When did shaving become popular for women?

[SweetLucy]

Approximately when did leg and underarm shaving become popular for women, especially in the US? And why is it not so common in other parts of the world?

[Lissa]

As soon as the parts in question became visable.

Razor companies realized that only one sex was purchasing their product: men. When hemlines went up, and sleeves became shorter, they began advertising to women to rid themselves of this “disgusting” body hair. The idea of underarm and leg hair on women being “gross” spread like wildfire.

[glarGH]

*Originally posted by SweetLucy *
**Approximately when did leg and underarm shaving become popular for women, especially in the US? And why is it not so common in other parts of the world? **

OMG, I was just about to ask this… I was wondering who in their right mind would subject themselves to this kind of horrible BS.

[SweetLucy]

I shave almost every day, since age 12- I realize it’s not logical, but I guess I was brought up to believe that body hair is gross. It sure has made my legs dryer and itchier than they ought to be, but I hate the thought of stubble even more.

[bibliophage]

Cecil Adams on Who decided women should shave their legs and underarms?

[Popup]

*Originally posted by SweetLucy *
**Approximately when did leg and underarm shaving become popular for women, especially in the US?

**
Very good question. As with most really good questions, it has been answered by the Master in his epic column Who decided women should shave their legs and underarms?. He didn’t do the research himself though, but mentions a 1982 article from the Journal of American Culture by Christine Hope bearing the grand title “Caucasian Female Body Hair and American Culture.”
Quoting the Master:

The gist of the article is that U.S. women were browbeaten into shaving underarm hair by a sustained marketing assault that began in 1915. (Leg hair came later.)
…
…the underarm campaign began in May, 1915, in Harper’s Bazaar, a magazine aimed at the upper crust. The first ad “featured a waist-up photograph of a young woman who appears to be dressed in a slip with a toga-like outfit covering one shoulder. Her arms are arched over her head revealing perfectly clear armpits. The first part of the ad read `Summer Dress and Modern Dancing combine to make necessary the removal of objectionable hair.’”

Shaved legs came later, and not with quite the same force.

**And why is it not so common in other parts of the world? **

That is another good question, which (to the best of my knowledge) hasn’t been answered yet. Cecil hints that Greek statues of women in antiquity had no pubic hair. If that’s the origin, the message has been lost to modern Greeks.

–
And now on preview, I notice that bibliophage beat me to the punch. But I’ll be damned if I don’t submit anyway…

[Early_Out]

It would appear that even the great Cecil Adams is off by several thousand years. According to this site (and I’ve heard the same thing elsewhere, IIRC), underarm shaving goes back to ancient Egyptian times. It’s reappearance in the 20th century is another story, of course…

[sailor]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mil.millington/pits/index.html

Question 1 Do you like hairy armpits on a woman? (tick one)

( ) Yes, of course.

( ) No, I was denied affection as a child and it’s deformed my psychology
Question 3 - The scientific reason why women have armpit hair is as a signal of sexual maturity, which is why it starts growing at puberty. Normal men, then, will react to it - or its absence - on the basis of this.
With this in mind, tick the response which is closest to your own.

( ) I regard hairy armpits in the same, slavering, way I regard all the other outward signs of sexual maturity in women.

( )I find hairy armpits unpleasant because I am only sexually attracted to pre-teen girls, and I don’t care how many law enforcement agencies know about it.

[CookingWithGas]

OK, now I’m going to search for a thread about why men shave their beards. Will I find that it’s a Gillette conspiracy? Will I find that men do it to attract women who prefer pre-teen boys? Will I find claims that beards are disgusting?

[jack_ss]

CWG, It probably deserves a thread of its own.

The link provided by Early Out gives a history of blades that could have been used as razors, but I have my doubts about paleolithic/neolithic shaving. I think the whole male shaving ritual started with egyptian priests. It was supposedly part of their ritual purity/cleanliness kick. The greek soldiers started doing it because a beard/long hair are easy to grab hold of in a fight. If your opponent can’t grab ya, it’s more difficult to kick your ass. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve just found some rogue hairs on my back and I’ve been indoctrinated from birth to believe that women find back hair on men gross & icky. Middle age is soooooooooooooo cool. :rolleyes: