#FoodforThoughtFriday

Happy Food for Thought Friday!

Today's Topic: Shaving (or not shaving)

So in the past few years, there's been a lot about the weird societal expectation that women need to shave their legs and armpits, and shaving is something I've been thinking a lot about lately because razors are expensive and because shaving legs takes AGES, making the whole thing seem like a waste.

My thoughts on the matter are difficult to express, but I'm going to do the best I can.

So, for the last few years, I've only shaved my legs when the hair gets so long that skinny jeans or leggings or other tight pants start to get uncomfortable to wear (except for a period of about 4 months when I did it once a week for some reason), and even then I only do from the knee down. My leg hair is currently at maximum length and I've been wearing skinny pants and leggings on a regular enough basis that I'm surprised it hasn't started getting uncomfortable, but I'm going with it because my shower time gets cut super short when I'm not shaving (SERIOUSLY it takes so freakin' long to shave even just my calves it's completely ridiculous like it triples my shower time).

And while I don't believe in shaving as a societal expectation because like why do people care if other people have hair ?? I do find that when I shave my legs, I feel good about it. Like, they're so smooth and rubbing them together feels so nice. But then as soon as the hair gets prickly, I'm back to thinking it's ridiculous. Because it is ridiculous.

But, really, I support people who, like, want to shave. Like if having smooth legs on a regular basis makes you happy, then rock on with it! 

My real issue with shaving is just that people act like choosing not to shave for whatever reason is wrong for some reason. Which leads people who don't really want to shave to feel like they have to, and I'm not a fan of that. If someone doesn't want to shave, but does it anyway because society says they should, then they're losing their bodily autonomy, their right to decide what they want to do with their body.

Now I'm not going to tell people who do shave because society says to that they need to stop now, because then that would imply I'm trying to take away their bodily autonomy, which I'm not about. But I do want to put a message out there for everyone:

If you do not want to shave your legs, armpits, face, pubes, or various other body parts, you do not have to. If you do want to shave any or all of these parts, then you go ahead (but be careful because hair is there for a legit reason in most cases). But do not feel like you have to shave any part of your body for anybody other than you. This is your body and you're the only person who has to live with it 24/7, so if someone doesn't like it, that's their problem, not yours.

And I want to encourage people to make the choice that's right for them when it comes to shaving/not shaving. If you like the smooth leg feeling and don't mind the time it takes to keep your leg hair down, then rock on with those smooth legs! If you like having hair because it keeps you warm, great! If you want to dye your armpit hair purple and braid it, you do you.

And I'll do me.