Men shaving legs?

Hair Removal Methods Shaving/Trimming
#181

To Stuart and Alicia:

I finally sat down and thought about things and typed a letter to my mother explaining how I felt, here is that letter.

I hope your doing well this weekend or weekday whichever you are getting this on. =)

I have been thinking about your last e-mail and the words you said have been haunting me. You said something to the effect of a guy not having leg hair seems a bit odd to you but you were unsure of what men were into these days.

Well, as I said those words have been haunting me and making me think about things in depth. I guess I am at a point in my life that I should finally start living my life for me and not others. I am 37 years old and obviously a fully grown man. The fact is that a lack of hair or not does not make a man, the man is made from the inside and the body is only a transport system.

I do not know quite how to say this or how to understand it myself. I just feel I am not being me and experiencing life no matter not strange it may seem to some. My motto in life and what I tell people is that I am not normal I just play one in life. Well, no truer words have ever been spoken. I have been pleasing the masses at the cost of hurting myself internally and emotionally. Understandably this is a stupid subject to be so torn up about but alas it is to me.

I guess I am trying to say that I love you dearly Mother and that will never change but it is time for me to live my life and do some of the things I want to do. You know me well enough I would never intentionally hurt someone emotionally or physically unless there was an obvious good reason. I want to experience different things in life that are not harmful and explore the world, if that makes sense. Iā€™ve spent so much of my life worrying about others and being what I thought they wanted me to be. Itā€™s time for me to be me.

In closing I want to you understand a few more facts.

  1. I am not gay, never have been never will be.

  2. I have done lots of research and I am not alone. Man has no use for the amounts of body hair we have. Cavemen days are gone.

  3. I am and always will be the same person on the inside as I always have been and quite possibly a more happy person at that. Hell I am 37!

  4. Lots of athletes shave. It is personal preference to each individual.

Again Mom I love you dearly. Your opinion and thoughts about me mean the world and I would never do anything to hurt you, you know that. I just hope that you can understand me and this strange quirk, wherever it came from. I will always be your little boy and I will always be the man you raised me to be, that will never ever change. I am man and itā€™s time I start living my life for me and not others.

Your loving son.

I want to thank you both for your help again and again. I know you not but yet I do. Your friendship and compassion you have shown here is priceless. I cannot tell you how much better I feel just telling her what I did. I await her response and will soon, once again, join the smooth legged crowd.

Cheers!

Wolfie

#182

Hi Wolfie

I think you have made your mind up and you will follow your heart now. Just like my father, your mother will understand if you change your appearence. At our age our parents tend to look to us to a degree for what is normal and new. Go ahead and enjoy your new look!

Regards
Stuart

#183

Thank you Stuart,

Yes I have made my mind up. It is my life and my decision. I think I am old enough to make up my mind and do something that will harm no one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My mother is a very caring and understanding person almost to a fault. I am her only child and I am sure she will love me no matter what.

Thank you much for your support. I look forward to more conversations in the future as well.

Cheers!

Wolfie

#184

Hi Wolfie:

  Good luck with your mom.

I am not sure if your letter wonā€™t open other questions in her mind, or even if the issue of you shaving your legs had more than a moments notice for her before.

So by writing a letter, you may be turning a minor issue into a bigger one. From the wording of the letter it sounds like there might be other issues besides the shaving one, even if the reason for shaving is the only point you were trying to make. I think you are also trying to tell her that you are a grown man now and an individual who does not march to other peoples tunes.

I think at the time she originally said something you were put on the defensive and did not know how to answer her, and feel further explanation is necessary. Really you shouldnā€™t have to do much more than tell her you feel more comfortable shaved and leave it at that. Then give her a big hug!

Good Luck, Alicia

#185

Hi Wolfie

Relax now and enjoy your shaved legs. Your Mom will find peace with your new look very soon. My parents did too.

Regards
Stuart

#186

Well Alicia,

I do believe you were right. Here is my mothers response to the letter I sent her.

Here is her response. Not what I had anticipated but it is there.

Hi son, Donā€™t know what brought on your e-mail or the idea that Idisapproved of you getting rid of your body hair. I seem to remember telling you to follow your own instincts and do whatever pleases you. You are correct. You are an adult and are free, and 37 years old. Donā€™t need mommyā€™s blessing anymore. But I am still pissed about the earring! Just thought I would bring that up. You are still my guy and I will always feel that way no matter what so quit stewing about it. The last time we corresponded about it I totally forgot it afterward so never knew if you did it or not. That is how much I thought about it. That is why I was surprised to hear from you about it today.

Partly what brought this about again was the fact that the last time I was home she commented that I let my leg hair grow again. I asked her which she thought looked best and she told me she really did not pay attention. After that was when I got her response that she thought it was odd for men not to have leg hair but do what I want.

She just called and her mood seem like nothing was a-miss and quite jovial. So I suppose it is done with forever. So my biggest fear has been squashed now on to the lessers. =)

#187

Thanks Stuart,

Your 100% correct and I know it will take time but DAMN after 21 years she still has not forgiven me for getting my ear pierced. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

BTW I posted her response in another to Alicia.

#188

Hi Wolfie:

As you can see she really didnā€™t think too much about it, and any concerns you had were self generated. Donā€™t worry I have done that many times myself. I had to learn to overcome such thoughts in order to be my true self, and because such thinking is often negative. If you envision a positive outcome, you can work towards that. If you envision a negative one, you have to overcome it.

You mentioned getting your ear pierced. When I suddenly came to work with both of mine pierced,that was a big step.
A few people asked me about it and then said that appeared to be the style now from what they could see. After that I looked around and there were lots of guys who had both their ears pierced.Their reasons for doing so may have been different than mine, but it is a fashion statement and a personal thing. But the first guys who started doing that probably took some flak.

The same could be said for guys shaving their legs. After a while it is not so uncommon. You do it because you like it, or feel more comfortable.No explanation or justification needed.

Alicia

#189

HI Alicia,

Sorry it took me so long to respond.

Your so right about me over analyziing things, that is one of my biggest problems. I strive every day to try and follow my instincts. Negativity has been another bad point about me as well and just in the past 4 years I have really gotten better about that as well, despite the fact this situation really worried me and still does a tad bit.

Yes my mother said she was still ā€œpissedā€ at me for getting my ear pierced. I cannot understand how she can be after 21 years, but hey, I guess some people hold a grudge. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Exactly, my wife is 100% ok with it. ā€œDo what you feel comfortable with, donā€™t worry about what others think.ā€ That and she told me she loves me no matter what. I can honestly say I am a very lucky man to have such an understanding wife.

#190

Hi Stuart:

Yes, I agree that you are very lucky to have an understanding wife. probably she feels the same way about having an understanding and sensitive husband.

In regards to thinking negatively and compromising personal individuality because of worries what others may think? I am sure that most people do that to some degree. I was probably much worse than you were since it was a lifelong problem for me, and it severely impaired me till recent years to the point of being very introverted and self conscious. But I had to overcome all that if I wanted to be myself. So I had to face all those fears, and I had a fear losing my job, my family, ostracization and the whole thing. But I faced all that and bared my soul to the world, a world which mostly misunderstands people like myself.

It is a good thing that you can recognize that the problem sometimes comes from within yourself. We think about others reactions, but the cure to worrying about that comes from within ourselves. We have to be individuals in spite of misconceptions about guys shaving their legs for instance. It takes more courage to be an individual than to be a conformist.

Keep doing what you are doing. Your wife loves you and your mother does too.

Alicia

#191

I know you all must be getting tired of me by now but I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your support.

Today was my liberation day. I woke up, grabbed the Braun Silk Epil and went to it. After the reb bumps subsided I took my shower and shaved to make sure I had a smooth start.

I thought about it and thought about it and figured I was not getting any younger so why the hell wait any longer. Life is short not to enjoy it and be myself.

Anyhow, to make this short, Thank you all for your support and guidance. I really appreciate it. Now for some tips on maitenance. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Cheers!

Wolfie

#192

I have totaly shaved my body for several years. I am a crossdresser and a hairy body just isnā€™t fem. In the summer I try to get as much sun as possible. Even when not dressed in womens cloths I will wear a pair of ladies shorts and sandals to show off my tan and smooth shaven leggs. I always get very positive comments from women. So come on guys and join the smoothiesā€¦

#193

Hi everyone!! I decided that when my leg hair grew back in, it would be fine. Well, I really didā€™nt care to have hairy legs, but I didā€™nt want to get teased, so I bought a very expensive trimmer. This thing really does a great job!! Thereā€™s an attachment you can put on, to keep from trimming the hairs too short. That just makes it look like you shaved your legs, and haveā€™nt gotten back to it. I tried the trimmers with this attachment, and it literally took off the darker longer hairs, ONLY. It left the shorter blond hairs that I have on my legs. Iā€™m not KIDDING!! They look just the way I wanted them. Thereā€™s still hairs on my legs, but theyā€™re very light, and hard to see. I started doing this a few months ago, and no one has said anything. Only a teenager that was sitting near me said, your legs areā€™nt very hairy like most older guys I know. That was all I needed to hear, and I only trim them once a week, thatā€™s right, ONCE A WEEK!! Iā€™m done in about 30 minutes. I donā€™t know what it is, but I wonā€™t complain, cause Iā€™m very satisfied with my legs now. Just once a week with these trimmers, and Iā€™ve got not hairless legs, but nearly hairless legs, and I guess thatā€™s acceptable, cause like I said, no one has said a word. I have the finer blond hairs remaining, and that looks perfect to me. Iā€™m a happy guy!

#194

Maybe you should consider getting them lasered. The laser wonā€™t remove the blonde hairs, just the dark ones. You may only need one or two treatments to get the results you want. Sounds like you found a workable solution.

RJC2001

#195

Hi Everyone, I hope youā€™re all enjoying the long weekend.

Iā€™m a male crossdresser with moderately hairy legs. I have an appointment next week at a local spa to get my legs waxed (something Iā€™ve never done before).

In March (13 weeks from my waxing), Iā€™m going on a family vacation in the Caribbean. My hair must look ā€œnormalā€ for that vacation. I know everybodyā€™s hair is different, but for those who have had their legs waxed, how long did it take before your hair returned to its full length? For those who shave, how long did it take for a return of a full growth?

Thanks. Any and all replies will be very much appreciated.

#196

I should think in 3 months you will have plenty of leg hair showing. No one will remember exactly how much you used to have. Two months would probably allow for significant growth, but I would guess it would be shorter than itā€™s ā€œnormalā€ length, but your legs would look hairy in either case. Do you think anyone is going to care? I my experience, no one even notices that mine are shaved.

#197

Hi Dianne:

As the last poster said, probably no one would notice.
I do know your mindset about keeping your dressing a secret however. I have felt the same way at one time in my life too.

Probably after 2-3 weeks you should have enough hair regrowth that no one will notice you shaved. With waxing it could take a week or two longer.

Good luck, have fun!

Alicia

#198

Hi Stuart and everyone! Iā€™ve been following this forum for some time now and would like to finally contribute and make a few comments. Iā€™m a 35 year straight male and went through a series of stages in body shaving. I have
no back hair and not that much chest hair but fairly heavy leg hair which is dark. Over the years, I really started to dislike the thickness and sweatiness of all that hair on my legs but never really considered doing anything about it.

Last year, after taking medicine to treat mono, I got a severe skin outbreak and rash all over my body. I got a special ointment to soothe the rash and stop the itching but have you ever tried applying lotion to hairy legs (think of the summer and suntan lotion and sand). Well, getting rid of the chest hair was easy but it took me sometime to get up the courage to shave those hairy legs. I should mention the fact that although Iā€™m from the States, I now live in Poland. The country is known for its beautiful women who really go to great lengths to take care of their appearance, whereas the men, have a reputation for being tough and macho. Poland is also in many ways conservative and very intolerant of gays, so I was worried about being labeled ā€œgayā€ and more specifically, possibly getting bashed by a group of hoodlums for ā€œlooking gayā€.

Sometime during last spring, I read an article in a health/style magazine that more and more men are shaving their legs and I became a lot more aware of men with smooth legs. Well, surprisingly, during the summer and while at the seaside, I saw a number of men (mostly in their 20s-30s) with shaved legs. I donā€™t know if itā€™s a kind of trend but Iā€™d say, maybe 10% of them had shaved legs.

I eventually shaved my legs and really like the feeling of smooth legs but I never could get a really clean shaveā€“it seems that there were always some "black points"or stubble left after shaving. I felt rather self-conscious
walking around with shorts but sometimes did this while in the city and at the seaside. I also got a nasty
shock and discovered some bruised black and blue areas and a few blotches or ā€œspider veinsā€ on my legs. The bruised areas on my legs and stubble really donā€™t look that great but I love the feeling of smooth legs. I also loved the feeling of not having sweaty legs in the summer, especially when wearing long pants.

I guess Iā€™m in a bit of a dilemma as whether to continue shaving or notā€“Iā€™m also a bit worried whether a woman would be turned off by my smooth legs. Would an epilator get the whole hair out, so at least get rid of those
black points? Does epilating cause a lot of ingrown hairs? I always got a lot of red bumps after shaving on my upper thighs which lasted for about two weeks.

Trimming might be a better solution in my case which let me have less hairy legs and also hide those nasty bruises and other marks. Could anyone maybe recommend a pair of clippers that would be available in Europe? This might be a stupid question but when talking about ā€œclippersā€ do you mean the trimmers that are used for menā€™s hair or something else entirely? What about just using a electric razor designed for the face? Again, any brands and model numbers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!

#199

Since shaving different parts of my bodyā€“chest, pits and legs, Iā€™ve become more conscious of societal expectations, as well as going against the so-called norms of society. With all due respect to the recent trend of metrosexuality and more attention that men devote to their appearance and
health, I still think that a lot of men feel inhibited or embarassed to get waxed, have a facial or shave their legs. I think that itā€™s a shame that men are chastized or laughed at for taking care of themselves. We get so many
conflicting messages from the media and societyā€“women supposedly want men that look like Brad Pitt or Mel Gibson but then they seem to ridicule men who do things like body shaving or go to a salon to improve their appearance. I think most people want to look good and achieving an image
that one is happy with takes work which is something that women do all the time but when men do the same, they are often ridiculed.

It seems to be a common theme throughout this forum and others, that a lot of men are worried how others will perceive themā€“I recall some posts by Josh and Wolfie and itā€™s really sad that we worry so much about what others
think. I can really relate to their concerns and also share some of their anxieties. It seems like a lot of men are seeking ā€œapprovalā€ from others or girlfriends/spouses to make decisions about their own bodies and appearance.
I think this is sad because it should be up to the individual to decide and not depend on society or peers. Itā€™s not like we are doing something harmful to others and itā€™s really a shame that so many guys are unable to
have the image they want because they are worried about friends, colleagues and family. It would be great if society as a whole would respect individuals and let them decide to want extent they wish to be hairy or hairless and not lay out rules of what men and women should do or not do.

#200 
     Hi.  This is my first post as a new member on these boards.  It's nice to know that there are some men out there that have a smooth-look preference.  I'm a 22 year old heterosexual guy that also has a preference for a smooth body.  However, society stops us from doing so b/c of negative reactions from others.  Here's my take on the subject:
     Many people, both men and women, feel that a man that shaves his legs is very effeminate or gay.  There will always be a behavior barrier between heterosexuals and homosexuals.  As heterosexuals, we feel compelled to follow the crowd.  I feel that the ability to perform an activity (ie shaving legs) against the overall preference of a large group (society) is very courageous.  It shows that this individual does not care what people think about him and he does not need to get the approval of anyone.  It's like he is a born leader, a quality that I would think most women would find very attractive.  However, I think that since most women shave their legs, a man shaving his would lower his level of masculinity.  What's funny is that if both men and women started to shave their body parts at the same time, we wouldn't have these issues today.  
   I used to shave my legs mostly during the winter months but sometimes during warmer months.  I can honestly say that most people did not say anything.  Those that did notice were women.  Some liked it, a few did not like it, but the majority did not care one way or another.  However, as a single guy, my overall goal is to attract as many women as possible.  In doing this, I trim my body hair to a very short length.  This way, if I have a girlfriend, I could bring up the discussion of shaving my body hair and see how she responds.  
In my personal opinion, I think if a guy is tan and has a well-toned body, his body would look better without any hair.  The shaved look is not really appropriate for scrawny or fat guys.  I just wish that other guys would do as they please and not bow down to the demands of society.  Itā€™s a choice that does not hurt anyone and is completely reversible (except for electrolysis).  Please feel free to make any comments.