Shaving Legs

[xAndrewx]

I'm wondering about this my self. I'm out to everyone and stealth mostly at work but for those few who know I don't want them to see me as a furry female plus a lot of the guys at my work shave their legs. If I work outside of my current location though (out of air conditioning) I've decided I don't care and I'm wearing shorts because it is wayyy to hot not to and with anything outside of work I wear shorts with no cares.

[Anon]

I've never shaved my legs in my life, and never plan to. There are lots of bio women who don't shave, and I really don't think every person who's opinion you give a damn about is going to be scrutinizing the length your leg hair. Besides, if you get a tan and don't have jet-black hair, it won't show up anyways.

[malinkibear]

I don't shave mine normally, because the only people who see my legs are my girlfriend and the girl I have to share my room with, but I don't think she really looks. Last summer I ended up shaving them to wear with my cut-offs - the hair's dark enough to easily be seen, but too thin to look anywhere near masculine. They just look like unshaved girl legs. Pale and pasty for me it is then

[alixjunge336]

yeah me too. I'm in the Army, and when we have to do PT in the morning I have to wear  PT shorts.. I get a lot of ->-bleeped-<-. I'm starting to just not care. A lot of people are saying crazy stuff about me and a lot of the guys sometimes wanna fight me? I don't get it, but I'm starting to just be like who cares do what makes you happy and comfortable those people have nothing to do with your everyday life sometimes and if they do just go with. I'm starting just be like ok and? whats the problem when they start ->-bleeped-<-, and I just show that I don't care what they think.. this is why the army doesn't like me very much haha

[Cindy]

From the other side  as well,
I shaved by legs my whole life, Swimmers, cyclists, wrestlers and heaps of people do.  What's the problem?
Confidence?

Cindy

[Kohitsu]

I remember when I was in middle school, I wasn't aware I was trans, and all of my female friends would comment about how disgusting my unshaved legs were. I finally gave in to peer pressure and shaved them. I HATED shaving them but I did it anyway because it made other people uncomfortable. In highschool, I met this girl, a good friend of mine now. I had come out to her as transgender and we one time brought up the issue of shaving legs. She had said to me, "I identify as female, but that doesn't mean I absolutely HAVE to shave my legs. I don't shave my legs, and it doesn't make me less of a woman for it." Made me realize that I really need to concern myself with MYSELF and not care what others think. So now I'm no longer afraid to go out in public with shorts and hairy legs.  But like what others have mentioned in this thread, there are girls with hairy legs, and guys with shaved legs. There really should be no need to worry about what people will think of your leg hair (or any kind of hair on your body for that matter).

[Lee11]

I shave my whole body cause I prefer it that way,,,my face is the only place I leave for a few days to get the stubble...my issue is that this year I am not going to be able to wear my spandex shorts (not masculine....lol!) and jeans are gonna kill me.
I hate those baggy long shorts that I see guys wearing too....what to do !!!!

[zombiesarepeaceful]

This is unrelated...but what if employers made guys shave their legs for their job or keep the hair at a certain length...just like how some make guys keep their facial hair to certain standards....it would be ridiculous.

Man, I'm glad I work where they don't care what you look like, as long as you do your job. I like to be as hairy as possible.

[Lee]

I forgot to add that there is a comfort factor.  I don't like to shave my legs because then they look very feminine, and that bothers me.  However, as I have rather long, coarse hair, it can feel uncomfortable when wearing rougher pants like jeans.

[Sharky]

I've had comments on my arm hair, and the hair there is nothing compared to my legs. My mom has inspected my leg hair before. She threw a fit the last time I was wearing shorts. It was just around the house too. She had randomly showed up, I would have put pants on had I know she was coming. I generally prefer pants anyway.

[nico_nico]

I don't think I've ever shaved my legs but then again I really never had to. Hair just refuses to grow on my legs and arms. But that may change once I start T.

[hero_shinya]

I'm not really sure what to do either.  I personally don't really like the feel of leg hair but I decided to stop shaving for a bit to see if I can get used to it. My friend doesn't shave but he barely has any hair so it's hardly noticeable that he doesn't shave.... He passes a loooot better than me even though he doesn't have much leg hair. If you like having shaved legs, keep shaving, if you don't, go ahead and stop.

[Logan]

Hahahahahha.  oh.jesus.  I haven't shaved my legs in .... wow ... FOREVER ... haha.  I wear shorts.  Even before I was telling people wtf was up in my life ... I just refuse to shave my legs ... or armpits AT ALL ... ever.  Well ... ok ... I did it once just to be an ass ... and my gf ripped me a new one.  not.allowed.apparently.  :-)

And ... I'm hairy ... I've had hairy man legs for YEARS ... and I just started T so ... yea ... hahaha

[insideontheoutside]

This is one of those things that's really a cultural thing. In North America the culture dictates that women are to shave damn near everything ... have long hair ... wear make up ... you know, all those things to make women look like women *eyeroll*. It's stupid really ... and everyone goes along with it because they're too afraid to be "different". I've been there myself - the too afraid to be different or to get comments because of it. Earlier in the year I was shaving my legs because I felt weird going to get a massage or acupuncture if I didn't. I hadn't been in in awhile and last week I was at my massage therapists and I jokingly said, "don't laugh, I haven't shaved my legs in months". And she was all, "oh hell I don't even do that all winter. I don't shave under my arms either." It's not just gender-benders who don't want to shave. I think a lot of women don't. If more just said f**k that then a whole lot of people would be more comfortable.

Oh also here's a related blog about the topic ... http://www.shamelessmag.com/blog/2010/01/monique-amanda-palmer-golden-globesand-hairy-legs/

[Nygeel]

Two people I know are relatively famous and have hairy legs or don't shave and are women:
Irina Shayk who is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model.
pic for proof
and Mo'Nique
proof

Yes there is pressure for people who are read as female to shave but there are a lot of people that don't fit that mold and don't get crap for it.

[Mr.Rainey]

I found out yesterday my legs are hairer than my friends boyfriends. Haha I aint even on T yet.

[wheat thins are delicious]

I shave my whole body cause I prefer it that way,,,my face is the only place I leave for a few days to get the stubble...my issue is that this year I am not going to be able to wear my spandex shorts (not masculine....lol!) and jeans are gonna kill me.
I hate those baggy long shorts that I see guys wearing too....what to do !!!!

I see guys wearing bike shorts a lot. 

[CFPrice]

Maybe I'm one of the weird ones who do notice when men have shaved legs. Then again, in my corner of the world, men with shaved legs are usually swimmers or cyclists and I was looking at their legs before I noticed the lack of hair. 

I've been fretting a bit about the same thing. Beach vacation this year. I don't really care one way or the other about shaving my legs, but I'm really freaking lazy. I'm considering buying a BodyCruze razor, so that I don't have to take the time to do it manually. Plus it'll make trimming any body hair I get on T a lot faster and easier. (I'm not a personal fan of body hair, especially in excess.) Here (yay, the South) I think people would comment if I didn't shave, in Minneapolis no one commented including the guys I lived with though I wasn't out to them.

[Mika]

I used to be worried about this too. The first time I flaunted my man legs was when I went to a water park for a weekend with my girlfriend's family. It felt good to wear swim trunks and be comfortable with how my legs looked (after years of swimming requiring shaving and female gendered swimwear). I was worried, because I wasn't out to them about my gender stuff, but it ended up fine and nobody said anything and nobody was weird.

Now I wear shorts all the time and haven't shaved in ages. Sometimes people in the dorms stare at me and give me nasty looks, but they are kinda jerks to start with and need to grow up and read a book on feminism.

[Nathan.]

I worry about this sometimes as I don't pass but I don't care enough to shave. I hate that it's expected of women to shave and that any woman who doesn't want to are seen as freaks.