Although nothing comes to mind that would make me disagree with your conclusion that women’s current shaving patterns are the result of an early 20th Century advertising campaign associated with sleeveless dresses and higher hemlines, I would like to mention a couple things about your column that throw your fact-finding into question, that or your marital status:
I notice that you’re under the impression that only the unfortunate minority of women grow facial hair, when in fact all women approaching menopause find they have it. It’s not the coarse whiskers that men grow, and it’s certainly more sparse but a healthy goatish crop of wiry white and longer finer black hairs on chin, mustache area and from moles are quite normal. Why don’t you know this? Because we pull them all out. That’s why you can’t get into the bathroom.
Hair on lower legs is unmentionable in advertising. Why? I do not know. What the ads refer to often (maybe because of the urgency of the need) is the “bikini area”. They aren’t meaning the eight or ten hairs that trickle down from exposed belly buttons.
In its natural state adult female pubic hair grows stragglingly about a third of the way down the thigh with no nice edge to it. Perhaps the first blatant television campaign to adressing this was the “Who wears short shorts?” chorus line from the early '70s - at the time some of us wondered (briefly) who cared how short their shorts were and what that had to do with smooth shins. If you’re trying to visualize Betty Grable, stop now, you’re only going to get hurt. Nowadays younger women specifically ask for this problem by wearing thongs instead of real underpants. In general shaving is a bad solution here for all the same reasons that you say bad words when you shave your throat; most go for waxing or depilatory chemicals. But I digress.
No wait, one more thing. I once knew a woman who paid $60 for a bikini wax two days before she went into labor. When we asked her god why? she said it was because she wanted to be “clean” for the doctors. A woman with body hair is clearly out of control, which is why Robert Mapplethorpe’s image of Patti Smith for the cover of “Easter” was so very rock’n’roll, up there with the Rolling Stones’ zippable zipper. Sigh. Back in the day…
So in general, why do women shave under their arms? Because so many people are so vocally revolted by other women who haven’t. Like who’s going to risk it?
So I guess you’d say the story about King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is 100% apocryphal?
Ohh, I love being the first tolink the probable column being referred to!
Welcome Balkis, when referring to one of Cecil’s columns we usually try to link the specific column because it makes it easier for the discussion if we know what you’re disagreeing with or talking about.
And if I linked the wrong one then you should especially try and correct me.
OK, I’ve read it twice. Now maybe I’m missing things because it’s morning but I see no mention of female facial hair or lack thereof.
Nowadays they’re not stopping at the ‘nice edge’.
I suspect this use of ‘bikini wax’ is also a euphemism. Can it be that you haven’t heard of the ‘Brazilian’? Shall we ask Unca Cece why the trend now seems to be removing any sign of post-pubescence from all bodies male and female?
Well for me it’s more that it’s easier to remain deodorized when the hair’s not there. I shave the pits year-round whether they’ll be observed or not. I figure it’s probably the case for a lot of women.
So what’s the story about Soloman and the Queen of Sheba? I know the part about them managing to get their dirty love letters canonized into the Bible, but that doesn’t seem particularly relevant to body hair.
is this in any way related to the surge in child molestation? Our fashion models are more and more like children. I say bring back the primitive love for “matronly” appearance.
[QUOTE=Chronos]
So what’s the story about Soloman and the Queen of Sheba? I know the part about them managing to get their dirty love letters canonized into the Bible, but that doesn’t seem particularly relevant to body hair.
I love this story but it may be totally 20th century:
According to everyone who mattered, King Solomon was the richest, the wisest, and the most influential of rulers at his time (he did good work with trade routes and unified some countries that would eventually be almost what we know as Israel, if my understanding is correct). The Queen of Sheba, Balkis (Balqis, Belqis) came from her kingdom with gifts of jewels, gold, precious artifacts and some killer philosophy riddles to challenge him. She was “black but comely” if you recall. Anyway, Solomon received her seated on a throne of beautiful glass on a platform raised above a reflecting pool. The queen didn’t see the glass walkway leading to him and thought she was expected to step through the water, so she took off her sandals and raised the hem of her skirt which exposed her au naturel (but comely) legs. Solomon smiled behind his hand at this, the queen saw him do it and was so offended she turned around and left.
Clearly at some point he must have apologized really well, because she came back. Their children are traditionally considered to have been the beginning of the royal line in Ethiopia.
Neil Gaiman makes a really obscure joke about this story in “American Gods”, which is why I looked it up, which is why I know it to tell to you.
I am just dying over this new Brazilian Moustache Shave.
The problem with the total wipe-out, even though it seems efficient, is that as it starts to grow back in it really itches. You look like a fool squirming in your string bikini and even worse if you break down and scratch.
