# Women with underarm hair. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331 "2001-08-27T15:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/21 "2001-08-27T21:45:02Z")
One of my best friends doesn’t shave anything. A lot of guys we know think it’s gross, but I don’t have anything against it. It’s just different. For me, I feel dirty and smelly if my legs or underarms are hairy. I shave the underarms every day, and my legs every other day. I have light brown body hair, so I leave my arms alone, and I don’t have a mustache, but I’ve been shaving my underarms and legs since I was 11 or 12, so it’s just second nature. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/22 "2001-08-27T23:25:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mauvaise \* > **I don’t care if a guy finds it attractive or not I shave my pits. For me. I feel unclean and smelly if I even miss a day … I can’t imagine having a full nest of hair.** You probably wouldn’t have a “full nest of hair” if you stopped shaving your armpits – most women don’t grow all _that_ much hair there. Refraining from shaving also won’t really make you unclean and smelly, although of course you may feel that way if you are not used to it or think of body hair as being gross or dirty. Truth be told, the one time I did shave my armpits I swore never to do it again, because I ended up sweating much _more_ then usual. Growing my hair back again was unpleasant because of the spiky stubble, but it was worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Corrvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@Corrvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corrvin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/23 "2001-08-27T23:49:21Z")
I shave my pits for a silly reason…my deodorant bleaches it, and if I let it grow, it’s a weird auburn-orange color. (Silly because I’m a brunette.) It also feels really chemically damaged. I don’t think unshorn women’s hair looks like men’s…it’s distinctly different, and no less attractive than the hairless sorts. Given that, I still shave my legs, because otherwise if I take a shower before bed and lie down with my legs slightly damp, my leg hair gets all sticky-uppy. If I were a guy, I’d probably refuse to grow a beard because I’d be upset about bed-face. That’s just the kind of person I am. Corr ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/24 "2001-08-28T00:12:11Z")
One thing about not shaving my legs is that I can feel the wind blow through the hair on my legs. It feels great. When I shave them, it’s a little like suffocation. The hair’s blonde, no one can see it, so what? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/25 "2001-08-28T00:33:19Z")
Damn, I’m starting the envy the blondes… I’ve got vampire-white skin and brown hair. And lots of brown hair. I think my ancestors interbred with bears at one point. Anyhow… I shave my legs in the summer time because years ago I found that most American men can’t handle it real well when a women shows up with more leg hair than they have. Yes, I shave the pits in summer, too, for much the same reason. In the winter, though, everything grows wild and my husband has learned to put up with it. I am not going to mention the moustache and goatee, which I don’t have, but won’t talk about where or how it went, even if I did have it, which I don’t. On the up side, my husband says he’ll never have to worry about me asking for a fur coat, seeing as I can grow my own… ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/26 "2001-08-28T01:13:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Edwardina \* > **Let me preface this by saying I don’t think women should feel obligated to shave anything.** Amen to that. The only possible exception is hair on the labia that gets long enough to get “pulled in” during intercourse, and abrade the soft pink parts. But you don’t have to shave that, just mow it back. I find furry female pits to be very erotic. But then I find shaven female pits very erotic, too. And female pits with a couple-a-three days stubble are the most erotic. And while there’s something exotic about natural blondes with “invisible” body hair, the contrast of a brunette’s dark pits and dark bush against fair skin is also a wonderful thing. I fail to understand how nearly an entire nation of people were brainwashed into thinking something completely natural and very feminine is “gross,” and that people who appreciate it are called “fetishists,” or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Ferggie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Ferggie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferggie)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/27 "2001-08-28T01:50:47Z")
Sociology class or somewhere, I came across the notion that shaving pit/leg hair is a custom that arose _because_ of the obsession with youth…even pre-pubescent youth. I put most men to shame with my leg hair (black), which grows free in winter. The pits _do_ get smelly and sweaty faster unshorn. I think even if I were a man I’d shave 'em, just to avoid that ickiness. I know a woman from the Caribbean who has shaved her legs like twice in her life. And it’s not just because her skin’s dark enough for hair not to show. There is simply no hair there. ---
**Author:** ![toshirodragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@toshirodragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toshirodragon)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/28 "2001-08-28T02:03:42Z")
so I go months and years without shaving legs or pits. My husband doesnt care and he is supposed to love ME, not my shaved legs. I tend it mow when things start getting nagged in my clothes and get pulled OWWWWWW! ---
**Author:** ![Mortish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/54ee81/32.png) [@Mortish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortish)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/29 "2001-08-28T02:09:00Z")
I believe someone mentioned that they shave their armpits or legs every day or every other day. I have a friend who shaves her armpits and legs every morning. Does anyone’s hair really grow that fast? (I’m not being sarcastic, I’m genuinely curious.) I sometimes do, oftentimes don’t bother to shave, but when I do, I don’t have anything to shave off the following day. If I wanted to keep my legs bald, I would probably have to shave every five days (which would be the point where the hair is probably a millimetre), so it’s hard for me to fathom someone needing to do it daily. ---
**Author:** ![Shera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Shera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shera)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/30 "2001-08-28T04:14:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mortish \* > \*\*I believe someone mentioned that they shave their armpits or legs every day or every other day. I have a friend who shaves her armpits and legs every morning. Does anyone’s hair really grow that fast? (I’m not being sarcastic, I’m genuinely curious.) > > I sometimes do, oftentimes don’t bother to shave, but when I do, I don’t have anything to shave off the following day. If I wanted to keep my legs bald, I would probably have to shave every five days (which would be the point where the hair is probably a millimetre), so it’s hard for me to fathom someone needing to do it daily. \*\* God I wish I had your hair. I have to shave my pits everyday, and could do my legs everyday too. I do my legs about every two or three days. I am just to lazy to get up early enough every day to deal with it. In the winter I don’t shave at all. There’s no point since I wear pants all the time. It’s uncomfortable not to shave my pits, it get all spiky. ---
**Author:** ![sdarr2002](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@sdarr2002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdarr2002)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/31 "2001-08-28T04:44:26Z")
good lord, my sides hurt!! willie nelson in a headlock! i know this gal who this discribes exactly. i may never be able to look her in the face without laughing. and i gotta work with her. ---
**Author:** ![Mortish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/54ee81/32.png) [@Mortish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortish)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/32 "2001-08-29T02:43:42Z")
\>\>I have to shave my pits everyday, and could do my legs everyday too. I do my legs about every two or three days. I am just to lazy to get up early enough every day to deal with it. In the winter I don’t shave at all. There’s no point since I wear pants all the time. So, there is enough hair there by the following day in order to shave again? Ah, I couldn’t do that. Not only is my skin super sensitive, but I can’t be bothered anyway. I don’t often shave even if I’m in a skirt or a tank top. I don’t care enough about it. However, I do shave my legs on the very rare occasion I wear fishnet stockings–it’s quite a sight if one doesn’t shave! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/33 "2001-08-29T04:50:30Z")
[I like hairy women.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=71265) I’m all in favor of women never shaving their legs, never plucking their eyebrows. **Edwardina, Ferggie, bluethree, Mortish** , and all the other unshaven-leg ladies in the world, Goddess bless you, I love you. (Hmm, speaking of “Goddess,” they’re using Her to market the new Venus razor. Ironic.) ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/34 "2001-08-29T06:01:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\* > I mean, I guess if you grow up around women who don’t shave their body hair, that’s what you would find sexy, just as I’ve grown up around smooth women, so I think that’s sexy. > \*\* But…but…What about Nena? You know, that moment in the video for “99 Luftballons” where she raises her arms above her head and you see this full growth of hair? God, that was sexy. And she’s **German** , for God’s sake! [sub]Would this be a bad moment to admit my fetish for Germanic women?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![My\_Darn\_Snake\_Legs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@My\_Darn\_Snake\_Legs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Darn_Snake_Legs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/35 "2001-08-29T06:40:18Z")
I’ll chime in on the side of pro-shaving! I don’t particularly care if a girl shaves her legs…but the pit-bush has to go! It’s a complete turnoff. As for the crotch, I really prefer the “landing-strip” to a complete shave…but the OCB (outta control bush) must be tamed! –==the sax man==– ---
**Author:** ![LaToyota\_Corolla\_Falana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@LaToyota\_Corolla\_Falana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaToyota_Corolla_Falana)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/36 "2001-08-30T21:26:41Z")
Captain Klinger (M_A_S\*H) wearing a sleeveless dress is my idea of discusting. Any women that wants to look like Klinger can sign up for a few tours of duty and I won’t miss her. If God had meant for women to have hairy pits, he wouldn’t have made men invent shavers. ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/37 "2001-08-30T23:50:20Z")
I don’t get the hang-up with normal hair growth. Armpit hair is in fact there for natural hygenic reasons. Why should it be a turnoff? I guess the “prepubescent girl” theory is most likely. But that would be quite sick now, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/38 "2001-08-31T00:50:03Z")
**Quasimodem** , I just spent a little while in Stuttgart and saw many, many German women. Two things stood out: they dress very well, and I barely saw any body hair anywhere. Anyway, count me in among the hair haters. I know it’s shallow, but I can’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/39 "2001-08-31T01:19:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Edwardina \* > \*\*Let me preface this by saying I don’t think women should feel obligated to shave anything. > > I shave my armpits. I feel uncomfortable if I don’t, and it seems to me (although this might be my imagination), that I get body odor quicker if my armpits are not cleanly shaven. \*\* You do. Hair traps bacteria, and bacteria produces odor as it breaks down. That’s supposed to be why men’s sweat has a stronger odor to it, with all the hair trapping bacteria…Men should shave their underarms too if they’re going to be doing a lot of sweat producing activity. It’d make the world a less smelly place. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331/40 "2001-08-31T01:38:17Z")
Hair may trap the stinky little beasties but shaving introduces them into your skin. I have a medical reason not to shave my pits --really, wanna see my doctor’s note? It’s a relatively unknown desease called hidradenitis. My doctor advised my not to shave my underarms. He also advised me not use deodorant, to which I answered “But I like people!” I don’t have that much hair under there anyway, what with all the surgeries. I clip it when gets to long. And so concludes Biggirl’s TMI undarm hair post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-with-underarm-hair/78331.md?page=3)