In the West, the practice began around 1915 in the US and UK, when one or more magazines showed a woman in a dress with shaved underarms. Regular shaving became feasible with the introduction of the safety razor at the beginning of the 20th century. While underarm shaving was quickly adopted in English speaking countries, especially in the US and Canada, it did not become widespread on the Continent of Europe until well after WWII.[1]
Hair is normally removed for social and sexual reasons related to the social role of hair in human society. Many cultures have an aesthetic "ideal" amount of hair for males and females. People whose hair violates such standards may experience real or perceived problems with social acceptance.
Many men in Western cultures shave their facial hair, so only a minority of men have a beard, even though fast-growing facial hair must be shaved daily to achieve a clean-shaven or hairless look. Some men shave because they cannot grow a "full" beard (generally defined as an even density from cheeks to neck), because beard color is different from scalp hair color, or because it grows in many directions, making a groomed look difficult. Some men shave because their beards are very coarse, causing itchiness and irritation. Some men grow a beard from time to time to change their appearance.
In many cultures, particularly North American and Western European, it became increasingly common during the 20th century[2] for women to remove some or all of their body hair, due to societal values that consider it unattractive and/or not feminine (see gender role), or as a matter of practising good hygiene. People may also remove some or all of their pubic hair for aesthetic or sexual reasons. Adult film stars are well known for this practice. Men may also practice this, but not as commonly. In a sexual context, pubic hair removal is done to increase visual exposure of the genitalia and/or facilitate access to the genital area by removing the barrier of hair.
Some women in Western cultures choose not to remove hair from their bodies as an act of defiance against what they believe to be an oppressive ritual. Others choose not to remove hair simply because they have no desire to.
Some men shave their heads, either as a fashion statement, because they find a shaved head preferable to the appearance of male pattern baldness, or in order to attain enhanced cooling of the skull (particularly for people suffering from hyperhidrosis). A much smaller number of women also shave their heads as fashion or political statements.
Some women also shave their heads for cultural or social reasons. In India, tradition requires widows to shave their heads as part of being ostracized, although the practice is considered a rural one and the government is working to end the practice of ostracizing widows.[3]
In art paintings or carvings from ancient times, one can often see women portrayed with no pubic hair: pubic hair was linked to sexual acts and desires in the general mindset, and thus it was deemed improper and impure in a public painting. This may have influenced aesthetic views regarding the matter as well.[4]
Hair removal describes any method of removing hair, especially from the human body.
This new treatment deactivates the hair follicles by laser causing each hair to fall out. After a few treatments whole areas of the body can be left permanently hair-free, apparently. Works best on dark hair.
Suitable for: Most places including bikini line, back, arms, legs, underarms, face.
A thin needle is inserted into the hair follicle before sending an electrical charge down to the base of the follicle, causing the hair to fall out. As each hair is treated individually this takes a few trips to the salon before they are all done, and leaves some temporary redness. Results are (almost) permanent.
Suitable for: Facial hair.
Not a removal technique as such, more an effective disguise, bleaching lasts between 2 and 4 weeks. It involves lightening the hair on your face/ arms in much the same way as you would go bottle blond. Salon prices are normally only a few quid, so go see the professionals.
Suitable for: Arms, facial hair.
