4 Surprising Benefits of Not Shaving My Legs
I’ve don’t regret letting myself go au naturel.
Like most people who were assigned female at birth, I was raised with the cultural norm that as soon as I started growing leg hair, I should shave it all off. It should appear as though a single hair had never once touched my legs.
As with many societal ideas of what it means to be feminine, I absorbed this idea and took it as gospel.
I never left the house without meticulously removing every hair from my legs. If I noticed while out and about that I’d missed a spot, I would be absolutely mortified and immediately rectify the problem the instant I got home.
At age twenty-four, it has been just over a decade since I started regularly shaving my legs. For most of that time, I never questioned why it was considered unhygienic for a woman to forgo shaving while a man could do the same thing without criticism.
Part of that may have stemmed from the fact that for most of my adult life, I almost exclusively dated men. I mistakenly thought I was straight, then realized I liked girls as well. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that my attraction to men wasn't genuine, and that I was actually a massive lesbian.
I entered my first serious relationship with a woman late last year. One day I made a haphazard comment to her that I had missed a spot while shaving that morning.
“Oh, I really don’t care whether you shave or not,” she said. “I’ll still love you either way.”
In all my years of dating, that was the first time someone had said that to me. Past boyfriends had pretty much demanded that I shave, or we wouldn't get intimate. This was a huge first for me.
As a result, I started gradually shaving less and less often. I might have been terrified at first were it not the beginning of winter. The only person who would have access to my bare legs was my partner, and she’d admitted that she didn’t care whether I shaved. So, over the next few weeks, my legs got less acquainted with my razor.
Eventually, a few months ago, I decided to stop shaving my legs altogether.
It helps that I have a fellow lesbian coworker who frequently wears shorts. Although her leg hair is blonde and not dark like mine, she’s still loud and proud of the fact that she doesn’t conform to typical societal beauty standards. Her courage, along with my partner’s support, inspired me.
Since I’ve made the decision to do away with shaving my legs altogether, I have noticed a few surprising benefits. They include:
1. I’ve saved so much time in the shower
Normally, my shower routine consists of washing my hair, putting conditioner in, and letting that conditioner work its magic while I shave and wash my body. That would end up taking close to twenty minutes in total.
Ever since I stopped shaving, I’ve managed to cut that time by more than half.
Shaving my legs took up so much time because there was so much surface area to cover.
Not to mention, I also use less water, lessening the impact that I have on the environment. Even though it’s just by a smidge, I think every little bit helps.
2. I save money on shaving products
Now that I no longer spend money on razors and shaving cream, I’ve saved a decent amount of money I would have normally spent on these products. It’s nothing to really write home about, but it’s money that could be spent on other groceries I actually need.
3. My legs feel softer
Everyone has that friend who likes to shove their freshly shaven legs in your face, demanding you feel how silky smooth they are. I admit I used to be that friend until I decided to stop shaving for good.
Your legs certainly feel soft right after you’ve shaved, that’s for sure. But I actually prefer the way they feel after I've forgone shaving for a few months.
Sure, there will be the annoying in-between stages of prickliness for the first few weeks. But once you get over that hurdle, I can all but guarantee you that you will enjoy the new softness to your legs.
4. I ultimately feel freer
I’m no longer succumbing to the rigid and annoying beauty standards set by the patriarchy, the demands that women keep their bodies as smooth and hairless as an infant. For this reason, I feel much freer.
I might just fit the stereotype of a hairy lesbian, but I don’t care. What men think about my body no longer matters to me. Even if you date men, it shouldn’t matter to you either.
Ultimately, what you do with your body should be your choice, not the choice of the person you’re dating or even society at large. So if you want to throw away your razor, you should feel free to do so.
