This topic has been in my mind for a while when I observe some Trini women in the streets. They have the latest of high heel shoes, the latest perfume...a great hairdo and makeup, matching bag...but they have a tremendous amount of hair on their legs, armpits and some even mustache! What's up with that? I am NOT referring to a little hair that means you missed shaving a couple of days, I am speaking about LONG, THICK hair coming out from their armpits! I heard some Trini men find it "attractive". Can anyone explain to me why these women do not shave?
This Trini does NOT find that attractive at all. In most cases I find it to be a symbol of being unclean and unattractive (maybe I am Egyptian). Now in certain cases I know that some East Indian families will not allow their daughters to shave and so forth for traditional / morale reasons (until they are old enough to be dating, etc.), but other than that get rid of the mustache!
Yes, I know about the East Indian families but I am speaking about BIG women who probably took hours to do hair, nails and make up but the hair on their armpits and legs are just unbelievable thick and long! (and not East Indian ladies only). There MUST be a reason for it.
Cultural in what aspect? What is the explanation about it? I am really curious. I mean, I am speaking about the Caribbean where every day clothing for some of these women are tank tops, short skirts, etc with ALL these amount of hair around!
It's cultural, in that some cultures do not see body hair as unattractive. Shaving is actually a relatively "new" practice, and just a few decades ago wasn't nearly so widespread as it is today.
From Wikipedia (emphasis mine):
QUOTE |
For women, the practice of shaving the legs derives from a current cultural standard in the West that deems leg hair on women unattractive. This standard emerged during the early twentieth century, as women's legs became more visible owing to shorter hemlines, and when the safety razor made the practice of leg shaving practical.... ...Unusual in other parts of the world, the practice of leg shaving among women is most common in Brazil, North America, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe. |
QUOTE |
Today, in many countries, especially in much of the Western world, it is more common for women than men to shave off their underarm hair regularly for aesthetic reasons, a practice that may be connected to the overall body hair distribution of sexes. Prevalence of this practice varies widely, though. Some Western women sport a stubble as a mark of defiance against imposed cultural mores. In some East European countries as well as China, underarm shaving is less common and is not considered esthetically necessary. |
I don't like the fact that they don't do it either. I mean sometimes maybe they miss a couple shaving (on the legs!) but not the face! In those European countries like France, the people don't bathe daily either because of the weather (cold), but that's not the reason here. We don't live in a temperate climate, and surely don't have 'cool' atmosphere, especially in the hustle and bustle of the cities.