If you shave your legs, you know the struggle. The awkward contorting of your body just so you can reach your ankles. The enormous amount of time you put in only to miss a spot on your knees. Why do we even bother? Who is it for? In defiance and in the name of science, I decided my blade was on strike for a few months.
1. It felt very freeing.
Being liberated from my razor made me feel rebellious. No longer would I comply with the societal rule that mandated women to have hairless legs. I was going to be confident in my natural body!
2. I was too self-conscious to go in public with shorts.
For all the talk of feeling so uninhibited, I was actually too ashamed to free my legs. Walking around campus in shorts, I felt like everybody was staring at my legs. Regretfully, this insecurity led to a mostly leg-concealed few months.
3. It kind of hurt.
Maybe I have sensitive legs, but as my hair grew longer, so did my discomfort. While I no longer experienced the pain of razor burn, wearing leggings or jeans constantly pulled at my leg hair.
4. The only people who judged me were female.
Only a few people knew about my experiment, but their reactions were few and far between. The majority of females I disclosed to were appalled. How I was going to go out with those sandpaper legs? Even my mother was prompted to give me a razor for Christmas as a “gift”. On the other hand, all the males I told either didn’t care or thought it was cool. Despite my small sampling pool, the results shocked me. Come on ladies, we have to stick together! The fact we have hair on our legs is not “gross.”
5. The only person that truly cares is you.
The most important lesson that I learned was that nobody cares about how you look as much as you do! You are the one who is going to spend the time agonizing over your appearance. It is your body, do what you want with it. If you don’t shave for religious or cultural reasons, great! If you don’t shave because you don’t care or you think your leg hair looks awesome, terrific! If you decide you like your legs smooth, that is also phenomenal! Bottom line, do what makes you happy! You are a remarkable beautiful human no matter what.