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What age do girls start with this faff?

(78 Posts)
tanith Tue 22-May-18 16:42:21

My GD comes for dinner after school today , she arrived with woolly tights and I’m in shorts it’s hot and sunny so I told her to take the blooming things off. Oh no! Can’t be done as her legs are too hairy?.
I’m sure I never bothered with leg shaving at 13.

Do your GDs shave their legs and what age did they start?

stella1949 Tue 29-May-18 04:04:33

My daughter waxes her arms - she has PCOS ( polycycstic ovarian syndrome) and has always had dark body hair, since she was little. She started shaving her legs at about 10 and shortly after, started shaving her arms. Now she waxes everywhere. PCOS makes your body hair very dark and thick, it's horrible for girls.

Eloethan Tue 29-May-18 00:00:11

I think I shaved my legs at around 13 - although my Mum told me not to. I had fine, blonde hair on my legs and they would have been better left alone. I advised my daughter not to shave her legs but, of course, she did.

NfkDumpling Mon 28-May-18 19:06:21

I was dark and hairy. Started pinching dad’s razor when I was about 12/13. Perhaps you could treat her to a half leg waxing?

paddyann Mon 28-May-18 15:19:04

Day6 I know several women who use an epilator on their arms because they have dark hair.I've been known to do mine if I'm going somewhere where a sleeveless frock is worn.I do have a dark hair on my arms AND freckles so its not a good look

Fennel Mon 28-May-18 10:12:28

Bluegal - " I remember using my mums immac when I was about same age! Smelt awful "
My Mum used Veet - same awful smell.

Bluegal Sun 27-May-18 21:43:25

Nothing new. I remember using my mums immac when I was about same age! Smelt awful as I remember. Mum questioned me about it too!

Sometimes when people say kids grow up quicker these days I can’t homestly say...they do! I was a nightmare but my kids were pretty good by comparison lol

SparklyGrandma Sun 27-May-18 00:58:35

agnurse exactly, thank you for confirming. So hairy legs and toes are a good sign...

PamelaJ1 Fri 25-May-18 08:48:27

Tanith- don’t give up. Just go out in your nice sunny garden and enjoy. Hope it’s not raining where you are now, she’d need her tights here today!

Grandma2213 Fri 25-May-18 00:26:08

lizzypopbottle I lost all my body hair, but sadly including eyebrows and lashes and I suffer from frontal alopecia on head hair which is an autoimmune disorder. I did shave legs and armpits in the past but didn't need to very often. I think I was probably in my 20s when I started and only
because others did it. I never plucked eyebrows even though they were quite thick.

I don't like it when men shave body hair though. My youngest DS does it on chest hair and the little he has on his back. I think it makes him look like a plucked chicken!

agnurse Thu 24-May-18 22:00:53

SparklyGrandma

Absolutely! Hair needs to be nourished by the nutrients carried in blood. If a patient has a loss of hair or uneven hair growth we start to get concerned about possible poor circulation.

SparklyGrandma Thu 24-May-18 21:42:30

According to my diabetic nurse, hairy legs lower down are a good sign that your circulation is still functioning properly.

So celebrate that you still have it - then shave, cream or wax it off!

Day6 Thu 24-May-18 16:51:45

Ahhh. Sorry Fennel. I obviously misunderstood.

I wouldn't dare Google Brazilian...grin The images... blimey! Doesn't bear thinking about! shock

Fennel Thu 24-May-18 16:42:43

Day6 ,- it was me who mentioned arms, but I said underarms ie armpits.
They'll be wanting a brazilian next (don't google it!)

agnurse Thu 24-May-18 16:23:36

My stepdaughter is 13 and shaves her legs. I don't have a problem with it. I figured that she could start when she felt she wanted to do so. She's always had a lot of hair, every since she was born according to Hubby, so I think it was to be expected that she would probably need to shave earlier.

Beau Thu 24-May-18 12:21:26

I had never heard of shaving legs at the age of 13 - my mum certainly never did it. I do remember seeing hair removing cream advertised in magazines. I had no underarm hair and still don't so I suppose it was just something I never thought of. I think I started shaving my legs daily when I was about 35 - my daughter gave me the idea when she started at around age 15. We still argue about body air now - she acts like it's the work of the devil and has various professional waxes these days, I find it very depressing that girls / women feel they have to remove stuff from their bodies to be 'acceptable'.

Day6 Thu 24-May-18 12:21:20

Shaved arms??? shock

Do women shave their arms? Arm pits yes, but arm hair? Must admit I have never, ever considered this, being pale but yes, what a faff if arm hair is now considered a no-go area.

I am not fond of the completely hairless human. It seems so wrong.

tanith Thu 24-May-18 11:57:58

hmm I really do give up now!!!

tanith Thu 24-May-18 11:57:14

[Hmm]. I give up!!!

Witzend Thu 24-May-18 11:50:55

I started shaving my legs in fairly early teens, and my hair was quite fine and fair.
It's a terribly self conscious age, and given - sadly - that girls can be so horribly bitchy, personally I'd try to help a girl who felt the need to shave her legs to do so safely - would buy her good razors etc. and show her how to do it.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Thu 24-May-18 09:34:35

I recall shaving my legs at around 12 or 13. My periods started at 12 so in some way it just seemed more 'grown up' to wear stockings and with that came shaving legs. Hormones are weird aren't they? At around 50-odd the hairs on my legs stopped growing and the chemo three years ago finished it off for good so no shaving at all now. Bliss.

tanith Thu 24-May-18 07:54:38

I was suggesting that as we were sat in my hot and sunny garden chatting after she’d run in the back gate from school throwing down her rucksack, PE kit bag, blazer and kicking off her leather shoes saying I need a cold drink Nanny, she might also like to take off her thick woolly tights.

To me that’s a reasonable suggestion absent.

pollyperkins Thu 24-May-18 07:52:18

I dont think the OP was telling her what to wear. She was hot in think woolly tights on a hot dsy so her Granny suggested she take them off, that's all!

absent Thu 24-May-18 05:59:19

Why are you telling her what to wear?

nancytownsend Thu 24-May-18 03:35:48

I remember at school when I was about 11, one of the boys I hung around with took me to one side and quietly suggested I started shaving my legs as others had started commenting. Kind of him. That would have been early 1970s.

ElaineI Wed 23-May-18 21:36:25

I have really hairy legs and hated them until after I had children and had less time to be self conscious. Used to get called names. I shaved them from 13 and am almost 62 so not a new thing at all. I was quite immature at 13 as well so it wasn't magazines or anything like that which encouraged me. It was self hatred of it! Now I get them waxed twice over the summer - any more is pointless with Scottish weather! Now my lower legs are losing the hair so what is that about!