When did the itual begin, of us women, shaving/plucking/waxing hair from their legs, underarms and etc?
Women have been shaving their legs in increasing numbers since the advent of inexpensive disposable razors. The idea (mentioned above) that it was an idea started by men is as funny as it is wrong. Women have never needed male help in setting standards for vanity. When I was growing up (25 years ago), most teenaged females shaved their underarms and their legs, but generally to the knee only. The idea that any hair whatsoever below the scalp is dirty (or my favorites…eeeww and gross!) is really quite modern. Further, that women would decide that simple shaving is no longer adequate and seek an even smoother finish through extensive plucking and waxing was unheard of as recently as the 1980’s. I have commented elsewhere that 25-30 seems to be the transitional age, below which many if not most women also shave their privates. When a market is overbought, smart investors predict a downturn. Similarly, with vanity, particularly in the teen and pre-teen subsets at record highs, expect a c
