h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

he dad owns the hilton hotels, think she was in the simple life
shes a spoilt brat of a women who always got what she wanted and doesnt no what a days hard work is

Granny W - how do you shave anything with two hands ....

Back to shaving...is there anyone else who agrees that this is an unfortunate fashion? 'Au naturel' is far more visually appealing, tactile and (ahem) fragrant.

Somehow the 'girl scout' look (nod to The Sopranos) has come to be the cultural ideal, due to the cultural hegemony of the US.

I just like variation - sometimes hisuteness and sometimes 'baldness'. Too tell the truth I don't even mind hairy armpits on women a la Julia Roberts. If they're shaved I like them to be completely smooth - i.e. it has to be done at least once per day.

WanderingAlbatross, I usually use a razor but as my right hand's out of action for a while, I can't hold the razor in my left hand & shave under my left armpit properly Grandad's now saying that it's bad enough having to shave himself everyday I guess I should have gone and had a wax before the operation But I prefer shaving as I hate waiting for the growth to become dense enough for waxing.

>> ..is there anyone else who agrees that this is an unfortunate fashion..<<

Yes.

It must cause women the same sort of painful frustrations as whalebone girdles, wired bras and 'permanent' hairdos. Just can't understand why they should put up with it.

Maybe I'm an animal but I like a little fur on my females. There is certainly nothing attractive about legs or armpits that have been scraped raw and red. As you say, "'Au naturel' is far more visually appealing, tactile and (ahem) fragrant".


~jwf~

>> ..is there anyone else who agrees that this is an unfortunate fashion..<<

Yes.

It must cause women the same sort of painful frustrations as whalebone girdles, wired bras, implants and 'permanent' hairdos. Just can't understand why they should put up with it. It really isn't necessary and is usually counter-productive.

Maybe I'm an animal but I like a little fur on my females. There is certainly nothing attractive about legs or armpits that have been scraped raw and red. As you say, "'Au naturel' is far more visually appealing, tactile and (ahem) fragrant".


~jwf~

"Error 502 Server Not Available"

Must remind myself to not believe everything I read before re-posting.

~jwf~

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that, so far, the only advocates (in this thread) for the fairer sex not shaving have been male!

It's fantastic that we men folk are all so easy going and carefree about feminine body hair maintenance/control but I don't think I'd be wrong in saying that we're deluded if we think that they do any of it on our behalf.

I could be seriously wrong but, it seems to me - from my research - that the biggest decider as to whether a woman removes, reduces or ignores her body hair is personal preference. The next biggest decider is how she will be seen by other females. We men and our personal preferences/wants may just get the bronze medal in a field of three.

Don't kid yourselves, chaps. If your lady friend suddenly decides that her nether, under arm, or leg regions should be returned to nature then she will ...

Yes, it probably is a fashion statement but as I've said, if they didn't want to, they wouldn't, and certainly not purely on our behalf.

I get the impression that in Germany, ladies are vfar less conscious of underarm hair.

Returning to my Julia Roberts theme, I thought it was unfortunate that The Sun newspaper (I think it was) which used the caption 'Hair I Am', when they captured a photograph of a luxuriant armpit growth as she was waving at someone.

Personally I thought 'BRAVO', and her stock went up immeasurably in my estimation.

It is, of course, up to individual women whether or not to depillate - and there are contrasting cultural norms. For example, years ago I read a "Dear Abby" column in a US newspaper. The questioner was complaining that her French friends didn't shave their armpits or use deodorants and what should she do? Now, any UK columnist would have given a tactful, balanced response about personal choice. To my surprise, Abby's reply was "Do persist! Underarm hygeine is very important!" She'd have had a fit if she ever saw an Italian or Greek beach!

On the other hand, at various times and in various cultures, the total removal of body hair is the norm. For Romans it was so for both men and women (they had various implements for shaving and plucking and spent hours in steam baths). I believe (but I might be wrong) that female depillation is also the cultural norm in the Middle East. In Japan, female pubic hair is something of a taboo and is pixellated out of soft-core porn.

What really surprises me, though, about the current fashion for 'Brazilians' is that it seems to be marketed as (allegedly) something that men go nuts about. Porn is full of references to 'shaven havens' and my (ahem) research suggests that female pubic hair is now practically absent from US-produced and influenced pornography. Yet I've not found a man who doesn't prefer hair down there (nice alliteration, no?).

Personal reasons for depilation:

Armpits: I prefer to use roll-on anti-perspirant and I've found it's more effective if my armpits are hairless. I don't wear sleeveless tops, so I dont actually *care* what it looks like.

Legs: Hubby prefers the feel of hairless legs. However, I don't shave them as often as other people shave theirs as I often wear trousers, so there's no point. People can't see my legs, so why should I care what they look like.

Privates: I can think of one potential reason for shaving these - hygiene. Yes, I know we all shower daily, but if it's "that time of month" and a woman uses towels in preference to tampons... Well, you work it out. Other than that, I've been told it can get itchy when the hair grows back. I've also read that removing the hair allows a man to get a fraction of an inch deeper during sex, but I don't think it's enough to make a difference.

So, as you can see it's all a matter of personal preference, and that's how it should be.

Oh, and sorry to be pedantic, but 'hair down there' is assonance, not alliteration. It's the sounds that go together, not the letters. When I was at school we learnt, "Drive me to death with the din of their dints" as an example of alliteration. It's still with me umpteen years on.

I thought that assonance was 'Getting the rhyme wrong' (Julie Walters in Educating Rita)

I think that Middle Eastern cultures (Muslim and orthodox Jewish) have menstruation-related taboos which lead to shaving. In fact, there is little *genuine* argument on hygeinic grounds. In the UK, obstetricians no longer insist on shaving before childbirth (but I believe that other countries still do).

The sexual reason given is usually related to oral sex. Don't get it, myself. If you're kissing the shaved bits, you're missing the target! It remind me of the joke that got Chris Evans fired from the BBC: 'Why are sprouts like pubic hair? You push them both aside and carry on eating.'

Also...connections have been made with the sexual infantilisation of women....latent paedophilia. I'm not convinced that this is true in all cases. I reckon that the chief attraction (for those men who like that sort of thing) is that it gives clearer sexual displays. I guess that's how it started in porn: it gives more detailed close-ups - and porn leaked into mainstream culture to the extent that the porn star is regarded as an ideal woman.

Incidentally....how I came into this thread was via a posting on the 'Useless Facts' thread about how the poet John Ruskin was so revolted by his wedding night discovery that women have pubic hair that he never consummated his marriage.

I'm at terrible risk here of disgracing myself with outrageous remarks. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm a 'Mozart' (- did anyone from the UK watch last night's TV programme speculating as to whether Mozart had Tourette's Syndrome? Apparently a characteristic of this condition is thart sufferers feel compelled to make outrageous and offensive remarks, preferably at the most inopportune time. They also have an obsession with body functions and scatology. Apparently when he was 26 M. composed a song set to wonderful and delightful music, called 'Lick out my a**ehole', which they reproduced on TV sung my a pretty opera singer. Thgis reminded me of myself who has often wished he had an operatic voice and could sing Rugby songs to really pompous and uplifting music. Anyway, that's all by-the-by....).

Anyway, moving away from any compulsion I may feel. I always thought a 'Brazilian' did mean a completely "shaven haven". However, I now understand it to mewan a very narrow 'landinmg strip' that wouldn't br visible under a thong bikini. The proper name for a completely "shaven haven" is a 'Hollywood'. Can anyone enlighten me on this.

I think I've avoided disgracing myself!

Is it me or is there some pilot error involved if ones delicate undercarriage ends up scraping along a landing strip....<[eacedove>

That [ just jumped out in front of me..honest constable Got it

ARRRGGGHHH!

Yes, I believe that this is true. The 'Brazilian' arose from depillation of the areas around the high-cut thong bikinis favoured by the girls from Ipanaema (Tall and tanned and young and lovely...). And the full strip is, indeed, sometimes known as the Hollywood, due to its origins in the LA porn industry.

There are also other variants - such as the wee tuft left at the top. On Desert Island Disks a couple of weeks ago, Desmond Morris said that he'd recently been conducting some anthropological research on the various styles in Las Vegas lap dancing clubs.

Getting back to my earlier question...do any guys out there actually prefer these various tonsures on sexual grounds?

Or, indeed, not to be heterosexist....gals?

Ahy, how I wish I had continued my studies in Zoology; much more rewarding than chemistry.

As to regards whether I prefer one over the other, as I said earlier, I like aa bit of variation. Sometimes I'm in the mood for 'Baldenss be my Friend' and other times I fancy a tropical jungle.

Reference my 'Mozart' posting above, I forgot to say that although I can identify some of M's predilictions in myself, I regret to say that I have none of his genius - in ANY field.

Coincidentally, they were talking on R4 this morning about whetherr or not there are any female Mozarts and, if not, why not. Linking this in with last night's TV documentary, if his musuical genius is linked with his TS, maybe TS is more common in males. Must look this up. I'll have a look in the RG because I think there is an Entry on TS




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