Why Do We Shave: The Politics of Body Hair

[@razoras]

I always dislike how binary this issue is. There's a whole spectrum between completely shaved and completely un-shaved.

[@markadams8041]

I kinda dig the binary of it. I do enjoy the unspoken aggression that comes from seeing myself as more highly evolved by being a bald man. Elderly white men should probably start a fashion of wearing wigs and clip on earrings and we could see if I would adopt these brothers as my peer group. I like not having the toilet seat shape on my head.

[@_allegra]

Trans woman here. I was getting waxed & lasered for almost a decade, gradually getting pretty much everything zapped, before realising I was trans. It was one of those unconscious things I did to try and distance myself from masculinity, even if it was just the socially constructed expectations. But I will say - sliding into a freshly made bed with fresh sheets, right after shaving your legs, is pure bliss omg

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Preemptive gender-affirming care lol

[@mirmalchik]

gender-nonconforming amab, love the feel of bamboo sheets on a freshly waxed, uh, y'know, parts (yes, some of my friends have told me they consider me an egg, yes, i'm in therapy, no, we're not there yet)

[@_allegra]

@@mirmalchik I literally called myself an egg for like 6 months before I finally admitted to myself: yes, I am trans. We do things in our own time. If it's gonna happen, it will happen when you're ready. If it's not meant to be? Well, you've still found your way to a more authentic you, and that's more than most ❤️

[@sarah_757]

Also trans femme. I did not have the vocabulary to express myself until much later, but in my teens I shaved my legs "for biking". The pros shave their legs for professional reasons. And I was very into bicycling then, so that's how I justified it. Now I shave them because hairiness gives me dysphoria (which was true all along I just didn't know yet lol)

[@waltersobchak7275]

I identify as domestic shorthair 🐱

[@greybeardmc]

cis man here. Back during the pandemic, I couldn't go to the barber, so decided to grow my hair and beard long (the annoying period in hair growth where it's too long to stay out of your eyes, but too short for a pony tail was while I was stuck at home anyway). So since then I haven't shaved at all (and before then just my neck). One point about male standards, back in the 30s and 40s, the shaved chest like Johnny Weissmuller (as Tarzan) hairless chest was the standard. Then in the 70s, it went to the other extreme with Burt Reynolds and a very hairy chest. Also, back in the late '80s/early 90s, I had a glorious long full length (I'm 6'4" so when I say full length, I mean it) black denim with blue corduroy lining cloak. Wish I still had it now. And yes, I love bush.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

As a nonbinary AMAB who chooses not to shave (I do my best to trim my facial hair between haircuts), the amount of spoons it would consume to wax, shave, pluck or apply depilatory cream to every inch of my body below my eyebrows (especially given how extraordinarily hirsute I am) boggles my mind. Anyone of any gender who does so on any kind of a regular basis deserves a medal.

[@coastergirl98]

Trans femme here, I shave bc dysphoria

[@hazelarson6970]

haha egg here. i do the same but don't like acknowledging it : )

[@Ricoxemani]

same. completely forgetting what other people think, I just feel horrible if Im covered with body hair. and honestly that goes for most things about my physical appearance. I definitely do care about how I look to other people, but how I look to myself always comes first. Im really early in transition, and loving my body as it is is really hard, but these little things like shaving my body hair give me a sense of control in my life.

[@aspidoscelis]

I started getting rid of body hair a few months before realizing I'm trans. For me, it's more comfortable, and that's why I started doing it. At least, that's what I told myself. :-) But, yeah, it also helps with being perceived as a woman.

[@theghostcreator776]

REAL

[@rattttooooo]

I'm trans femme/non binary and not shaving my legs or pubic hair gives me such gender satisfaction, from the point of view that, yes, this is just hair, I have the choice to shave or not just like any other woman, or other :) and honestly most of the queer women I've been around don't shave so I feel more a part of that too. Also I feel like a fawn with my legs being the only hairy part on my body for the most part, and I LOVE that.

[@VannahSavage]

AFAB agender 32 y.o. here. I was taught and expected to shave everything except my pubic area (because my mother believed that shaving that region specifically was based on pedophilic fetishization, although I do disagree with that blanket assumption) from the age of 13. I have always suffered extreme razor burn no matter what products I use or how new/expensive the razors are, and I stopped shaving entirely several years ago. My gf doesn’t give a damn, and I get a mild dose of viscous amusement when my mother catches a glimpse of my armpit hair and makes a comment about how much it “grosses me out”. GOOD. You know what grosses ME out? Getting painful bumpy rashes in that area throughout high school and having to stop wearing deodorant for a couple weeks while going to public school in South Florida, because the chemicals in the deodorant you bought made it worse. 🙃

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Ooh yeah most deodorant makes my pits break out lol

[@VannahSavage]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash ugggh it’s so gross and uncomfortable! I’ve found that antiperspirant deodorants (with aluminum) are the worst for it, but even some natural ones cause me irritation too. 😖

[@livlikeshistory]

I have quite a lot of body hair for a cis woman, and sometimes shave or wax my legs purely so that there's a little bit less to deal with. I like being gender non-conforming and I don't dislike leg hair at all, I just don't like having so much of it all the time.

[@des-trina]

I'm a trans girl and I'm at war with my body hair. Electrolysis on my face with waxing, shaving, epilation, and depilation on my body hair. I know it's culture bullshit, but i also want to pass for my safety. It is kinda fucked up.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Yeah that's what the terfs don't understand. They see trans women's desire to be hairless as a fetishization or a caricature of womanhood when a lot of it is for passing purposes, which are for safety purposes. I'm sorry you're going through that! That stuff is expensive as hell.

[@pjgoldstein6562]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash And painful. Like physically painful to grow hair. But I also hate the feel of it and everywhere I've gotten rid of it has helped acne to so it's been worth it.

[@lotemnahshony-spitz9532]

Even worse, I know it's bullshit, but it still feels gender affirming.

[@beatduck]

Hair is a natural anti-chaff “cushion”.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

It is! And that rules!

[@aspidoscelis]

My experience is the opposite... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@aspidoscelis]

Might depend on how sweaty you are. It's really only under hot & sweaty conditions that I run into this.

[@lacrimassenzio]

also as a gay man, i think in a lot of subcultures like the bears one, and in the kink comunity, body hairs are sometimes appreciated and researched.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Oh yeah, queer people seem to appreciate body hair a lot more than other people.

[@natwilson9338]

about not shaving to 'look younger'- i'm obviously not denying the fetishization of youth and everything you talked about in that section, but i don't think it's accurate to say people are pressured to shave in order to make them look younger. like you said in the beginning, a lot of stigma around body hair originated from ideas of cleanliness, and so i think the fact that removing hair makes people look more like children is more of a coincidence. as a contrast, breasts are also sexualized and fetishized on people perceived as women, but are obviously not associated with children. so while lots if not all beauty standards are about looking 'young', they aren't necessarily about looking like a child. again, not denying any of the nasty pdf file stuff you talked about and not denying the infantilization of women/femme people. i just think that that infantilization didn't cause stigmas around body hair. super amazing video, i really enjoyed it!!!!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Thank you! Yeah it's definitely not the only reason, but I did find the idea interesting.

[@lotemnahshony-spitz9532]

I think "the ubiquity of hair removal is part of the social infantization of women" is a very different statement than "women shave to look like children" or "men who are attracted to hairless women are pedophiles, actually". I don't know if the first statement is true, but there are definitely some good arguments for it. The other two are clearly bad-faith

[@flowerlamps]

the way you delve into the history of every topic you cover absolutely entrances me. I love your content so much!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@flowerlamps omg thank you! I really like to know the history and context before commenting on things!

[@theothertonydutch]

Here's a weird: I'm a pretty hairy guy, but there is always a part of me that would like to be completely hairless and smooth, because I've got sensitive skin and I'm generally sensitive (often in a negative way, as in it triggers anxiety, panic, severe discomfort) to having my hair or skin touched. Even though, rationally, shaving would probably cause more discomfort.

[@LuluTheCorgi]

I shave because I like how the smooth feels, only thing I don't shave is my armpits The feeling of fresh cold satin sheets touching freshly shaved legs on a hot summer night is pure bliss I dont get the sandpaper effect tho because most of tje hair is epilated I find it a bit mean to say everyone removing hair is just doing it for social reasons, i dont fit into society at all whatsoever Ive been an outsider all my life and ive never done anything out of expectations I also use a butterfly razor which has very little of an impact on the environment Not shaving would also have zero impact on my income because I'm self employed and work from home It also wouldn't effect my social life because I live in an extremely left bubble I also don't hide my masculine traits, which is why I don't pass pretty much ever which I also don't care about, I just still like smooth legs lol

[@Chrys4l1s]

its the opposite for me tbh, I like how my legs are just rather fluffy with hair but my armpit hair traps sweat a lot so I usually shave it (especially in the summer)

[@perkunie9764]

Did you start shaving due to this or expectation?

[@Akab]

​@@perkunie9764most things are formed from expectations. What makes you you is what you keep and/or don't keep. That's how we form preferences (one of the reasons) 😊👍

[@LuluTheCorgi]

@@perkunie9764 considering i grew up as a guy and shaved as a guy long before realizing im trans its probably not due to expectations in fact i was made fun of for shaving

[@elig1703]

I'm an enby person that folks typically perceive as a cis woman. I shave when I feel like it. I used to do it more for social pressure, but my social circle and my workplace are both very queer, so that's not such a thing anymore. I do shave my armpits at least every two weeks or so because I don't like it to get long, but I don't care that much. My leg hair grows super slow - it's not very noticeable even when I let it grow out, but my itchy phase also lasts a very long time so I usually end up shaving whenever I have free time and am annoyed by it. Also, do people who eliminate the bush *not* get horrible razor bumps and ingrown hairs. Because I've never found a method that had non-awful results.

[@Gelonder]

I like my legs to have a fine grit, helps with woodworking!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

OH!!!! I forgot how much all femmes love woodworking. This finally makes sense to me.

[@Desimere]

XD

[@potflower4136]

Do woodworking femmes, too, experience Hand Tool Pattern Baldness?

[@93lozfan]

11:33 the woman who played Alice in that movie is also the mom in "a talking cat!?!" Fun little bit of trivia

[@ghstbrry]

i'm losing my god damn mind at this fact. thank you. oh my god.

[@obandsoller]

I only found your channel recently. I'm really enjoying going through your archive of vids! Regarding the dying hair blonde: I like your connection to it as a religious hair covering, but also I think it fits with what you are saying about hairlessness and smoothness being connected to youth/infantilsation. A lot of people whose hair is light when they are young have their hair turn darker over time. So dying it blonde links them to youth more. Edit: I love bush!

[@KateBerger]

I'm a queer cis woman and I'm currently reevaluating my relationship with hair removal. I've experimented with not shaving my legs but ultimately think I want to keep removing that hair because it's patchy and doesn't look great (IMO) when I let it grow. I'm considering growing out my armpit hair because it doesn't really bother me and I don't think it looks that bad. My pubic area is my business. ☺️ I'm glad you made this video! I'm going to rethink my consumption of disposable razors now that I know more about the waste/health impacts of using them, and I feel better about choosing the parts I want to be hairless and what I will let grow because it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. I hope more people will take ownership of their bodies and present the way it makes sense for them to!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Absolutely! You can shave whatever you want and not shave whatever you don't want! I'm glad reusable more eco friendly options are available! Disposable razors really suck!

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

Funny how in US you can be old enough to get married, but not make decisions for yourself. Like, in Poland, if a girl gets married (you need to be 18 to marry if you're a male in PL) she legally becomes an adult. But on the other hand we have the stupid standard of "Complete and permanent breakdown of marital relations" for no fault divorce, and the fact a court can rule the couple has to stay married if divorce will hurt the children (I think only in no fault divorces).

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Yeah there is actually an issue of underage girls not being able to get a divorce because they're underage and can't legally do the proceedings themselves. An adult has to help them get divorced. So child brides are literally trapped and unable to get a divorce.

[@virtualcombat6425]

​@@Trash-Garbage-Trash I don't get why child marriage is accepted in any culture as its just asking for abuse to happen especially when there is large power dynamics. I was surprised recently to find out how common it is in some parts of the U.S due to legal loopholes. Here in the UK the youngest anyone can get married is 16 with parent consent but as a 18 boy I would still argue that's way to young for someone to make that kind of decision. The youngest I would get married is probably 25.

[@technopoptart]

@@virtualcombat6425 the abuse is the point. it is about control and ownership. :|

[@virtualcombat6425]

@@technopoptart exactly so it shouldn't be legal at all, and anyone who supports it should be viewed with extreme suspicion.

[@Drifting_Ash]

Transfem and started transition late 20s. The first time I shaved my whole body I loved how it felt and got fixated on keeping shaved for a good few months before my egg finally cracked. I realize now why I liked it so much was primarily how different clothes felt on my bare skin compared to laying on a full layer of thick curly hair(especially the legs). Been on hormones long enough now that my body hair has thinned out considerably and takes at least a full month before it gets long enough to bother me so I just trim it with my electric razor whenever feels right. I actually really like watching the hair grow back out slowly but surely, the stomach hair in particular makes a fun pattern I think.

[@Jojo-tf2zp]

I'm very hairy and I don't shave. And its a THING. I do lots of unconventional things but I always get asked by randoms about my hair. I'm scared to show my legs at work as it gets hotter so selfishly I do wish more women didn't shave so I feel less like I stand out but 🤷🏿‍♀️ Plus I like the gender fuckery of presenting very feminine and still being hairy, we can do both!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Hair doesn't detract from femininity at all and people who think it does are weirdos, in a bad way.

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

I am a CIS male. My preference is lite to moderate body hair for both sexes with no shaved areas. I do agree that razor stubble feals like sand paper. I don't get the appeal. Both me and my wife had lots of public hair and used a Remington laser like hair removal machine to decrease our hair thickness to a more moderate level. No further work needed. I think having some hair feels more comfortable keeping your sweaty parts from rubbing when you are walking or sitting.

[@jacktasticone6151]

love this video keep up the good work. As a man who is not well read in feminist literature and theory I am here to learn and thank you for teaching me.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Thank you!

[@MarcelSimader]

I cannot believe I was actually emotionally moved by the music in... Alice in Wonderland - An X-Rated Musical 1976. Thank you so much, lmao. Not joking, this is actually good, my hot take.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@MarcelSimader it was pretty good!

[@LucidLuci666]

Im a straight dude and sometimes shave everything legs and chest included just for a change then i grow it back for a change i reckon heaps of men would like it but would never try it because its weird. Its less weird when you're covered in tattoos though even less weird when you give up on trying to fit in

[@Blueskies1047]

I shave my body a lot but only because of texture issues rather than because of someone caring about it

[@postlobotomy]

I love bush! I'm a hairy creator, most of my job is tied to me not shaving! What was originally a personal choice became something new entirely! I really enjoyed this take. Thank you for another great video! 😊

[@dandilion62]

I was 13 in 1970.....all the hippie didn't shave for the most part. To me, unshaven women represented sexual freedom

[@93lozfan]

I used to be on a swim team 15 years later and I can't, not shave. Yeah i've gotten some weird looks but my comfort comes first for me

[@ChristianCatboy]

When I started coming out as trans femme, I thought it would be necessary to keep my face and legs clean-shaven (to pass as a woman), but... trying to do that kept making me feel dysphoric. I especially don't like shaving my face, because it reminds me of my decade in the military, and I think I look like one of those Dr. Seuss characters with a weird neck and no chin. I'm more conflicted about my legs, and even bought an epilator to stop getting so many razor bumps and ingrown hairs, but I've never tried using it. Somehow, I can't go through with permanent removal. I guess I've come to like the idea of being a nonbinary femboy and/or trans tomboy, but it took time to process that.

[@EasterWitch]

I stopped shaving my legs many, many years ago. I don't give a damn what people think about that. One winter I also tried not shaving my armpits. It grew really long (like 20 cm)! I decided I preferred shaving my armpits around every other week. Edit: I am definitely a cloak wearing freak, and I will be watching that Alice in Wonderland movie! PS: Love the Lucas the Spider plush!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

So many cloak wearing freaks watch my videos, I love it! Thank you! And I hope you enjoy the film lol

[@ashtoncavin5774]

I’m a cis man and I shave my body hair just because I prefer it personally.

[@BeeNTea]

I’m gender fluid and I occasionally shave but it seems like a hassle so I don’t do it as often as I would want to.

[@YoutubeUserAnon]

I prefer scissors to trim back body hair so it is short but still present. I wear knee high boots a lot as I got tired of shaving after skin infections and not having to be seen during the 2020 lockdown.

[@intercept9510]

I am literally in the planning phase of making a sick ass Cloak. I'm learning to sew for it. I'm thinking that I want to make my own clothes more generally too. So it was cool hearing about sick ass cloaks in this video about shaving, totally unexpected. Thanks for making this!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Hell yeah! What material are you making it out of? I currently only have a lightweight cloak made of a nice cotton but I am considering making a nice winter weight one soon. Thanks for watching!

[@intercept9510]

I want to make it out of wool! Because I want a nice warm dry winter cloak, and wool stays warm even when wet. (And I live in a rainy place) Going for a walk outside in the rain all bundled up sounds so nice. A light summer cloak sounds great. I'm sensitive to the sun so I like the idea of covering up, how is it to wear in the sunlight though?

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@intercept9510 it's really not too bad! I mostly wear it at night when it's only a little chilly outside! I want to make a nice wool one too for the heavy winter one!

[@intercept9510]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash that makes sense, it seems like it might be too warm for a hot day. did you make your cotton cloak? If you did do you have any pattern recommendations?

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@intercept9510 a friend made the one I have now! It's what I've heard called "hobbit style" but the one I want to make is an Irish style one, I can't remember the name off the top of my head right now

[@kimm4615]

I'm nonbinary AFAB and lean more on the masculine side and I never liked the idea of shaving my legs or armpits. I didn't even attempt it until I was in my late teens and I only ever shaved consistently for maybe a year or two of my life (I'm 25.) until one day I just stopped keeping up with it and let it grow out again. Frankly, I like how it looks on me and I'm aiming to grow as much as possible, anywhere possible, for the sense of gender euphoria that it gives me and I no longer care what anyone thinks of that. I love my body hair and I wish more people would find the courage to embrace theirs and let it grow if they so wish.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I love that! I also love having body hair!

[@goofballjar]

I shave somewhat regularly. My leg hair is practically colorless, so I do find it more of a sensational issue than an aesthetic one. I love the feeling immediately after shaving. I agree, I don’t love the feeling of sandpaper, but I (somehow) do prefer that to the feeling of wind blowing in my leg hair. I shave portions of my pubic area for what feels like cleanliness; I use period underwear and I don’t like how blood gets caught in hair. I don’t know if it’s actually more or less clean, but I feel more clean. I enjoy humans of all genders, and I tend to enjoy the feeling of a less hairy human, regardless of their gender. Though I will say, I also really love humans with long hair on their head, again regardless of gender. I tend to be drawn to people who are naturally less hairy, and I think because I enjoy that from other people I want to be able to offer them the same enjoyment. I do worry about whether my choice is an actual choice, or if I’m just lying to myself. But I think I have thought about it enough that I feel better about it being a choice. I think everyone should do what they want to do. I also think it’s okay to have a preference for myself and for my partners. Note, I do not make a habit of asking partners to change for my preferences, but rather I tend to be more drawn to partners who share my preferences or again who naturally just have less body hair.

[@keeblebrox]

I'm AMAB non-binary. I've shaved my body a few times and I did enjoy the feeling while it lasted. I haven't been able keep up with the effort required, but I don't think I'm finished with the idea yet.

[@adamwalker9807]

This video has offered me much to ponder my orb about while being a cloak wearing freak. And for that, I thank you!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Keep up the good work. Only we can bring back cloaks.

[@morningrose1512]

As a cis woman who shaves, the "texture thing" for me is when I let my leg hair get long I can feel it blowing in the wind as I walk if I'm not wearing pants and that bothers me Severely. I also just generally prefer it for the off chance I'll put a bandaid on since taking them off when I have hair is way more painful and I'd rather just regularly shave so I don't have to deal with that. I also just tend to lean as hyperfeminine as possible as sometimes even just forgetting makeup or wearing something too baggy feels too masculine to me so shaving is just another way I keep as feminine feeling as possible. I'd be willing to bet I lean so feminine it seems I'm compensating for something at this point. Though honestly it doesn't matter for visual reasons since I'm extremely blonde and so is my body hair, so it doesn't even show, so I'd consider my shaving purely personal preference

[@alexdoesthings2875]

I'm trying to grow my hair out and do your hair style and it is so hard to grow out at the point I'm at. I started from bald because I became that kind of afab after college and now i miss doing things with my hair

[@efahall._.]

I love bush! I say go in the opposite direction from Barbie smooth, bring back merkins for the folicularly challenged! LOL I am hairy af, my partner is hairy af, we are a couple of Fraggles really.

[@MedievalGenie]

13:50 funnily enough, I describe babies (especially newborn) as looking like deformed mole rats.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

They kind of do!

[@ummmmmmmmmmmnmmmm]

As a trans woman I've never been pressured to shave so it's at least something I wanna try out for a while. Maybe my perceptions and feelings around it are shaped by cultural biases and Darwin's kink but I know that even before I started puberty I liked having hairless legs. I liked feeling feminine. I guess I admired the women I saw in pop culture and I liked how my prepubescent hairless legs read as feminine and womanly to me. I love gender non-conformity and inspiring people to break gender norms however, for me, embracing hyper-feminine girly stuff has always been the greatest barrier for me and in terms of gender expression, it's made me feel the most happy. I think everyone's allowed to indulge in things like this and shouldn't feel too guilty about it. Also especially for trans women, the biggest risk is never trying something and then going an entire lifetime without ever trying it until you realize in your 60s that you really love shaved legs and you could've had so much more fun with your own body if you just explored it when you were younger. So my view is that above all, we should prioritize exploration. That means cis women experimenting with not shaving and me experimenting with shaving. I think it's a shame that boys are never taught about makeup and girls never get to experiment with short hairstyles. We have so much time on our hands, especially in the early stages of our life that I think it's oppressive and borderline fascistic of the likes of the Catholic church to mandate that children and teenagers can't experiment with their own bodies. I'll never forgive them for that.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I agree so much about forcing gender roles on kids. We shouldn't be gendering children at all, it's completely absurd to limit children's activities and expressions based on what genitals they have. It's honestly sick and twisted to do so and not normal or chill at all.

[@billiepotts1541]

nonbinary trans woman-not shaving body hair is the ideal for me but I always had too much body hair for that to be viable. now that I’m 13 months on E, it’s no worries, everything’s thinned out

[@joesfeet5760]

I am a genderfluid gender freak and have some serious dark body hair. I’ve even got hair on the top of my feet, and on my toes, and on the first and 2nd knuckles of my fingers. Which I fear might make me legally a hobbit since I am a smidge under 5’0 I used to not shave because I couldn’t be asked, but I bought a cool fancy skirt recently and I was like fuck it aerodynamic time and I absolutely slammed the dunk out of my legs and pits. I think some of why I do it is social pressure and also I like the look, but trying to figure out how much of it is social pressure and how much of it is true personal preference (for my body, I have no opinion on it on other people, though I do think curly leg hair is cool as shit) is like actually impossible they might be forever conjoined and untangleable. Also, when I use my professional skills, after I shave, my legs squeak. Like that sound they play when somebody is sliding down a window in a movie. And shaving also revealed like an insane amount of stretch marks on the back of my calves which I think look cool cause I’ve got those monster short people calves.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Yeah it's impossible to completely disentangle our personalities from our social conditioning, which is one of the reasons we should probably stop shaming people for harmless personal choices like body hair. Also hello fellow hobbit!

[@joesfeet5760]

@@Trash-Garbage-TrashHOBBITS RISE UP!!!!!!

[@scotthetzer5971]

AMAB enby who shaves body hair. I shave because I dont like the way hair looks/feels on me. Someone else mentioned fresh sheets on fresh shave, theres also certain clothes I have that hit the same feel. If I can feel individual hair strands, it can overstimulate because my brain tries to process each individual object.

[@wombatkins]

I read somewhere that people would use seashells as tweezers

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Yeah, seashells were used for hair removal in a lot of places!

[@Cajaquarius]

I shave because I did it one time and the itch of it regrowing is the worst. Like, it is shave or spend the day with both hands down pants itching.

[@ghstbrry]

weirdly, this only happens the first (or first couple) times. in my experience.

[@dandilion62]

I LOVE female body hair!!!

[@hollyanforth1006]

I just like feeling smooth, I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks. I don't like feeling like a coarse burlap sack. Everyone is really overthinking everything.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

haha you have no idea how much I'm overthinking everything. It's not a good thing. Being like this is a nightmare.

[@hollyanforth1006]

@Trash-Garbage-Trash , my point is more that you can't just make a blanket statement suggesting that anyone who shaves is brainwashed, lol. If I could permanently remove all my body hair, leaving only lashes, brows, and the hair on my head, I would do it immediately.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@hollyanforth1006 Oh, I actually don't come to that conclusion at the end of the video, that's one of the many perspectives on the issue.

[@hollyanforth1006]

@Trash-Garbage-Trash , I missed that on my first viewing, I do apologize for that, lol. I hope you weren't bothered, it wasn't intended to be inflammatory. The quintessential problem with text is no tone of voice or facial expression for context 😊

[@BriePF]

I'm trans-femme and I shave and IPL (almost) everything. My body hair gives me pretty bad dysphoria especially my stomach and legs. However, I do maintain a small area of hair 'downstairs'. To me, it feels normal for an adult to have hair there.

[@crowgirl9833]

I love bush. Also when my leg hair is fully grown it knots when I wear long pants, which is sensory hell for me, so I shave maybe once a month or so just because it’s easier for me than trimming my whole legs.

[@sophomorphia]

I love bush but always had a difficult relationship with it. Being trans and for about seven years a sex workers needed to/wanted to shave it all. I don’t do sw anymore so I don’t have to shave so much. I only shave my face regularly now but really only on days I need to leave the house, which isn’t that much.

[@beautifulgirl219]

As a transgirl I shave from the eyebrows down. I do it for myself, I don't do it because of social norms. I look for the same in partners, whether female or male; body hair has always been a turn-off for me. When hair started growing on my body at puberty I was appalled, I started shaving soon after. It's not political for me, it's esthetic. JMO.

[@willowtree7326]

As a certified cloak wearing freak i enjoyed this video

[@mangey_coyote]

I haven’t shaved in over a year, and I still sometimes feel a type of way about it. When I wear anything that reveals my legs, especially at my sausage fest workplace, I have to fight back waves of anxiety and shame. I hope that goes away with time because politics is what pushed me to try it, but if it weren’t a social thing I wouldn’t shave because I’m lazy and don’t care myself. I like body hair on my partners

[@hibiscusmix]

When you're a trans woman, you kind of get used to people constantly speculating and interrogating and psychoanalyzing your desires and feelings. I don't even know why I hate having body hair. It isn't even self-consistent. I wouldn't have cared at all about my pubic hair except that you have to get rid of it for bottom surgery anyway, but the feeling of leg hair is so viscerally gross that all that matters is just having it gone. I'm lucky enough to never have had enough of a body hair problem to seriously affect my chances of passing (I shave my face maybe every other week?) so it's just a matter of comfort.

[@agles9s]

ok 43 year old transwomen here. i have lived a good amount of my life masc. have shaved most my life... i have always loved the clean feeling of it. before HRT i totally understand the porcupine feeling. after HRT my hair is much softer. i can tell its coming back after shaving but the porcupine effect is much less then it was. also the feeling is much better after shaving now do to changs in my skin. at this point im really wanting laser for my face. besides that im kinda ok, only shaving/chemical every couple weeks. (chemical on occasions and shaving as needed) i also tend to use an electric razor on my body and legs. still use exposable razor's on my face. as for bush, trim.. please trim. i trim.

[@TheMvlproductionsinc]

For me in big part it IS a texture thing but i dont shave my legs i epilate them and sometimes shave todo laser on parts. I also shave my face but do so once to twice a day against the grain with a safety rasor to have the smooth feeling. Its also i like the way it looks a lot more. Ofc being trans this is also very involved in all of that and societies influence probably has some influence but i do genuinely prefer it even by myself and when i try to think outside of societies standards that dont always align with my own.

[@TheMvlproductionsinc]

Adding on i shaved my legs before i cracked and was in deep repression of my transness to the point i didnt even realise there was anything. And yet i shaved going against societies and mostly my families expectation (i regularly got comments on it) so there must be more to it than fitting in and societal influence.

[@_flOoweryy_strauuberryy_]

One of the things I've always wondered is why we find it socially acceptable to have head hair but not body hair. Not saying it's wrong to have head hair or any hair in fact I think it's fine if you're hairy but why is having body hair seen as dirty and head hair as normal. I think we should start to realize that this is all just unrealistic beauty standards it's okay to have hair it's a natural thing we all have

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I agree!

[@sarah_757]

I watched the video. I was a teen in the 90s. I always got Glycerine confused with Vasoline. And didn't like most grunge. 😆

[@ericbarrus4455]

Waxed my beard 3 or 4 times , yeah fucking hurts

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Oh yeah, waxing is just straight up torture lol

[@markadams8041]

I am a bald bike dood organizing a critical mas bike ride in your comments section. I used to race bicycles and I followed the fashion of my peer group and shaved my legs. I have no hair except for my pubes and pits and eyebrows. The hair on my legs must have said fork it. But yeah I do think pornography makes people shave down there and there is a pedophile flavor to the overarching politics to me.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Hell yeah, I used to ride my bike everywhere, I didn't have a car until I was 25. A lot of athletes shave for that reason, I didn't even think to include that in the video!

[@NattiNekoMaid]

There are some places on my body I have to shave or I kind of get a rash

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@NattiNekoMaid interesting! I've heard there's some kind of skin infection thing some people get that certain doctors recommend getting laser hair removal to fix? An infection of the follicles or something, I don't know

[@kittyluvsage13]

tbh I stopped shaving completely as a teenager bc it pissed off my mom, and then I turned out to be a big flaming woman enjoyer so keeping my body hair sort of feels like an expression of that :) like, it feels powerful to know that a potential partner would find desirable what others see as disgusting

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I too am a big flaming woman enjoyer lmao

[@kittyluvsage13]

@Trash-Garbage-Trash hehe! I love your videos you do such a good job of flowing from one idea to another that at first I didn't think of as being connected :) keep it up!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@kittyluvsage13 Thank you!

[@sotpunkkatt158]

My family is from Turkiye. The shape of your mustache or beard is a political statement. So much so that people have been jailed for drawing a mustache on a poster and the former military dictatorship banned beards. Ive gotten so good at determining a persons political leanings from just their facial hair.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Oh wow! It's similar in certain parts of the US, with religious factions like the Mormons, having facial hair is basically saying "fuck you" to Mormon leadership, who think clean-shaven is "correct." But definitely not to the point of being jailed.

[@vixevinweria8400]

I prefer a hairless crotch, and armpits because I hate when the hair gets pulled anytime I shift my body.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Interesting, I don't ever have that issue, but perhaps that's an underwear choice difference or something!

[@MeatyZeeg]

I'm a Man who shave his pits, groin, and crack because it's so much easier to clean. If I let them grow for even a month you could braid it.

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

Early humans (or hominids) were likely scavengers, and the strat was run in, grab whatever you can carry, and scram before hyenas come. That idea is reinforced by the fact our stomachs are very acidic, which is a trait common in scavengers, because it kills microbes and prevents food poisoning. But iirc hairlessness was caused by our speech which made panting harder, so we had to adapt not to get so hot easily. Which definitely didn't work on you, because you're hot af.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I thought so too but many scientists believe it's a function of being persistence predators. There is, as always, debate about it though.

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash Possibly both

[@Desimere]

I also heard that it's for persistence chase, because sweating is a much more efficient cooling mechanism than panting. But these two things do kinda work together because people are also pack hunters, so it makes sense that communicating is part of the persistence hunting strategy as well

[@forest.02.]

Im so glad that Im waching this while drinking buttermilk. this has nothing to do with hair or shaving, just the mix of this video and a glass of buttermilk seem like they go so well together to me.

[@MONO___]

I'VE BEEN SAYING THE CLOAK THING FOR YEARS NOW cloak wearing freaks unite, I love this channel

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@MONO___ thank you! And remember: only you can bring back sick ass cloaks!

[@alexdoesthings2875]

Cloak wearing freak here! I shave, but I hate it. I used to shave my arms, and people found that weird, so I stopped, but i find it weird that people are such haters of leg and underarm hair, but not of arm hair. That stuff gets just as long and thick, but that's fine, i guess. Make it make sense

[@DeirdreJouriles]

I'm a cloak wearing freak and I shave my facial hair (because gender) but otherwise I haven't shaved much in the past few years. It very quickly became something I didn't feel like I needed or liked once I got more confortable and confident in my gender

[@technopoptart]

i wonder if you'd be interested in a book called "fearing the black body" by sabrina strings. it is very enlightening on where a lot of these types of (contemporary)social stigmas originate and how some of them developed into what we see play out today

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I haven't read that one, I will look into it!

[@DottiethePsychic]

One time I shaved everything but my eyebrows and then didn't shave anything for a few months. Drove my girlfriend crazy 🤣 It was the armpits that got to her

[@cloverplayssnakegame]

I stopped shaving because my dumbass pcos hair dulls a razor blade so fast I can only get through like half a leg I live bush

[@greyblories7894]

To add to the discourse of this video, I am one of those people who likes the texture of shaved legs - for like the first hour or two after shaving, then you're right they become sandpapery. I shave maybe once or twice a year because I get thicccc hair on my legs and when air blows through the hair and makes it move, it makes me feel like I have bugs on my legs, so it's sensory thing as well. Unfortunately, shaving is a nightmare and the smooth doesn't last and I refuse to wax and can't afford laser removal nor do I think I would do it even if I could because I also can get dysphoria from shaving...I have a really weird relationship with body hair. On the one hand growing up socialised to find it icky and embarrasing. On the other hand finding it a ridiculous expectation, plus the dysphoria, plus the sheer effort it takes to maintain shaved legs bc the hair grows back impossibly fast and you can never get it all in one sitting (I always miss a patch or two and that's somehow worse than just not shaving at all). It's all just ridiculous. Beauty standards are ridiculous. Anyway sorry for writing a book in the comments rip have a nice day Also just as a side note I used to be an editor and I wanted to offer unsolicited advice to help you retain more viewers because I think you have good content and deserve more recognition. I've noticed you don't seem to make a lot of edits, and often repeat your points more than once in your videos. If you edit for brevity (for a specific example, choosing which repeated statement you feel best represents what you're trying to say) the videos will be a little bit shorter and you'll retain your audience for longer. I'm not accusing you of rambling, just that attention spans are pretty short at the moment.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Thank you! I definitely am rambling at times lol

[@atrution]

I like sand paper legs, and smooth legs, but don't mind hairy legs.

[@ragnose1]

i just like how it feels to be shaved it has nothing to do with politics, like seriously

[@javitronex9041]

Ngl, its fine if ppl do whatever they want, as for me, i prefer being a hairless lady on anything under the eyelashes cause its more comfy for me

[@MelodytheCommie]

I find this really interesting, considering myself a gendernonconforming trans-woman, it is really interesting to feel pressured to be shaved almost by myself and for the point of "passing" when, like honestly, I hate shaving, I don't like how it feels, I surely don't like how it looks, but it makes society see me as a "real woman". After this, I'm probably going to stop shaving, honestly, just to feel more myself

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

So many women do it just to be socially accepted, even when it feels bad. I hope you do whatever makes you happiest!

[@anid3v838]

watching this while making a sick ass cloak LMFAO 36:13

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Hell yeah!

[@dancoroian1]

While I can certainly understand the argument for the preference for hairlessness being based in PDF file-ism, and it is certainly a plausible origin of that preference/f3tish before it became the norm (and, inarguably still the fundamental motivation behind _some_ people having that preference in modern society), I think it's a pretty insane stretch to claim that that's the main or only reason for most people having that preference today -- especially considering for how long it has been the dominant image portrayed in mainstream and erotic media, and during a time in which access to and consumption of all media has grown exponentially

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@dancoroian1 yeah I agree, it's mainly advertising and social pressure. But I felt I had to mention that perspective. And women are certainly infantilized.

[@dancoroian1]

Also, I did think it felt like a bit of an omission during the discussion on texture to fail to mention anything about...mechanical/logistical advantages to having no or less hair down there? In terms of friction, hygiene, athletics, etc. Sandpaper argument notwithstanding, there are some people willing to put in the nearly constant work required for actual smoothness (and some for reasons besides societal pressure)

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@dancoroian1 Well, the evidence shows that hairlessness is associated with many negative outcomes, though this could merely be correlation. Increased risk of recurring UTIs, increased STI risk (some studies controlled for sexual behaviors), and increased yeast infections.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

A lot of pro cyclists and swimmers think it helps with aerodynamics, and that's true, it can provide up to a 2% increase in aerodynamics. This is on average higher in men vs women, as they tend to be hairier. 2% is nothing for low-level athletes but is a big advantage at high levels, like the olympics.

[@dancoroian1]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash huh, really? I had never heard that before -- got a source(s) you can point me to? I'd be interested to take a closer look

[@roseparade_]

I love bush!!!!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Thank you! Me too lol

[@alienajackson8621]

Hi! My friend recommended your channel to me today and I just found this video. You have a great screen presence and present topics in a really engaging way! I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos! I personally don’t care if people shave or not- it’s fine if they want to, it’s fine if they don’t. It’s not my body, it’s not my business, and it’s not my problem. I will say that as someone who doesn’t shave, I’ve found the way someone reacts to my body hair is fairly indicative of their general views on bodily autonomy. It sort of boggles my mind that some people are that consumed with policing the bodies of others, but I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised given the recent fascist return to power and their obsession with controlling AFAB bodies in every possible way. ANYWAYS, I just wanted to recommend the book Plucked: A History of Hair Removal by Rebecca M. Herzig as another source on the subject if you’re interested in exploring any further. I found it to be an enjoyable read. I also was looking through your sources for the video and found some really intriguing articles on the topic that I’m looking forward to digging into. Thanks again!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@alienajackson8621 thank you so much! I'll read it!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@alienajackson8621 I absolutely notice the body hair being an easy indicator of people's views of bodily autonomy! It's a really good measure!

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

TBF not putting effort into yourself is a symptom of depression, and not putting effort into looking nice classifies as not putting effort into yourself. And I don't think doctors are dumb enough to think every woman who doesn't put effort into looking nice is depressed and not just someone who doesn't care about that stuff.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

You give doctors a lot more credit than many women do, because a whole lot of women have a story where a doctor told them it was just anxiety and to stop being annoying when they had something genuinely really wrong.

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash I assume doctors won't overdiagnose too much, since the examples you gave are underdiagnoses.

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@mr.cauliflower3536 Studies show doctors tend to under diagnose physical issues and over diagnose mental disorders in women

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash Huh.

[@andreakoroknai1071]

oh damn, she's making me feel bad about the environmental aspects of shaving, I never thought of that as far as shaving goes, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, it's social pressure, but I also sometimes like to look conventionally feminine

[@ironwill2]

As a man, Im glad im not socially preasured to shave. Done it once, sand paper thighs feel awful.

[@Dave-hp4vh]

I am a cis dude and I shave most (as in, everything from face down to my knees) of my body hair. Completely shaven and smooth, not just 'trimmed', because I find it nasty and weird. I only don't do it below my knees because I don't want to deal with getting weird looks at the beach or if I'm in shorts out and about. No dysphoria, my wife likes it better that way too, although she often goes longer without shaving than I do and I'm fine with that too, I just hate the way it feels and looks. TL;DR, normalize cis dudes shaving their body hair, for feminism!

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

Yeah people can do whatever they want with their bodies!

[@Dave-hp4vh]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash Amen! 100%.

[@dancoroian1]

I can't be the only cis-het guy who genuinely finds armpit hair attractive on women

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

@@dancoroian1 oh you definitely aren't

[@dancoroian1]

@@Trash-Garbage-Trash I realize that rationally. I just hate how it's portrayed that way by certain toxic male voices (that unfortunately have far too great a reach/influence) -- as if there is such a thing as objective beauty standards across time, culture, and individual preferences 🙄

[@MegaTomcat67]

You are definitely not alone

[@hibiscusmix]

A few years ago when reddit decided cloaks were going to be the next big fashion thing, I got together with a few friends and we sewed some cloaks together and put cat ears on them

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I love the idea of cat eat cloaks!

[@adriennevoer]

Nonbinary transfemme. I'm getting laser on my face, neck, and chest, and I have been looking at hair removal options for my legs and arms that don't require shaving constantly but don't also cost either a million dollars or significant environmental damage and time out of my life. If I were in a society where women's hairiness was normalized or fetishized I'd probably not be interested in removing my body hair but as you outlined I'm in a society where women's body hair is demonized. I spent a long time just wearing what was easy and comfortable and got me privilege, and that led to me wearing a lot of men's clothes and that was no fun. I love my hairy comrades and I do think that some of my hairy transfemme (and cis-female) brethren going into public spaces creating representation can be a light form of praxis but I agree that at the end of the day, body hair choices are the result of much bigger social problems, and not really the battleground to fight. It may be continuing my own mildly self-destructive instinct to fit in, but finding what I am and am not willing to do to present myself as a "presentable" tran who can stand up for and defend my less conforming comrades, is an ongoing personal journey; but the focus of that journey should be on the political goals, not self-policing my own thoughts about my body.

[@dancoroian1]

Can we take a moment to recognize and appreciate just how messed up it is that the technical term for a woman with "too much" body hair (as arbitrarily determined by some man, surely) is literally a homophone for _'her suit,'_ and really not far off from 'hair suit'?? It's right up there with rhinoplasty being the medical term for a nose job, just insulting really 😆

[@SadGirlNoceda]

heyyy transfem here i hate body hair for myself and shave every chance i get. for me its just dysphoria. makes me feel gross. dont care if other women shave or not, same for men, its your body do what u want. actually i do actually like a woman with body hair (especially bush :3). but yeah. body hair is just not for me

[@93lozfan]

If youre interested in seeing bush in porn modify your search with "hairy" and "japanese" culturally it's less common for japanese people to shave. I've heard people describe it as being too childish, hair makes you look more mature and like an actual adult.

[@Dr0wn3dGirL7E7]

I want to let my hair be free but being trans I can’t unless I want to be constantly misgendered.

[@Dr0wn3dGirL7E7]

I also love hair on all humans.

[@kanskeapocalipstick]

Im a swedish non-binary who keep my headhair and pubes but really really hate the other hair on me. my preference is kind of the same but nonshaved armpits can be kind of hot. and hair on others is not my problem, except if its stubbly. I think our preferences is shaped to a huge degree in youth and since most of the other hair comes later hairlessness except those areas have been a norm. I also think if you grow up as a male you do not think of hairless girls because you almost never see them naked in changing-rooms and bathing etc. so I highly doubt the pedophilia angle in woman shaving to look like little girls... Its probably more of a beachmodel or porn trend.

[@NattiNekoMaid]

As a sex worker (trans fem) I find that most people prefer me with hair over without (though I shave leg hair as i don’t like it, but its barely visual on camera) Now how much of that is transphobia and how much is just what people like

[@Trash-Garbage-Trash]

I think having hair is more popular even now, but I'm not sure. I am obviously biased.