On Axillary Hair.

The Romans equated body hair with the barbarians. After all, the barbarians were the hairy, violent, uncivilized race. The Romans prized cleanliness as a sign of a civilized culture, and went to great length to remove unfashionable body hair. There is no right or wrong answer here, but social conventions are dictating smooth is in.

Nice entry. I lifeguarded all summer, and shaved my legs no more than once a week. I didn’t care if the pool patrons saw me with leg or underarm hair. I did shave my bikini area because, well, that is a private area. It’s refreshing to hear a guy talk about it, though, so thanks!

I agree with the whole “its your body do what you will” i’m perosnally a fan of shaving not because i had to(the hair on my body was blonde,go figure),but becausei just felt unclean if not.Arm pits,crotch,arms(had a friend shave my arms when i was sleeping as a joke and i like how it felt)..sometimes legs…even if i’m wearing shorts..i don’t care…do whats good for you unless it –

I’ve always shaved armpit hair because the climate here is hot all year round, and unshaven armpits stink horribly.

Random noter here, saw you one the front page I have a free … furry mind 😉 LOL actually, I decided it was itchy and had to go. I love your arguement though.

– makes you smell weird.. i personally freak out with body oder-=twitches=- but i tend to like furry/hairy guys lol…bye!

I like this entry. If only I could get past the itchy stage….

I don’t grow any though…..Damn stupid Scandanavian genes!

Great entry! Over the last couple years and embracing the whole natural, crunchy side, I’ve periodically given up shaving. Sometimes I do it because I feel like it, and sometimes I don’t shave because I feel like it. I totally agree with your sentiments here though, and that’s exactly why I don’t want to teach my (hypothetical future) daughters that body hair is “icky.” If they want to shave it, I’ll certainly help them, but I will also try to show the natural state as, well, natural.

I would do it for you 🙂

Shave your eyebrows and see if anyone would notice *smirk* I’ll start not shaving tomorrow

Awww darn! Haha. How about you draw yourself a unibrow with a sharpie and see if anybody notices. And no, I shower in ze mornings!

I’m too tactile to deal with the added distraction of fuzzy legs. I don’t feel particularly brainwashed. Realizing there’s a societal stigma does not, in itself, get rid of that uneasy feeling associated with breaking it. You advocate choice, but still say anyone who reacts strongly in favor of convention is under some conspiratorial mind control. Sometimes, relative “normal” just works out.

i tried not shaving. i didn’t like it. i shave my pits, my legs, my toe hair (!!!), my nether regions, and occasionally my stomach, and my chest (!!!) i also pluck my chin hairs (!!!)… but i shave them because i want to, and i like the feel of smooth skin. on the other end..i do not pluck my eyebrows, and i do not shave my arms–there is no need for either, for me.

I can’t remember the last time I shaved my legs, and my pits are only occasionally kept neat, as the hair gets itchy and annoying. As far as meaty chicks, I definitely prefer them to toothpicks as well. Same with dudes.

I know you’re not meaty, I used to peruse your OD years ago. In fact, you emailed me pictures of your naughty bits. I guess you’re right, as hair that is fully grown isn’t as annoying. I’ve never really had the chance to know.

I use an epilady-like machine on my underarms roughly once every two weeks, and wax roughly once a month. This is personal preference more than anything else. It’s been a year and a half since I’ve touched a razor to my skin, and almost ten years since I shaved regularly. Waxing is, by far, the way to go, IMO.

You sound like Tyler Durden. And that makes me want to have hot sex with you. That, and your ass. 😀

I have hairy legs, but they don’t bother me. I shave them if *I* feel like it. Everyone seems to remember the photograph of Julia Roberts with hairy underarms and acted like it was a big deal. So what? It just means that she’s human.

I don’t know when I last shaved my legs… early summer maybe? Its just not a big deal to have leg hair, I don’t feel it and certainly not worth the extra 10 or so minutes in the shower when I have sh*t to do. I do shave my pits more just for smell purposes… maybe once a month? I also keep down there trimmed with an old trimmer because too much hair *for me* starts to get uncomfortable. Not to mention, if you shave yourself for the “smooth” feelings… you’re going to have to do it *every day* or it will return to stubble which feels aweful and sharp. My leg hair is soft everyday, I just don’t have to worry about it.

Foreskin restoration – a new growth industry? I appreciate women who don’t shave – it’s almost always an indicator of further enlightenment in other respects. I take it as a good sign. Bravo, and fu-k the fascist beauty standards!

Alright. I’ll try it. I was reading this and thinking ‘but I don’t like having body hair. But then it occurred to me since that it’s been years since I questioned the truth of that statement, and years means that I was at the perfect impressionable age when I supposedly came to this conclusion. So I’ll try this hairy lark and we’ll see what the truth of the matter is.

Uh. Also, I’m going to try writing in comprehensible sentences and not forgetting closing apostrophes.

Random Noter. I see your notes on “Love’s Divine” diary from time to time. I couldnt agree with you more. Shaving is something that is expected amongst females. Its not something that is usually chosen. It’s not “normal” to not shave. I wish it were- then I would feel more comfortable with the idea of never having to buy razors again. I am a person who has incredibly sensitive skin and I have to deal with razor rash/ingrown hair constantly. Not having to shave would be AMAZING! Maybe laser hair removal will become more afforable in the near future. Anyways… I’m rambling. =P

Amen. Too many people retain grips on their minds like vices. The way to live is to lose your mind, “to breathe, to feel, to know I’m alive” instead of thinking about being alive, and the things necessary to exist “comfortably” The most comfortable person is the “unreasonably happy” person, the one who has no reason to be happy or comfortable, but simply is. Thanks for the Captain Obvious link. =)

this is perhaps one of the most interesting entries i’ve ever read on opendiary. 🙂 i may have to favorite you 🙂 shaving is such a pain…luckily i don’t really give a damn what other people think of me and my hair…

It would be great to find a guy that was attracted to underarm hair, in the sense that said guy would obviously not be prejudice to most of the things the rest of men are prejudiced to… Meeting someone like that would be a refreshing kick in the face. Like this entry was. !

i dont know how i got to this entry, but i loved it. i come from a town where it’s cool to not shave. yeah, i lucked out. i hate shaving my armpits, it’s so damn uncomfortable. and if i actually do shave my legs i can hardly wait for it to grow out again because it’s so rough and itchy when it’s been shaved. smooth skin only lasts so long. ugh. i hate shaving. here’s to missoula mt!

WTF? Why DO I shave my pits? I don’t know! Aaaaahhhh! Thanks for this entry, now I have something to ponder.

I like letting my leg hair grow long. I do shave, but not as often in the winter. A lot of the other shaving/trimming is such a habit. I liked this entry. Found you through some favourites.

haha. I know, I’m randomly commenting your old entries. But, I really don’t care to shave too often. Unless I know I’m going to a dance or something dressy, where people will look at my legs and be freaked out. And it started because I was too lazy. But this whole summer, I probably shaved one or two times in the beginning. I really don’t care at all.

pics?

You’ve got quite a following, and I am compelled to add you to my faves….I stumbled across you Randomly. I especially like your front page and the term “hot furry pits” I do not know, however , what you mean by restoring your foreskin? ~Beckie