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Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA
A preference for less hair in women may be rooted in biology, and yet, Tore, if it really were the case that an anti-hair feeling were strong due to instinctive reasons, then we would no longer expect to see the very common trait that girls going through puberty start to grow darker, more visible hair, since this trait appears to be easily eradicted biologically. For example, people (women AND men) of Asian ancestry often have very little visible body hair.
Most ethnic groups of humans, however, DO have women who develop very visible body hair. I suspect that this trait, if it were selected against through natural selection, would be an easy one to negate (we'd all have Asian body hair, for example). The fact that many men in many cultures don't appear to mind women's body hair suggests that the dislike of women's body hair by some men (mostly in the U.S.?) is mostly cultural.
Also, Tore, the recent emergence of the shaving fad for women's body hair began only in 1915 in the U.S. So, I would argue that this distaste toward women's very natural body hair is mostly a result of cultural influences, not deep biological drives. Men in the 1800s didn't appear to be complaining about their women's body hair...at least, I don't think so!
If environmental influences can turn a baby into a vicious killer (such as a Nazi concentration camp worker who used Jewish babies for target practice...a common occurrence), then it can also turn him into someone who feels repulsed by leg hair. Take the same baby, put him in a friendly environment, and he'll probably end up being caring toward all religious groups and accepting of, even affectionate toward, women's leg hair.
German women, for example, didn't shave their leg hair very often for much of the last century. When I visited Germany in the 80s, a lot of high school girls had their leg hair, and it was a non-issue for the boys in their lives. I think the "hair-is-bad-on-women" commercials have made shaving more common in Germany since that time, though. Sigh.
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I think what Tore means is that the desire for hairless women is influenced by the basic biological desire to have an attractive mate, this is common animal behavior, not just human behavior. Shucks some birds actually remove feathers they deem undesirable to make themselves more attractive to mates, sound familiar eh?
While it's true that the preference is influenced by our culture. So are many things that we still have the right to prefer and often do prefer. Even if there was no longer social stigma against people like you who prefer not to shave, people will always have their own preferences meaning that many people like me will still prefer women with smooth legs, the same way many women still prefer men without beards even though beards are acceptable as a symbol of masculinity.
I think everybody has the right to choose what to do with their bodies, and in fact they already do have that choice. Sure they will be mocked but people who get mocked for being weird are by no means a minority and they still have made their choice, because that makes them feel better and that's more important than what complete strangers think about you.
And vice versa people have a right to "conform" if that makes them feel better. A lot of women still choose to have long hair which is what is culturally desirable but I don't consider them weak or slaves for doing so nor do I have a problem with it because I still like women with hair and besides as long as there's a few gals who will challenge the norm by going dome I'm satisfied.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Insanity
Yes, but if I was a chick I'd be a slut.
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In that case nothing would be different.
