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Originally Posted by mr dave
as for the shaving thing it cuts both ways but not nearly as bad on the man's face as the woman's legs. as a male you don't get any direct derision but you are treated differently when you have a badass hobo beard as compared to being clean shaven. women just seem far more direct and insidious with their genetic self-loathing than guys.
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A badass hobo beard!
Yeah, you don't see those too often, other than with ZZ Top. And in certain countries where male beards are encouraged or required by law for religious reasons (s c a r y ! ! ). I think people here occasionally playfully make fun of men's beards and especially mustaches. They don't make vocal "eww" sounds and derisive laughter about men's beards...very often, at least.
Here's an article about Mo'Nique, who keeps her body hair (pictures of her were shown earlier in the thread). I'm glad she and a few other famous women, such as the Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer, raise the topic of shaving and inspire a discussion. I'm glad they are so brave, because they make life easier for other women by helping to reduce social constraints on them:
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"Unshaven Women: Free Spirits or Unkempt?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/fashion/15skin.html
In January, at the Golden Globes, Mo’Nique, who won for her portrayal of a gruesome mother in “Precious,” lifted her floor-length dress to reveal her unshaved calves, abundant in their hairiness.
On Web sites like TMZ.com, people posted comments like “I have to HURL now ... Disgusting is an understatement.” It would seem that a collective ewww rang out nationwide, one designed to make every ’tween girl snap to attention and realize that leg hair is not allowed.
Mo’Nique was not the only red-carpet walker this awards season to just say no. Amanda Palmer, who used to sing for the punk-cabaret duo Dresden Dolls...raised an arm to show the world the hair underneath.
According to Ms. Palmer, women sometimes strike up conversations with her on the topic of body hair and tell her that they aren’t particularly wedded to shaving. But they “don’t want to deal with the stares, and it’s the path of least resistance,” she added.
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That's part of what I don't like about shaving: it is as if women are intentionally making themselves obsequious, too afraid to stand up to people's negative opinions.
It reminds me of how in the 50s, women in the U.S. intentionally tried to "play dumb" so that their less educated male significant others didn't feel threatened (I have a book from the 1950s in which women are interviewed about this issue). I always felt sad for those women, because they weren't able to be who they really were in their relationships. And back then, with more limited work opportunities, women were forced to rely on finding a mate for financial security, so they made personal sacrifices in order to conform to the socially accepted view of "woman."
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