To Shave or Not to Shave: That is the Question

by Tonia

I grew up as a pseudo-hippie in the 60s and 70s. As part of my loyalty to the cause (?) I didn’t shave my legs. This was not appreciated by many of my peers - recently an old friend from high school admitted he didn’t ask me to the senior prom because he couldn’t stomach my hairy legs. (It IS true that I needed a weed-whacker rather than a simple razor.)

So where did this crazy female leg-shaving ritual come from? It seems that in the 1940s, after Betty Grable’s WWII pin-up picture for the troops, it became a patriotic duty for women to show off their legs. <eye roll> This new found “patriotism,” plus shorter skirts and sheer stockings (and I’m sure the razor industry), made American women begin to covet sleek dolphin skin instead of human skin.

Today leg hair removal involves so many damn decisions. What age to start, whether to shave or wax, whether to use soap or cream, how often to do it, how high to go, etc. (We have a Leg Shaving Decision Tree HERE for you if you're needing assistance in your decision making.) I usually come out of the bathroom looking like I’ve been leg wrestling with Edward Scissorhands. And, instead of dolphin skin, within 24 hours, I end up with cactus skin.

And don’t you just love it when you’re in the bathroom trying to get the job done and members of the family start pounding on the door demanding to know what you're doing? I’ve seriously considered telling them that I am shaving shapes on my legs –like the bushes at Disney World. Don’t disturb an artist at work.

I recently discovered that you are supposed to change razors every third use. Damn. My razor has been in the shower since Hillary Clinton was appointed Secretary of State. Maybe that's why my razor rash looks like an STD on steroids.

And let me say a word about shaving armpits. Armpits are concave areas; razors are flat. Sometimes the best I can do is a mini Mohawk under there.

If you are looking for a game for your next wild girlfriends’ get together:

Have everyone lather up. Give each one a spatula. Then blindfold them and say, “GO!” Everyone removes their lather with their spatulas. At the end of 60 seconds call “STOP!” The one with the most lather removed wins. We have done this at several parties. Always a riot. Enjoy! (And be careful not to cut yourself!)