Hair Acceptance

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Should women shave their pits & legs?
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Shale
Shale
81 Followers

It was casual Friday at the office. While I wore my usual shorts and T-shirt, the very attractive young black woman who works with me wore a sleeveless dress. We work together every day, so she knows some of my quirks and said she hoped I wouldn't be too distracted by her attire.

Sleeveless dresses on women aren't distracting, but when the woman sports a nice bush of hair in her armpits, that gets my attention. Unfortunately, in America it gets most peoples' attention, but not in the admiring way that I see it. There is such great social pressure for women to shave their armpits in this country that seeing a woman as nature intended can get reactions of snickers, whispers or outright derision.

In fact, the young woman who was comfortable enough around me to display her hairy underarms, became quite self-conscious when the boss came into the office, and she was sure not to raise her arms. I understand these tendencies to bend your personal grooming choices and acquiesce to opposing social demands, but I don't like it and I suppose I've been advocating for personal freedom since the '70s when I had shoulder length hair and a beard in a clean shaven and crew-cut world.

That was a time when our subculture of young people threw out a lot of established social concepts and explored things on their own merit. We tried everything that was not mainstream American, and along with casual mixed-gender nudity and sexuality we explored Eastern philosophy, Astrology, yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, herbalism, Wicca, healing crystals, and many other alternative or "New Age" lifestyles. Many of us were also into the natural, as seen by our abundance of hair on both men and women.

Those of us who have an appreciation of natural body hair on women are considered strange in the mainstream American culture. Outside the "mainstream" American culture, there is a subcultural appreciation of the unshaven woman's armpits among black Americans. I don't know the percentage, but by observation among the black women that I know, there is a considerable number who don't shave their underarms.

My wife, who was black, didn't shave and most of her sisters don't. At my workplace in Miami, there are numerous black women besides my immediate coworker, who occasionally wear sleeveless dresses and reveal unshaved pits. My stepdaughter didn't shave her pits when she was in high school until she became a cheerleader and it was required. I offered to fight that rule with her, but teenagers, it seems, would rather give up individuality and go along with the crowd. Come to think of it, that trait doesn't appear to end with the teen years for most people.

Not all black women go unshaven. Both my stepdaughter and one of my sisters-in-law said that they only let their hair grow in the winter when they wear long sleeve shirts. For public appearance in the summer, they bend to the cultural norm and shave. My daughter says that she knows some young black men who prefer their women to shave, but my brother-in-law, as I suspect of many black men, prefers a woman with a bush in her pits.

Likewise, not all white women fall into the American cultural norm of having shaved armpits. There was a surge in the '60s and '70s, when beards and long hair on men challenged the grooming norms and the women that were with us quit shaving their legs and armpits. Today there are a few white women who forego shaving, usually feminists, lesbians or other free spirits who feel that letting their armpit hair grow is an act of female empowerment. On the websites that cater to showing female armpit hair, (There's a website for everything you know!) the white women shown are often European athletes wearing competition tank tops or bathing suits.

Double Standard

Why is it that men can keep the natural hair on their bodies but women must have hairless legs and underarms? No one gives a second glance at men in tank tops showing all manner of hairy pits, yet if a woman shows a shadow in a sleeveless dress as Julia Roberts did in London in May 1999 at her premier ofNotting Hill or Gillian Anderson did in April 2001 at a pro-choice rally in Hollywood, it makes the worst dressed pages ofPeople magazine.

The theory is that American women started shaving in the first decades of the 20th century when dress cuts started showing more leg, and sleeveless dresses showing underarms. American women became the target of a new marketing claim that they needed to be "clean" shaven. In May of 1915,Harper's Bazaar magazine featured a dress advertisement photo of a young woman with her arm raised and a perfectly smooth armpit with the caption, "Summer Dress and Modern Dancing combine to make necessary the removal of objectionable hair." Shortly thereafter, the shocking term "underarm" was being used and a new market for razor blades was born.

The rest is modern American history where 9 out of 10 women shaved in 1996. This seems to be an Anglo thing, because other European cultures, with the exception of England, do not have that high a percentage of women who shave. There was an Australian study in 1998, primarily on Caucasian women with the same ratio of 9 out of 10 who shaved their legs and underarms. In 1991, even among strong feminists, 72% shaved their legs and/or underarms. Among lesbians it was 55%.

Still, men can wear tank tops and shorts without being expected to shave their legs or underarms, so the question still lingers, why women?

One theory gets into weird psychosexual areas such as the desire to infantilize women. This is probably why liberated women dare to let their natural hair grow as it should, and show that they are women, not girls. As the theory goes, men feel less threatened and more in control with girls, so the majority of men desire to have clean-shaved women, and the majority of women, seeking to lure a man, remove their mark of maturity. This practice has become so common in American culture that it is taken for granted that ALL women must shave their pits at puberty, unless they belong to one of the minorities previously mentioned.

Even the term "clean-shaven" gives a connotation that unshaven must be dirty. Granted, hair does harbor bacteria, especially in the armpits and groin area, but it was designed to do that and not all bacteria are harmful. The bacteria in the armpits that causes the distinctive odor of our species does work better with hair, which is one of the reasons given for shaving. However, this is another area of American acculturation; the designation of our natural scent as foul smelling, while many European cultures regard it as a sensual fragrance that is actually sexually exciting.

In studies of women who shave their pits, the main reason they gave for starting was to avoid social disapproval. After bending to the social pressure to start shaving their pits and legs (a rite of passage for girls in our culture) the reasons given for continuing was to be more feminine and attractive.

I am of the minority of American men and women who like seeing a woman's natural hair in her armpit. Maybe, if more of us Americans who appreciate a natural woman would let our views be known, more women would opt to show their mark of sexual maturity and confidence to defy the dictates of the razor industry.

Shale
Shale
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18 Comments
5A4nxL325A4nxL323 months ago

As a UK based lover of hairy women enjoyed reading this. Have always loved hairy pits & legs on a woman. In recent years I think social media, particularly Instagram, have given young women a platform to flaunt their natural bodies & get lots of support from others who love this natural look.

speakingmusicspeakingmusicover 2 years ago

I'm with you all the way.

My wife stopped shaving her armpits and legs about 20 years ago on my request. She loves not having to deal with it any more and I get to enjoy the soft hair on her legs.

We were enjoying one of the beautiful SoCal beaches with another couple, when Darla, a female friend of ours, noticed the hair on my wife's armpits one day while enjoying some time at the beach. "Don't you shave?" she asked.

My wife, a comfortable mid-50's woman, was wearing a black one piece bathing suit. Her long red hair tied back into a pony tale as she laid out on the blanket enjoying the sun. She propped herself up on her elbow and replied, "No. I haven't for years, not even my legs," she stroked her hand along her bare leg bringing the fine blonde hairs to our friend's attention.

"Not even the bikini area?"

"Well," my wife admitted, "because my pubic hair is dark, I do trim the hairs, but I don't shave." Taking a quick glance around as we weren't at a clothing optional beach, she pulled the crotch of her swimsuit to the side to show her dark bush. Using her free hand, she fluffed the public hairs a bit then smiled, "I'm getting older, so my public hair is thinning. I'm not sure I'll even need to trim it much longer."

"What about your husband?"

I sat up, "I'm all for it. I'm glad her hair isn't as thick as our dogs coat, but it's soft and delightful to touch."

"Even down there?" Darla blushed.

"Yes," smiling at her naivety, "especially down there. I trim it ever so often so it doesn't get matted or tangled. The act of trimming has it's own rewards."

----

Six weeks later, Darla stops by our apartment. She was wear a cotton sleeveless blouse and light summer shorts. The moment she walks in the door she lifts her arm, "I've stopped shaving." Her dark hair hadn't grown in very thick yet, but it was obvious she was joining the hairy armpit club.

My wife smiles, "and your legs?"

Our friend stepped over to a chair, lifted up her leg and ran her hand along the calf bone. Again, the hair wasn't very long, but definitely visible. Her hair is much darker than my wife's, so the color makes it more obvious against her pale white skin. "It's a bit prickly right now. How do you get it to be soft?"

"When it gets a bit longer, use a pair of scissors or a trimmer to cut off the tips. It will take a while, but eventually it will soften up."

"And for your bush, your husband said he trims it. What does he use?"

The two of them headed to the bathroom, where my wife showed Darla our trimmer. "It has this clip which allows you to run it along your leg trimming the hair to an 1/8 of an inch. This cuts off the ends without making the hair so short it gets stubbly."

"Is that what your husband uses on your bush?"

"Sometimes, but sometimes her prefers the intimacy of scissors."

"Can I try it?"

My wife shrugs her shoulders and hands her the trimmer. I was standing just behind my wife and expected Darla to close the bathroom door, but no. She undid the button and zipper on her shorts. The light fabric dropped to the floor. She wasn't wearing any underwear. Her black public hair barely covered anything, with her plump labia visible.

Darla stood with her hips thrust forwards, clicked on the trimmer, and angled it down toward her crotch. After a couple of attempts, she didn't feel she could get the angle right. She looked up at my wife, "Could you do it? Show me how it's done?"

My wife stuttered, "I'm not sure I'll be any better." She then turned to me, who was still somewhat in shock for see our friend drop her shorts in front of me so blithely. "Care to show Darla what you do for me?"

"I, uh..." My wife and I exchanged places and Darla handed me the trimmers. "Why don't you sit on the edge of the tub. It'll be more relaxing for you and I can get a better angle."

She stepped back, sat on the tub, and spread her legs. Her labia opened up to display her soft pink lips. She wasn't wet, but I was certainly getting hard. Fortunately, I was wearing loose fitting jams with underwear. So, while my cock was hard, it was restrained by my underwear and not causing a tent in my shorts.

I knelt down between Darla's legs, removed the hair guide from the trimmer, and put a hand on her leg to steady myself.

"Don't you want the clip to keep from trimming the hair too short?" Darla asked.

"If we were trimming your legs, yes. but for between your legs, I find it is easier to see where the blades are, as this is a much more delicate area."

I slowly edged the trimmer up from between her legs. As I began trimming her hairs, she giggled and wiggled her legs. "Oh my god, that tingles."

"Well, yes, the trimmer is vibrating. It's going to 'tickle' a bit." I continued trimming her hair. Every so often, Darla would twitch her hips as the buzzing, vibrating was sending sensations through her body. The more I trimmed, the more her labia bloomed, until eventually, her vagina was slightly open and seriously wet.

After I finished off the last bit, I shut off the trimmer. "There, you're all done."

"Not so fast," my wife interjects as she hands me a warm wash cloth. "Here, wipe of the excess hair so it doesn't get stuck anywhere."

I looked up at Darla for approval. Wiping her vagina was a lot more intimate than trimming her hair. It required physical contact. She just smiled at me. Taking the wash cloth, I wiped the upper portion of her public mound. The black hairs her still visible, but short. The moisture and motion from the cloth caused them to lay down. I then moved around to the outer edges of the labia between her legs, making sure to wipe off any excess hair. Again, the sensations of the cloth caused Darla to twitch.

I looked up at Darla, who was watching my face. I slid the wash cloth down between her legs and slid it up along her vaginal lips. My middle finger was just beyond the edge of the cloth, allowing me to feel the silky, moist lips as I slowly slid the wash cloth up. As my finger reached her clit, I gave it a few small circles. Our eyes were locked on each other. Darla's hips edged forward slightly responding to the stimulus. I slid my finger down to just past the opening and then back up again.

"That's you done." I took the wash cloth, wiped my hands, and turned to stand.

"Fuck me," Darla moaned. "No wonder trimming leads to other things. I'm so close to cumming, I don't think Randy would even get one stroke in before I was over the edge."

As I stood up and turned to rinse out the wash cloth, my wife reached down and squeezed my hard cock. She said nothing, and Darla stayed for a few more hours. But, needless to say, once she left, my wife and I adjourned to the bedroom for some much needed relief.

dirtyfishdirtyfishover 6 years ago
Hairy Lover

I was stationed in Germany during the 60's and most German women didn't shave their body hair. And since I was a virgin and hadn't seen any American woman hairy, I soon became addicted to this. The aroma fetish was soon to follow.

Blk_HotwifeBlk_Hotwifealmost 9 years ago

I find girl with unshaven armpits hot, especially black women. I at one time use to not shave, my boyfriend at the time requested it, yes he was black. Letting one's pubic hair grow is one thing, but the underarms is a whole different ball game and look.

NavauraNavauraover 14 years ago
HAIRY LEGS

You know, I shave my legs, but only when it gets a certain length and I happen to think that pubic hair is beautiful, because just as you said, it gives the look of a little girl when a woman is bald. I know that when my pubic hair grows, it's lusterous and very pretty. Infact, I think pubic hair is healthier and softer than hair on your head. Atleast that's been my experience. The problem with what I think is that many men don't like it and I am required to shave my crotch area. Hair under the underarms, I don't like because it tends to stick to deodorant even if it's clear and it forms clumps in the armpits, which is why I started shaving them.

Thanks for the article. It was very informative, unique and nicely written with as much data as possible. Very cool. :)

Navaura~

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