why do women shave their armpits, and why only women?

[metal angel]

why don't they make more studff with sleves dang it.. you can't get formal wear with sleves unless you want to look like Princess Camilla Winsor... grrr... guess i could go islamic, but i'm a raging atheist, me in islamic dress would be just taking the piss, guess i'd better get sewing...

[Constance]

As much as I hate to say it, the pedo comment probably has some merit. I'm not saying it matters, hairless underarms on women is a social norm and it's generally considered improper to display most forms of body hair, period. However, for example, we do know that speaking in terms of evolution, by and large men find blonde hair more attractive because it denotes youth and therefore increased abilty to mate and better chances of sucessful procreation thus perpetuating the species.

I find blond hair colorless and unattractive.

I, being covered in body hair, find the hairless look appealing NOT because "it denote youth," but because I despise body hair.

The evolution comment doesn't make sense to me, unless I'm missing something. It seems that the dark haired and dark skinned outnumber the light haired and light skinned. I don't this was your intention, but your post seems to be making some sexist generalizations.

[Steph]

I just don't understand the need to over analyze everything.  What on earth is the big deal with shaving one armpits?  Guys do it and girls do it, and they do it for many reasons some of which are:

It's often considered pleasing to the eye.
Many consider shaven armpits to be cleaner.

Lets face it many women are out to attract men, and one way is with their appearance.  Yes I know there are some cultures where hairy armpits are considered attractive and if that applies to any of the readers then go for it, what the heck.  Geeze

-={LR}=-

[finewine]

I suspect a combination of social fashion and establishing a gender contrast may well be behind armpit and leg shaving.  I doubt that ladies in the  so called "working classes" of the 17th and 18th century bothered shaving their armpits

I do find the pedo idea entirely groundless.  I overheard a militant feminist at a party spouting off about how all men are closet pedo's because they like girls to be hairless as if they were pre-pubescent boys (as well as laying into the cosmetics industry and any remotely made up woman for being a "sell out").  There were probably a few nuggets of potentially interesting conversation buried beneath the foaming-at-the-mouth rant but I (like pretty everyone else there) just pulled down the mental blast shields and tuned her out

Personally, a little unobtrusive armpit hair on a girl doesn't bother me.  A thick thatch of it sprouting out like a dozen spiders trying to escape from within a burger bun would certainly be off-putting.

For what it's worth, I occasionally trim - rather than shave - my armpit hair.  That's usually simply to make it easier to apply powder and dry-stick deodorant more evenly.

[Hannah]

I don't think the idea of men finding youthful features like hairless skin and yellow hair attractive on a primal level is flawed or sexist at all; but just like everything else when speaking in terms of evolutionary psychology it's only a theory, and one of many. Really the only way we could verify the data would be to poll every man who ever reproduced. I think it's an interesting school of thought. 

[metal angel]

the youth thing need not be evolutionary, might be cultural knowledge that young women made more fertile brides

i think the fassion really too hold in the 60s and 50s though attached to sleveless summer dresses, so i guess the real question is why is it respectable for women to show more flesh in public

a alwayse thing it's weird that no matter the weather on a friday or saturday night in town the guys are in suits (or at least sleves and long pants) but the girls are wearing about 2 square inches of gold sequins... bit mad really...

[finewine]

the youth thing need not be evolutionary, might be cultural knowledge that young women made more fertile brides

Possibly, although I am confident that it's nothing to do with evolution, or youthful fertility at all - the reason being that I'm pretty sure shaven armpits being commonplace is a relatively modern phenomenon.  Does anyone really think having shaved armpits was widespread among the general population over all the ages?  I doubt it - hence I think it would have little to do with evolution or procreation and probably more to do with the (relatively) modern female stereotype.

As an aside, it's quite nice to have inconsequential topics like this to discuss - it's a welcome stress-reliever

[tekla]

I'm pretty sure shaven armpits being commonplace is a relatively modern phenomenon.

And I'm pretty sure you're wrong about that, as it is refereed to for both men and women as a hygiene deal by Muhammad (570-632 C.E.)  And we have records of such behavior in Babylon in deep B.C.E, and in Rome dating back as far as 1 B.C.E.

Modern safety razors, first manufactured by King Camp Gillette (who had a real cool name) created a modern fad for it beginning in the 19teens with fashion magazines, which went along with men removing the hair from their face.

[finewine]

I'm pretty sure shaven armpits being commonplace is a relatively modern phenomenon.

And I'm pretty sure you're wrong about that, as it is refereed to for both men and women as a hygiene deal by Muhammad (570-632 C.E.)  And we have records of such behavior in Babylon in deep B.C.E, and in Rome dating back as far as 1 B.C.E.

Really? Ok fair enough - point conceded. I knew shaving occurred, I just had no idea it was commonplace.  Thanks for the correction!

[tekla]

I just knew a lot of that from doing research on King Camp Gillette back in grad school, he was a noted Utopian progressive socialist at the time, and had a huge pile of money because of his invention.  And part of studying him uncovered a bunch of stuff about shaving.  He also was a huge Hollywood hanger on, and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, also the final resting place of Michael Jackson now.

[Cadence Jean]

I, for one, enjoy it when a lady has little fuzzy patches under her arms.  Can't really explain - it's just cute and cuddly, like a little squirrel.  I think squirrels are adorable too.  Maybe I've said too much here.

A man-eating hippie bush under each arm is gross.  Just a little fuzz is cute.  That's how I like to keep mine and how I like it on women.

I never understood the attraction to blondes.  Maybe it's because I am blonde.  My preference would be brunette/black, red, blonde.

[metal angel]

I, for one, enjoy it when a lady has little fuzzy patches under her arms.  Can't really explain - it's just cute and cuddly, like a little squirrel.  I think squirrels are adorable too.  Maybe I've said too much here.

A man-eating hippie bush under each arm is gross.  Just a little fuzz is cute.  That's how I like to keep mine and how I like it on women.

I never understood the attraction to blondes.  Maybe it's because I am blonde.  My preference would be brunette/black, red, blonde.

I agree... never seen a real life man-eating hippie bush though... i doubbt they exist myself. But yeah when i want pin up girls i search far and wide for modern hippie stuff or 19th century french stuff to get cute whispy bits.

Not counting both genders (though i'm going to be trying to stare down the sunni guy in the lab's sleves now...) but i think the feminine hair removal concept was big in turkey pre-20th century

women removed strange bits and pieces over the years, they used to pluch their hair lines back to give high forheards in the time of queen liz the first, i think the underarm hair for women only in the west cam early 20th century though come to think of it?

[tekla]

I agree... never seen a real life man-eating hippie bush though... i doubbt they exist myself

I toured with the Grateful Dead for a few years, and the BTHC (bit titted hippie chics) do exist, and they will ->-bleeped-<- your sox off, if you are wearing them.

You people need to get out more.

[metal angel]

I dunno... generallly my friends have been more wild and wolly than average, and i once looked through a whole web site of hippie pin up girls, which was rather extensive, and even in that none had any more than what i would class as feminine whispy bits of hair under their arms. Maybe me and Calliope just have different standard of femininity?

[tekla]

There are all kinds of women, some men care, most do not - do you put out?  If Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Good enough.  If no.  Who cares?

[Autumn]

I thought I'd give an update: I had a full face/neck treatment with the candella because there was enough dark hair to laser, prior to electrolysis. It's interesting. It doesn't require the ultrasound gel that I'm used to other lasers needing, and it does this burst of cryo-freeze mist thing to cool instead of the constant jet of cold air.

Much, much less messy than the other lasers I'm used to. It's a more aggressive, intense laser, so that alone is encouraging. I wish I'd found it sooner.

And ohgod electrolysis really sucks.

[Hannah]

I thought of you kitties in the tub last night while I was shaving my underarms and nicked myself when I started giggling. You owe me a band aid Metal Angel 

[Bexxi]

I thought of you kitties in the tub last night while I was shaving my underarms and nicked myself when I started giggling. You owe me a band aid Metal Angel 

Great

[barbie]

the youth thing need not be evolutionary, might be cultural knowledge that young women made more fertile brides

The Desmond Morris' classical book "The naked ape" would be interesting on this matter:
http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Ape-Zoologists-Study-Animal/dp/0385334303

He hypothesized that sex has been the ultimate driving forcing for body hair loss of Homo sapiens sapiens compared with other primates. Sex is strongest in human species among all primates. Yes. Sex was so much important for Westerners such as C. Darwin, S. Freud and D. Morris. And, indeed.

Barbie~~