair, though. I will also admit to finding unshaven armpits gross as well. LOL As soon as I feel a bit of stubble there, I’ve gotta shave. But whatever works for others is okay–as long as they’re keeping up with hygiene, that is. 🙂 JMHO, now! ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/13 "2002-08-31T05:40:24Z")
I used to shave everything but my pubic hair, until I began to think, “Why am I suffering from cut legs, raw skin, the itchiness, the hassle, the discomfort–when guys aren’t?” So I’m _au naturelle_ now and my boyfriend doesn’t care one way or the other. I do admit to an ‘ooginess factor’ regarding shaven or mohawked public hair… no offense, but I can’t get over the uneasy feeling that a man who wants a completely hairless female is secretly or subliminally lusting after pre-pubescents. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/14 "2002-08-31T06:18:14Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Squish_ > **"Why am I suffering from cut legs, raw skin, the itchiness, the hassle, the discomfort–when guys aren’t?"** Guys suffer from cuts, rawness, and itchiness on their _faces_. I saw a couple rappers on last night’s MTV Video Music Awards who looked like they had a little trouble with the razor. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/15 "2002-08-31T07:08:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr2001 \* > \*\*Guys suffer from cuts, rawness, and itchiness on their _faces_. \*\* But a guy with facial hair doesn’t inspire the widespread “ooginess” from society, at least not any more. And while there are some men who shave their body hair, there are relatively few who feel _compelled_ to, and even fewer who feel like they have to shave their pubic hair to please their prospective partners. BTW, I’m not even a feminist. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/16 "2002-08-31T10:59:04Z")
When I see a lass with unshaven legs, I worry slightly that she’s judging me negatively for shaving mine. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/17 "2002-08-31T11:34:22Z")
The scene: A restaurant in Berlin, 1973. Several of us Army types are sitting there waiting for the food we ordered. The waitress arrives. She’s cute, with a nice smile, and she’s wearing a sleeveless blouse. She leans across the table as she places plates of food in front of each of us. Pit hair like a sasquatch. Group: “Ewww!” I’ve also seen European women with unshaven legs in pantyhose. Their leg hair resembled some kind of Peter Max-designed psychedelic poster scene–all wavy and weird. Yep. I’m conditioned. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/18 "2002-08-31T13:00:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > \*\* > > Where are the Europeans in this thread? \*\* I somewhat prefer women with shaved legs (though when leg hairs are barely noticeable, it’s not really important). I couldn’t care less about armpits being shaved or not. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/19 "2002-08-31T16:03:43Z")
'Nother European. I’m assuming you asked because you think Europeans have different preferences **Scarlett**? I think there’s a difference between, generally, Northern Europe and Southern Europe, the latter being the Mediteranean countries. I think preferences in Northern Europe are pretty close to what goed for “American” in this thread. As for myself, I’m not _bothered_ by a woman with unshaven legs or pits, but it’s definitely not my preference. Long leghair on women looks weird, and I realise that that’s pure societal conditioning. Pits get the same logic, although you just don’t see them that much in public. Same goes for the nether regions. It’s a preference, and a woman has every right to do or not do with her body as she wishes. Still, I’m glad my girlfriend has the same preferences as me in this regard. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368/20 "2002-08-31T19:42:07Z")
Shaved, unshaved, who cares? As long as she’s clean, it matters little or not at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-women-dont-shave/126368.md?page=2)