For some of you, this may fall under too much information, but here goes anyway. I don't shave. Not anywhere. Not my legs, not my armpits, not my bikini line.
Sometimes I'll shave when the warm weather hits and keep it up through the fall. When we went on our cruise 5 years ago (wow - has it really been that long), I kept the shaving up through early November, when we went on the cruise.
I have not shaved for the summer even in a few years. Most of the time, I'm okay with this. I just don't want to spend the time on shaving and both my pits and my bikini line get rashy when I shave. Also, I tell myself, this is what a mature female's body looks like. It's normal. All the shaving to look like a prepubescent girl, now that's unnatural. Most of the time, I even believe it.
Sometimes, though, I feel self conscious about it. I have to admit that I think I look sexier shaved. Although, I can still feel the sense of "What is that about? Why does a woman shaved to look like a prepubescent look sexier? Really, that's just wrong." Back to the self conscious thing.
When I'm at the pool, I do sometimes feel like I don't look good because of the profusion of hair. I don't skip the shaving because my various bodily hair is unnoticeable, let me tell ya. For a blond, I've got some thick, dark hair in places other than my head.
However, here's the thing. We're going to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend. The last time we went, I did not shave. I thought about it and felt a little bit like people would be looking at me like I was a lunatic, but I did not shave. I felt a little self conscious, but it was alright. Other than the people I'd brought with me, who are all used to me and how I look, I didn't know anyone there anyway.
This is the crux of the issue. All the gymnastics moms will be there. They will talk. It happens. Am I okay with them talking about me and my hair? Do I want to shave to avoid that? Do I want to shave because I'm a rather competitive person and want to look better than the other moms? Or do I stick by my guns and say, with my actions, "Hey! This is what a woman looks like! Get over it!"
This is my dilemma.
You are probably already gone and have decided what you are going to do.
ReplyDeleteI personally shave when I'm in public. Only because I'm not real thin to begin with, have an extre amount of flabby excess skin because of loosing over 100+ lbs and don't want to be even more obvious than I already am.
I really think it is a very personal choice and you can only do what is best for you.
I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my daughter. I would be curious what your thoughts are since I believe our daughters are close in age (a year or two difference). Myy daughter has been shaving her arms (or I have been for her for nearly a year). She has asked to shave other areas (not her legs) several times. I don't quite understand it. She does not watch/see others who do. So are her classmates discussing it? Is this normal? I have never thought about..
Anyway, it is a discussion I have thought about having on my blog for sometime and just haven't got there. Maybe I will in the next day or two or three....
When I want to tidy up a bit in the bikini line I have DH take very small sissors and give me a vyer close crew cut. That way I do not get a rash. It is also usually a nice time for us as a couple.;-0 I also keep my hair in the area generally short, just trimed, not shaved, not even close cropped just trimmed up a bit. It really does feels better esp in the summer. DH also does this for me also. I cut the hair on my head to suit my self so I guess I can cut my hair other places. And yes a lot of it is social pressure but I like the look of my hair inside my panties not outside. Personal choice.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you end up doing?
Davan doesn't need to shave yet. She has the odd long armpit hair, quite blond, but that's it so far. Thus far, no area has been a shaving issue. There is no pubic hair and her legs just have little girl fine hairs.
ReplyDeleteShe isn't interested in shaving, either, even in the future, she tells me, but with being a gymnast, I do believe it will become an issue. If she doesn't, she'll get peer pressure...maybe she won't care. We'll see.
If she wants to shave, I'd let her. I'm pretty sure I won't be the one to initiate it, though.
I do trim my pubic hair sometimes because it's quite long and bothersome for long bike rides, but I don't shave it. That would be prickly, I think. I have "koala ears" when I wear a swim suit that I feel self conscious about sometimes. I can see that I'd consider shaving it again for an event such as we just had.
My leg hair is abundant, as well, and I do like how it looks when it's shaved. I just think it's social that I prefer the shaved look and I wish I could just get over it because, looks aside, I prefer not to shave.