It’s been over a year since a razor last cruised over my legs, chopping hair off before it could show. (You can read my other two posts about this experience here and here.) I started this experiment in November 2020 with a question in my head: Why am I shaving my legs?
I decided to see what would happen if I went an entire calendar year without shaving. It was easy to do because I honestly find shaving a chore and don’t really enjoy the task. Plus, my minimalist beauty regime became even easier!
What Have I Learned?
Neither of the two biggest things I learned has anything to do with hairy legs. They have to do with my heart.
I learned that I have way more hang-ups about myself than I knew.
Most of the time, I seem like a confident woman who knows who she is, what she is doing and where she is going. But, in reality, I’m often not very nice to myself and don’t always see my worth. Not shaving led me to think deeply about what makes me pretty, what makes me worthwhile, and what makes me myself. Looking at those personal issues wasn’t always easy or lovely. I realized a lot of hard things about myself, and feel very grateful for the opportunity to push myself to do something new even when it made me vulnerable.
And I learned that most of the things that I think others expect of me aren’t real.
I think that nearly all of the things I believe people expect out of me are things I’ve put on myself. By and large, other people aren’t really thinking about us that much, but we sure do spend a lot of time concerned about what they think. By not shaving, I went directly against what I thought others wanted me to do. And you know what? Literally, no one said anything mean, rude or nasty to me about it. No one cares about the status of my leg hair! It’s a non-issue! Maybe in the future, this will help me to embrace my own sense of self rather than conforming to the crowd.
My Son
It was my teenage son who got me thinking about body hair, and I’m glad he did. He’s been supportive of me during this experiment and thought that my leg hair was pretty cool. I’m so glad that I was able to show him that it’s good to try new things, do something unexpected, and embrace who we are even when it’s not the norm.
Growing Forward
The burning question several people have asked me is if (or when) I’ll start shaving my legs again. The simple answer is that I really don’t know.
I don’t mind the hair living on my legs. I’m used to the feeling of it in bed, in pants and while putting lotion on. I’ve become used to the way it looks and it no longer surprises me in the mirror. Plus, I really love NOT having the task of shaving my legs. I never enjoyed it before and had to shave several times per week to keep my legs smooth.
I have a feeling that when summer comes around again, I will make my decision. But for now, I’m going to keep what I’ve got going and then make a decision that makes me feel good about myself.
Thanks for following along with my experiment, reader! I hope it has entertained you and made you think.
