So I’m reading my gmail and I read one of those automated headlines at the top of the inbox. It says, “When and why did women start shaving their legs?”
I didn’t click on the link, because I only actually saw it when I was already in the process of clicking the sign out button, and really I just wonder when and why did I write something in my emails that would suggest that this is something I would want to read.
Although I totally want to google “When and why did women start sharing their legs?” right now, I will resist. I have some clothing to fold.
daily life, pop culture | sighclub February 11, 2006
7 Comments
Other Links to this Post
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
By britt, February 11, 2006 @ 4:55 pm
That is an interesting question. Why do we do that?
By robin, February 12, 2006 @ 9:31 pm
Which? Shave our legs? Or succumb to the irresistible pull of IN-FOR-MA-TION (Seinfeld, anyone?)?
i thought women started shaving their legs because hoisery was unavailable during wwii. but if you’d seen my unshaven legs in a pair of pantyhose, you’d wonder why anybody came up with that theory.
By k, February 13, 2006 @ 6:36 am
alright alright alright… here’s one explanation
http://www.answerbag.com/c_view.php/1037#q_8667 that I’ll post in full here:
“It started during the First World War.
“In the May 1915 issue of Harper’s Bazaar, they ran an ad of a young woman in a dress with next to no sleeves. She had her arms raised above her head and showed bare armpits. The copy of the ad read in part, “Summer Dress and Modern Dancing combine to make necessary the removal of objectionable hair.”
“A few months later, various ads promoted underarm shaving for hygienic reasons. One ad stated “The Woman of Fashion says the underarm must be as smooth as the face”.
“By 1917, McCall’s magazine started featuring ads opposing arm hair. By 1922, the Sears catalogue started advertising women’s razors and hair removal products. Many of the ads coincided with an increase in sleeveless dresses and tops.
“Leg hair took much longer to conquer. It wasn’t until World War Two that shaving leg hair became popular. Some attribute this phenomenon to a pin-up poster of Betty Grable showing off her bare legs. At the same time, skirts were becoming shorter and stockings were becoming sheer.”
By Rick M, February 13, 2006 @ 9:13 am
I thought it was because all women, secretly, are into bicycle racing.
By k, February 13, 2006 @ 12:10 pm
oh but we are.
By Brittnie, February 13, 2006 @ 1:35 pm
interesting.
By Gunnella, February 15, 2006 @ 7:11 am
When or rather why indeed