Like most girls in our society, I started shaving my legs around the time I started puberty. For me, it was sparked by a certain important person in my life, who is older than I, seeing me in shorts and saying, "Katie [because I was Katie then], you should start shaving your legs!" I recall a certain other important person in my life telling the former that I'd start shaving my legs when I was ready to, and that I didn't need anyone telling me when to start.
Since then, I have shaved my legs. All. the. time. Every other day during shorts season. In middle and high school, I'd even shave my legs every other day during the winter, because I had to change my pants in the locker room, and I didn't want anyone seeing me with hairy legs. In college, I felt the freedom to go about a week between shaves during the winter.
And I've never liked shaving. I don't exactly enjoy most of my hygienic routine, but it's definitely satisfying to wash my hair, brush my teeth, and wash my body. I feel better after doing so. But shaving my legs has never felt that way to me. Touching my freshly-shaved legs is nice, but it doesn't last long enough to really feel worth the effort. And I'm super pale. My hair is super dark. So even minutes after shaving, my legs still looked a little stubbly. Shaving over my knees gives them horrible razor burn, even once a week. About halfway through the summer, every year, my knees hurt just from gentle touches because the razor burn gets so bad. I usually develop ingrown hairs that form even more painful bumps on my knees in the summer, too.
But this summer, I'm not going to shave my legs.
I got really lazy this winter, and I was also really cold. I knew that if I shaved my week-old leg hairs, they'd be noticeably colder when I went outside, and I didn't want any of that. I also knew that the longer I waited to shave, the longer it would take to shave. And every time I thought about shaving my legs, I just felt such an overwhelming desire to get out of the shower. So I did.
And now, the more I stare at my hairy legs, the more I like them. I mean, it is a little weird. The hairs on my shins are a lot longer than the hairs on the backs of my calves. A trim would be nice.
When I first considered keeping my leg hair, I thought about the stigma behind it. Let's face it. Most women with hairy legs are looked at as either dirty hippies, dirty hipsters, lesbians, or transgender female-to-male. Even if they're not any of those things. It's stupid, but I was afraid that showing off my hairy legs would make people think that I was dirty. Even though I know that I'm not! I bathe regularly. Just because I don't shave my legs doesn't mean I don't wash them.
I tested how I felt in public by going to the grocery store in shorts. I haven't made any friends in my new state, and I work with only one person who lives 11 miles away, so I knew I wouldn't run into anyone I know. Driving there felt weird. With my windows down, I could feel my leg hairs billowing in the wind. I've gotten used to that walking around at home, but to feel it in the car was a new experience.
Walking around the store felt so unbelievably liberating. I looked at people's faces as I passed them, and most of them didn't even look down at my legs. Granted, at the grocery store people tend to be buried in their shopping lists and the shelves in front of them. But still, to walk around in public and not feel those dirty looks I expected was awesome.
I might shave my legs for special occasions, but I also might not. I've spent my entire post-puberty life making sure to shave my legs for special occasions that take place during dress/shorts season. I've only spent three months (or something) as someone who can't be bothered to shave her legs, and it's only been one month since I decided to be someone who doesn't even care to shave her legs again. Will the societal pressures in my family lead me to shave my legs before my nephew's upcoming first birthday celebration? Nah. If anyone in my family actually cares, I'll have some carefully chosen words for them. Will the societal pressures in the world lead me to shave my legs for a job interview if I wear a skirt to it? Maybe. Hopefully not. If the person interviewing me is going to judge me for having hairy legs, I don't want to work for them. Will I want smooth legs for my wedding? Right now, yes, I think I will. But I'm not even engaged right now. Maybe, hopefully, by the time I get married, I'll be so used to my leg hairs that I won't feel less princess-bride-like with them.
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