Why do we do it? A short history of hair removal

No one knows when humans first engaged in the practice of hair removal. Rudimentary attempts at shaving can be traced back to prehistoric cave drawings in which depictions of men appeared without beards or  other facial hair. Egyptian males were known to have shaved both their faces and their heads so that in a combat situation a smooth head and face deprived the enemy of a handhold grip with which to behead his victim.

The majority of early immigrants to the United States were of European origin, who did not transfer the practice of hair removal to American society. Thus, hair removal had to be introduced, explained, and marketed to Americans in order to become a common practice.

Women didn’t shave their armpits before about 1915 because no one ever saw that part of their body. Even the word “underarm” was considered scandalous before that time. Fashion designers started making dresses without sleeves, and an ad in Harper’s Bazaar said that to wear the style, women first needed to attend to “the removal of objectionable hair.”

The 1920s definition of the female body allowed for greater freedom in fashion, but also demanded a new awareness of the physical self. In addition to the “unveiling” of the female body, the 1920s saw the introduction of a litany of beauty practices including the regular use of makeup, the introduction of the bra, the practice of dieting, and the removal of visible body hair.

Fast forward to modern times when most women see hair removal as a necessity.  Most insist on removing leg hair before putting on a skirt or shorts, and balk at the thought of wearing a bathing suit without shaving or waxing the bikini line. Hair removal is considered so essential that many refuse to participate in daily activities such as exercising or going on a date if they have not paid proper attention to removing their body hair. We have come a long way in the past century!