Re: Shaving is self-hatret
Everyone is skipping the obvious point here: shaving is an act of self-hatred in instances where the bare body has been socially constructed as the natural and desirable state of the human body. This can clearly be seen in the representation of the female body in art, movies, and other media like pornography. While men may be portrayed as having hair in any variety of places (face, armpits, pubic, legs, arms, etc.), the vast majority of depictions of women have involved bareness in areas where women naturally grow hair (face, armpits, pubic, legs, arms, etc.). Most artists and sculptors edited out 'undesirable' hair in their female subjects, thereby creating inaccurate representations of their actual female subjects. These depictions of women became so widespread during the Victorian era that men were often shocked to discover that women naturally had pubic hair. The idealization of the hairless female body as the most natural and desirable state of the female form has made shaving necessary for most women; however, the necessity of such shaving comes from a deep sense of shame towards the natural state of the female body. As such, most women who shave due to social pressures are doing so because they would be embarrassed to be caught with unshaved legs or armpits. The embarrassment comes from the fact that Western society conditions women to be ashamed of the natural state of their bodies which, usually, involves hair.
And, before anyone even bothers to mention this: French women, particularly Parisian women, are often just as fanatical about shaving as American women are.
Of course, the male body hasn't been given such restrictive constructions. Although a shaved face is often required at the workplace, the truth remains media representations of men often include representations of men with facial hair. If nothing else, the jolly Santa Claus is an instance where all people can gaze upon the face of a man who has let his facial hair grow wild. And, what's more, no one ever bothers to demean Santa for being slovenly or 'disgusting' because he has permitted his hair to grow to whatever length he desires. On the other side of the coin, it would be shocking for most people to see an illustration of Mr. and Ms. Claus on vacation and playing volleyball, with Ms. Claus raising her arms to expose two hearty patches of graying armpit hair. If Ms. Claus were a real woman, then she would be called any variety of demeaning names for failing to conform to the centuries-old ideal of the bare female body. If nothing else, she would be considered unclean.
Of course, if the presence of body hair means a lack of hygiene, then most men must be extremely unhygienic. And, of course, if the presence of body hair means laziness, then most men must be extraordinarily lazy. The truth remains that shaving hair to the point of bareness serves no biological or practical purpose for everyday women living typical lives. Which means that whatever force that compels women to shave is generally one of embarrassment--that it has become socially disagreeable to refuse to shave female armpits and legs. And, that, pretty much, is one context in which shaving is an act of self-hate.
(not that i care)
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