My mom told me the same thing when I was 13. She is 50 something and has never shaved above her knee. It doesn’t look bad, since the hair is lighter and finer than the hair on her calves, but she also wears pantyhose and doesn’t wear short shorts or skirts.
As a teen of the 90’s who hated pantyhose and was determined to wear my short shorts and skirts without getting teased, I decided to shave my thighs. Shaving works fine for me, although I wax it on occasion when I want a break. My hair did not get any darker, and if I did let it grow, it would probably be just like my mom’s.
As I’m sure Andrea will confirm, removing the hair (by shaving or waxing or any other method) will NOT make it grow back darker. This is a common misconception, probably because most women start shaving at the start of puberty, which is also the time when your hair becomes darker and thicker due to your changing hormones. They notice that the hair seems darker than before they started shaving and make a false association between dark hair and shaving, when the true reason for their darker hair is puberty.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that some women remove it and some women don’t. If you are uncomfortable with having the hair, then remove it. If you aren’t uncomfortable, then don’t bother.
Of course I can’t tell you what method to use if you do decide to remove the hair. As you’ll see from this site, it’s really a matter of trying different things out and trying to figure out what is right for you and your body.