Has not removing your hair ever affected your life?
"I went on an OkCupid date one time, and I ended up inviting him back to my place. We were on my bed making out, and he put his hand down my pants, then removed it. After a little bit, he stopped making out and told me he didn't want to have sex that night. Then he asked, 'Why do you have pubic hair?' To which I replied, 'Because I'm a mammal?' I put two and two together and asked, 'Wait, do you not want to have sex with me because I have pubic hair?' And, he actually said yes!"
What are your feelings about your own body hair or how body hair is portrayed in the media?
"I didn't have a TV in my house until I was 10 or 11. I'm also short, with neither the body type nor the facial features you see in ads, and I guess I'm just so naturally belligerent that instead of trying to embody that image, I was able to disregard it as being impossible to attain. Ads for shaving cream are all tall women with long legs running around in cute sundresses. Well, when I shaved my legs they didn't get longer. I missed patches because I'm impatient, and they just got stubbly again within two or three days. So, instead of attempting to master the Sisyphean task of being hairless and beautiful, I just decided it was stupid and stopped."
Do you remove your body hair?
"I leave all of my hair, except I'll shave my legs when it's swimsuit time. If I'm in a particularly conservative crowd, I may shave my underarms to blend in."
Why do you do this?
"My leg hair is kind of scraggly looking. I think my legs look prettier smooth than with black, pirate-beard-y tufts. It also makes me feel more girly. I avoid shaving at all other times because I usually feel like it's a pain, a waste of time, and irritating to my skin. I used to shave my pubic hair for a guy I was dating, but it itched, I felt way smellier, and I hated the ingrown hairs that always happened as it grew back."
Do you remove your body hair?
"I sometimes (every couple of months) get my eyebrows threaded, and that's it."
So, why did you make that decision?
"I used to [shave] in high school, because it seemed like that was just how the world works. When I got to university, I just gradually stopped. For a while, I still waxed my legs and shaved my armpits, and then I realized that I didn't really like the way it looked, and it started to feel like an unnecessary waste of time."
What are your feelings about your own body hair or body hair on others?
"I am all for people doing whatever they want with their body hair! I can't recall ever being put off by a partner, friend, or stranger's body hair. I do, on occasion, find it confronting to see shaved lady-gardens or have sex with women who shave their lady-gardens, because it looks a bit strange to me. But, finding something 'a bit strange' is not a good enough reason to ask anyone to change their approach to their own body!"
Do you notice any physical changes between having body hair and not?
"I like not having itching and regrowth issues! I think my underarms maybe smell more strongly of me now that I don't shave, but none of my partners have complained."
Why do you remove your body hair?
"I shaved my lower belly on a dare as a teen, and it grew in black, so I've been shaving it since. I also shave my pubic hair and have for as long as I can remember. I've always had horrible yeast infections. And, when I was a teenager, I realized the easiest way to stop the endless infections was to remove the hair that trapped irritants and my own natural lube close to my vagina. I've really considered laser hair removal so I didn't have to shave/wax all the time."
Do you notice any physical benefits, detriments, or changes between having body hair and not?
"I've never had sex with pubic hair unless I skip a day shaving. Then, it's just stubbly and irritating, and I don't get off. I do love my boyfriend being hairy, though — kind of helps me during sex."