When did you stop shaving legs, underarms, etc. and other passing questions!!!!

[nickm1492]

I'm just curious. I dress like a guy. I don't own anything female other than underwear and bra. I have a man's haircut. The whole deal. I do shave however. Because of my breasts and because of my voice. No I don't have the highest voice but it isn't low enough at all to be considered male. But anyway, there is still this element of "embarrassment" to not shave and still pass as female. I'm getting a binder soon so all is well in that end. I shall try to pass as much as possible and what not.

Also, something I'm worried about is getting my binder but using it for school. Like this semester already started and I don't really want to rock the boat. Though a binder doesn't really seem like a big issue. I guess I just gotta stop caring. But as for the shaving, I definitely think I will continue doing it since I have shorts and for now, I am "female" in the eyes of prof's and peers.

[Nygeel]

I stopped shaving when I was 16. I didn't really care about it. I would wear shorts, or a muscle shirt/tank top. Nobody really cared.

[Kreuzfidel]

I lived androgynously for years, but like you didn't bind so it was obvious I had breasts.  I didn't want to endure the teasing that always came from my family or others when I had hairy legs and pits, so I shaved.  I stopped altogether about 3 years ago.  About binding, my family never even noticed I had a flat chest - or, if they did, didn't comment.

[Lee]

I noticed that I was the only one who seemed to care.  My dad gave me some grief for it, but he was just joking around.  It just took getting through the "what will other people say?" in my head.

[Kyle_S]

I don't generally wear shorts, but in cases where I have had to in the past, I shaved my legs. I still do get read as female sometimes. Haven't shaved them now in about a year and a half. Not much hair, but makes me feel better, manlier. I stopped shaving armpits around 6 months ago.

[supremecatoverlord]

Mind you, there are plenty of men who shave parts of their body, even though it's usually considered by a society as a more "metrosexual" thing to do.

Currently, only thing I do is occasionally trim my underarm hair and shave "down there" though.
I'm pretty hairy.

I haven't shaved my face recently because it's been really irritated, but I probably should.

[he who shall not be named]

I don't shave and I don't pass, either, so I understand the embarrassment. I've actually gotten a lot of ->-bleeped-<- about it from family.  Sometimes people will look at me weird if I'm wearing shorts, but generally strangers don't give a crap.

But yeah, I'd say stop shaving when you feel comfortable and not before. I've met dudes who shaved/had very little body hair, so you're covered. 

[nickm1492]

I don't shave and I don't pass, either, so I understand the embarrassment. I've actually gotten a lot of ->-bleeped-<- about it from family.  Sometimes people will look at me weird if I'm wearing shorts, but generally strangers don't give a crap.

But yeah, I'd say stop shaving when you feel comfortable and not before. I've met dudes who shaved/had very little body hair, so you're covered. 

Yep! It's all about being comfortable! Not there yet though! lol

Thanks for everyone for all the great answers

[insideontheoutside]

I know a few dudes that shave. A couple of them are cyclists so they do it for that purpose but another one just does it because he doesn't like body hair.

The social "stigma" is definitely on females though if they don't shave. Which I always thought was lame. I think a lot of women out there really don't like shaving but do it because otherwise people would look at them weird or they think men would think they're not feminine.

So if you're not passing and you don't like shaving, then it's really just a matter of YOU being comfortable with it and comfortable with the fact some people still might give you sh*t about it.

For me, personally I go in phases of it. Basically whatever I feel in the mood to do. I don't do any "manscaping" though. Just not really into that lol

[Ayden]

I stopped shaving about 4 months ago completely. But even when I did shave, it was usually only my armpits because I go to the gym very regularly. My legs were usually neglected, since I wore sweatpants. Now I just kinda leave it alone. People tend not to comment, and if they do I just raise an eyebrow at them. The only shaving I do now is my peach fuzz on my face, but mostly because when I am down it makes me feel better.

I know several guys who do shave though, and two who wax because they like it. I might shave in the future, but eh. We will see. I tend to be pretty lazy about shaving.

[caseyyy]

I stopped shaving my legs and stuff, but it's winter so I haven't been seen in shorts yet. Nervous for it, but I was sick of it. I still shave downstairs though, the hair there bothers me a lot.

[Make_It_Good]

I was made to start shaving at around 11, but stopped completely at around 14. It was risky in P.E (Physical education, or gym class) at school, but thankfully our P.E school uniform though it consisted of shorts, also included knee high football socks. The same for both sexes. So noone saw my hairy calves, though some people would comment on the slight hair on my knees.

I remember one day, I forgot my socks. I was freaking out, as I would have to do P.E without and everyone would see my legs and Id get done for forgetting part of my P.E kit. My twin sister stepped in and let me use her socks, she saved me so badly and I was so thankful!

Also, around 15 I started wearing bandages to flatten my chest. Though after being forced to wear a (hate the word) bra, at 11, I never did after age 12.

[Devin87]

The only time I've ever shaved my armpits was when I used to wear female bathing suits.  I'd only shave right before leaving for the beach or pool or whatever because I hated it so much.  Now that I wear a rash guard t-shirt and board shorts to swim I never shave them.

Legs I've also only shaved when I knew they were going to be seen by people outside my family and college roommate.  I've never shaved them in the winter and there were a few summers I wore pants all summer to avoid shaving them (and because before I got the courage to wear men's cargo shorts, all I had were skimpy girl shorts that showed off my fat thighs which I couldn't stand).  This past summer I was pretty much forced into presenting female all summer and since I work outside, I end up wearing shorts pretty much every day.  Since I was presenting female and had to wear shorts at my workplace, I didn't want to make the company look bad or start any problems by having hairy legs, so I shaved (even though I hated every second of it).  This summer I'm going to do everything in my power not to get roped into having to present female again (the main problem was they put my female name on my nametag and refused to order me a new one even though I offered to pay for it).  So hopefully my days of shaving anything but my face are over.

[wheat thins are delicious]

I never really shaved.  I did my arm pits legs a few times: for school plays when I was going to have to wear a dress, prom, graduation.  Basically the times I was going to wear a dress.  I shaved my arm pits more regularly than that, mainly because I was worried someone would look down my shirt sleeve and see my hair.  After I went to college I decided to stop shaving all together, I was 18.

[Adio]

Hmm...I can't remember exactly when I stopped shaving altogether.  In high school, I remember stopping and only shaving when absolutely necessary.  I even wore knee-high tube socks during the summer to avoid it.  It must have been the second half of my freshman year (junior college) that I stopped shaving completely.  At that time, I was presenting only part-time due to school.

When I first got a binder, I was a sophomore in high school.  My mom was so afraid that someone would notice, so she didn't want me to wear it to school.  I obeyed until I just couldn't stand the dysphoria anymore.  If anyone noticed the change, they never said anything.

[Sharky]

The only times I shaved was when I had to. Wouldn't wear shorts or anything sleeveless

[schism]

i haven't been shaving for a while now.  i used to shave a lot- breaking away from that social stigma was difficult.  the only time i shaved recently was going to get my new tattoo... knowing me as female, i wasn't sure the artist would appreciate working close to pit hair for four hours.  i got paranoid about it.  and i manscape, because i like things neat.  i haven't shaved my legs for a year and i'm never touching them again with a razor, unless they're getting inked. 

[fatalerror]

On a whim, I just stopped shaving in the past 2 months. I was tired of the skin irritation and discomfort, and I haven't gone back yet, though I know if I end up having to go home in the summer I will need to do it again since my family will find me disgusting.

Honestly, I don't quite get why shaving is gender-specific, seems odd to me that there are social stigmas about women who don't shave and about men who do - but I wear shorts here and nobody says anything, most likely since I pass okay and it's a liberal arts college. I've seen my fair share of girls who don't shave at all here

[Julian]

On binding, people probably won't notice, at least not enough to confront you about it. My mom and my partner are the only ones who notice when I bind, and my mom doesn't even say anything. She just finds an opportunity to affectionately rub my back to figure out what I'm wearing.

[Natkat]

I didn't stop shaving, I started to shave