This is Why I Shaved my Legs

Darn it Patricia. Every time I go on the blog your prompt (This is why I shaved my legs) always catches my attention.Who’d write on that? What could you possibly write about? Isn’t this a private rite of passage for a girl? Then I had a childhood flashback that played just like a movie. And it wouldn’t stop playing. Darn it. I can’t get it out of my head. So here it is.

I wished I could write humour like Joan Doane (Georgetown Wordsmiths).  Yeah, maybe in my next life.

This is Why I Shaved my Legs

Girls can be so cruel not so much with their fists but their mouth. In the 60’s verbal abuse among teenage girls was rampant. Bullying itself was a rite of passage and it’s still a problem today.

We’d moved again. I changed schools for at least the fourth time. Now, after Grade 9, I’d even changed courses.. I’d known my best friend Linda since Grade 7 and if she hadn’t taken the specialized course at Mimico High we wouldn’t be in the same class together. And we never would have become best friends.

She took the streetcar to and from school but as a good friend she began walking me home first. Now, I didn’t feel like such a loser. It had to be all good, right?

Nothing much ever happened during our walks until one day a group of girls walked behind us. They were loud enough to make sure we heard them. In the 60’s, we weren’t allowed to wear pants to school. And I don’t think it ever crossed our minds that one day it would be acceptable.

“Oh my God, look at the hair on that girl’s legs. You’d think she shave. She must be a moron not to do anything about it.”

I couldn’t believe it. When I turned to look at Linda she turned her head so I couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. Rage engulfed me. Who the hell did they think they were? Obviously, they didn’t know my reputation. Growing up with Irish blood and violent parents, I sometimes preferred to use my fists instead of my deadly blunt mouth. But my father taught me never to hit first. And Linda didn’t like confrontation and I didn’t want to embarrass her any more than what she’d just experienced. But if I had my way it would have been the last time that they harassed me but especially Linda.

Later, I casually mentioned to Linda that I’d thought it would be a good idea for me to shave my legs. I let on that they’d been talking about me even though you could count on your one hand how many hairs I had on both my legs.

We discussed it in length and she decided it would be better to use the hair removal lotion that took the hair off rather than shaving. She just didn’t think shaving was feminine or something. We giggled like little kids while we sat in the bathroom doing the deed. Was this a bonding experience or what? When we used the hair removal I swear we also took off a lot of our skin along with it. My legs were burning and flaming red but I’d done my best to salvage my friend’s distress.

And then the hair grew back in abundance and I’ve cursed myself ever since. This was the first and only time I would use this God -forsaken lotion. I resorted to shaving. It was faster, and it didn’t ‘cause any allergic reaction. If only, I’d never removed it that day I wouldn’t ever have had to shave in my life. All this for my friend but I never got any hero awards. Linda and I haven’t ever discussed the first time we removed our leg hair. I guess it wasn’t a bonding experience after all although we’ve remained close friends.

Who invented shaving leg hair for women anyway? Today, I consider it barbaric. Could it be merely titillation for men to view naked skin? Could it have started with the famous WWII pinup of Betty Grable displaying her shaved legs? Shorter skirts, short dress, and sheer stockings didn’t help either. Leg hair underneath the stockings didn’t exactly look appealing. But appealing to who? Haven’t women always done unthinkable things for men? Or did it open up a new market for the razor industry? .

Women still belittle other women who don’t shave. And if we’re only shaving for hygienic reasons why is it only women who shave their legs? Are hairy men attractive? And is  the real reason that women shave is to please men? Have we been brain washed?  Or are we helping the economy?

So women why do you shave?

And thanks Patricia I finally got that prompt off my mind. I hope that I haven’t opened up a can of worms. But isn’t it a writer’s job to provoke thought.