Why Shave Body Hair?

[Mizz Frappuccino]

For awhile now, I haven't been shaving. Not my legs and armpits.

I've done this because I don't see a need to why we women have to shave. Our hair on our body is there for a reason, so why shave it if it gives up nicks and bumps? And while we are getting these nicks and bump, why are we making the media richer and richer?

Now, I know that ladies also shave because of men. There are men out there who likes hairy women. And since we are a guild of natural, we should a man that likes natural, especially skin and hair wise.

So,

Men: What do you think about hairy women? Would you date one?

Ladies: Why do you/don't shave? What would you think when you see someone that's hairy?  

[Hittin Licks]

Honestly, I find hairy girls absolutely unattractive. Shave! sweatdrop lol smile  

[Mizz Frappuccino]

BattIe Me

Honestly, I find hairy girls absolutely unattractive. Shave! sweatdrop lol smile

But isn't hair natural? Would you like girls to shave their eyebrows or their hair because it's "unattractive"?  

[The Half-Satyr]

I would think it's by the same reason that we, men, do. With sweat, body hair start to have an unpleasant smell. =/
Other than that, in certain areas, it becomes pretty unatractive. Like armpits.
It's not exclusive to women either, i shave mine.  

[rilsin-b]

PoetaBrasileiro

I would think it's by the same reason that we, men, do. With sweat, body hair start to have an unpleasant smell. =/
Other than that, in certain areas, it becomes pretty unatractive. Like armpits.
It's not exclusive to women either, i shave mine.

Ok that makes it less uh...Manpinion-ish?
IMO, anyone who shaves a specific part of their body hair because they think it's gross on themselves can have that preference for a partner too wink
Otherwise if they don't, then having the expectation that a partner would is unreasonable.  

[Seraphina de Romanus]

Because of the increased surface area that hair growth promotes, dirt and grime have a tendency to accumulate more; allowing bacteria to both colonize and grow more readily than an area with little to no body hair. As I am prone to body acne, I prefer to be hairless from the nose down. But, there are other methods of depilation other than shaving; to be honest I much prefer the bi-monthly pain of waxing over the everyday stubble that shaving leaves me with.

As for my partner... As ironic as it is to say this after I went through that whole spheal about how body hair tends to get dirtier faster; I find men with a fuzzy chest and a happy trail (that patch of hair going from the belly button to the pubic mound) to be wholly attractive.

But there in lies a problem for men as well: too much hair and they look like a Neanderthal, too little hair and they look like a man-child.  

[Mizz Frappuccino]

PoetaBrasileiro

I would think it's by the same reason that we, men, do. With sweat, body hair start to have an unpleasant smell. =/
Other than that, in certain areas, it becomes pretty unatractive. Like armpits.
It's not exclusive to women either, i shave mine.

I don't understand where the unpleasant smell your talking about. If you don't put deodorant on, there will be an unpleasant smell, body hair or not.  

[Mizz Frappuccino]

Seraphina de Romanus

Because of the increased surface area that hair growth promotes, dirt and grime have a tendency to accumulate more; allowing bacteria to both colonize and grow more readily than an area with little to no body hair. As I am prone to body acne, I prefer to be hairless from the nose down. But, there are other methods of depilation other than shaving; to be honest I much prefer the bi-monthly pain of waxing over the everyday stubble that shaving leaves me with.

As for my partner... As ironic as it is to say this after I went through that whole spheal about how body hair tends to get dirtier faster; I find men with a fuzzy chest and a happy trail (that patch of hair going from the belly button to the pubic mound) to be wholly attractive.

But there in lies a problem for men as well: too much hair and they look like a Neanderthal, too little hair and they look like a man-child.

Okay, body hair doesn't create dirt or grime. So, where did the dirt come from? Body hair helps put bacteria away from the skin. If you do shave, then the bacteria will just stay there and can cause issues such as break outs.
I like a little hair on a man, too myself. 3nodding  

[Gael Calaereth]

I almost never shave, especially during the winter (When bundled up like an Eskimo, who's gonna notice?) However, to keep from being icky, I do trim everything short. I work out and sweat a lot, so I do take care to keep yp my hygiene, I just don't completely shave, with the exception of my legs in summer. I don't see anything wrong with that.  

[Hoshioni]

I for one like what i like. and i personally like shaven, however its not a factor id dump the girl over. and I also am a male who Shaves all hair that isnt his eyebrows or head hair. I like that younger arua it gives. but if i had my way id wax it. but the waxing is hard. [ as in getting these wax recipes ive found to work.]  

[dormant lime]

I shave more often than not; personal preference.
I just like feeling smooth all over. emotion_kirakira

I don't find excessive hair attractive (mostly on men), but it's not necessarily a deal breaker or anything. (an exception being oral sex, if there's too much hair I'm not interested)
If I see anyone who chooses to shave, or not to, I don't really care. It's not my body to police- it's 100% their decision. For me it's kind of similar to seeing someone who's heavy in clothing 'meant for slimmer people'. It's their body, they can wear what they want. I may not be able to control a mental thought or two, but at the end of the day I'd never comment on it, and I'll defend them if a friend of mine starts being disrespectful about it.
It's just a human body, and it's just hair.

Besides, shaving can be a lot of work- especially if you're shaving everything from the nose down, like another member mentioned. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to deal with it.

Mizz Frappuccino

Okay, body hair doesn't create dirt or grime.

She never said it created it. She said it accumulated it. Which means, it traps it. For some, this does keep the bacteria and dirt away from the skin and keeps it from creating issues. However, this can also be bad for other people depending on their lifestyle. At a point, it will collect a lot of bacteria that can easily be rubbed back onto your skin.

Mizz Frappuccino

I don't understand where the unpleasant smell your talking about. If you don't put deodorant on, there will be an unpleasant smell, body hair or not.

Actually, a number of people in the scientific community believe hair (especially pubic hair) acts as a scent trap. So the hair would in fact accumulate a stench.
Some people don't sweat/stink as much (this applies especially to East Asians; they actually have fewer apocrine sweat glands, and for a similar biological reason they tend to have dry earwax instead of wet) so this would result in less deodorant use, and probably less stench getting trapped in armpit hair or anything.

There's also types of body hair that have little to nothing at all to do with the collection of bacteria, like vellus and lango.

For the most part, hair is used to aid perspiration/evaporation, and insulation.
Since many live in developed nations with man made items that help all of the things we've discussed, at the end of the day whether or not you keep your body hair is personal preference- and no one should be ashamed of choosing either.

Anything regarding your health and how your body hair is connected to it should be discussed with your doctor, particularly if you have sensitive skin. Do you have any skin problems around the specific area where there is/was a lot of body hair? Would it benefit you to keep or get rid of it? What methods of removal are there that reduce irritation?
A dermatologist might even be better.