Fundy women and shaving (or not)

[Daenerys]

I've always wondered, since they are so covered up, if fundy women shave their legs/pits/etc like everyone else. I mean, no one would be able to tell if they didn't, and I don't know whether their menfolk who aren't supposed to look at naked women would object to body hair. It's clear the Duggar girls shave their shin area, for example, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Maxwell girls have never been near a razor because it would be an 'idol' or something.

Any ex-fundies on here know the deal? I'm curious.

[Jana814]

I wonder the same thing. I agree who would know if they did or didn't.

[Daenerys]

I thought formergotherdite at least might be able to give us some insight, since she used to be one of them!

[defraudingjezebel]

That's a really great question. In Duggar-land, wouldn't shaving one's shins be "taking away from their countenance" (or whatever their typical spiel about modesty includes)?

I swear to God, their use of the word "countenance" cracks me up every single time.

[Daenerys]

Definitely some freshly shaved shins going on here:

and here:

[Seren Ann]

I've wondered the same thing... Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Also, if they do shave, how on earth do they explain to their daughters what they must do and why, given their ridiculous avoidance of anything remotely related to sex ?

I'm not sure how we'll get the answer to this one XD

[2xx1xy1JD]

FWIW, Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes in her memoir Infidel that she was taught in Muslim school women were required to remove armpit and public hair.

[SteampunkLovelace]

My grandparents are very fundy and my mom was taught to shave. Albeit my grandmother didn't teach her children to use shaving cream or even soap or anything. There's no reason to bring sex into it as a reason, honestly. Or give any reasons. Children should just obey, remember?

[nellautumngirl]

If they are really forced to do that, that's terrible. Some people are very sensitive to pain in the pelvic area.

But somebody still has to tell them.. Or maybe they are given a book?

[SteampunkLovelace]

Shaving in the pelvic region is not so much a requirement, as long as nothing hair-wise is visible in whatever swimsuit is acceptable, it's all good.

[freejugar]

i think the maxwell girls do shave in that little bit of leg they show

[bal maiden]

IIRC Michelle said she gives the girls a pack with a razor when they get the period talk.

[Odd1Out]

That's a really great question. In Duggar-land, wouldn't shaving one's shins be "taking away from their countenance" (or whatever their typical spiel about modesty includes)?

I swear to God, their use of the word "countenance" cracks me up every single time.

They probably realized no one would notice their 'countenance' once they saw the long leg hair.

[formergothardite]

Shaving legs/arm pits was pretty normal.

[Anny Nym]

As for the muslim women and men, removing body hair seems to be very important for both genders. There´s also a phrase in the Koran about topic:

"Narrated By Abu Huraira : I heard the Prophet saying. "Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, cutting the moustaches short, clipping the nails, and depilating the hair of the armpits." "

[Rachel333]

I knew a fundie girl whose mom paid her not to shave her legs until she was 20. I have no idea why. I think shaving is pretty normal among fundies, though.

I'll admit to being kind of curious how/if fundies deal with pubic hair. I wonder if they would think it wrong to pay any attention to that area, and of course it's not like they're wearing bikinis. I guess the topic is also on my mind because after cleaning the bathroom while working last night I wish more people were better groomed. :ew:

[mrs]

I believe Quivering Daughters addressed this issue either in the book or as a blog topic. I can vaguely remember someone saying they had to use razors from the trash that there father had throw away because they were dull. IIRC the author said they were not suppose to shave.

You can download a copy of Quivering Daughters ebook here (a small donation is encourage but it can be downloaded for free): quiveringdaughters.com/ .

[Daenerys]

Shaving legs/arm pits was pretty normal.

What was the justification for doing it? Isn't it a very 'worldly' and vain thing to be concerned with, as well as making you look at your semi-naked body and SIN?

[formergothardite]

What was the justification for doing it? Isn't it a very 'worldly' and vain thing to be concerned with, as well as making you look at your semi-naked body and SIN?

No one tried to justify it. It was just something everyone did.

[Cleopatra7]

Most fundies hold very essentialist notions of gender, so I'm sure they think that it's a woman's duty to be conventionally attractive, which includes shaving. Call me naive, but I've never understood why shaving is assumed/expected among women at all. I don't shave anything at all, and I don't feel or appear dirty or unattractive, even though that's what most people would assume from a woman who doesn't shave.

[singsingsing]

Most of them look like they shave... at least the ones who show enough skin to to display legs or part of their underarms. Who knows about pubic hair... since no one but their husband is going to see it. Removal of pubic hair isn't always done with the idea of sexual appeal, though... some shave or trim just for hygiene of comfort reasons. I'm not going to talk about what I do with my pubic hair (sorry, I know you were all dying to know!) but I do keep my armpits shaved in the winter even when no one ever sees them. It's just more comfortable that way.

[PennySycamore]

I went to school with a very fundamentalist Pentecostal girl in high school who didn't shave her legs or pits. She also had waist length hair and was skirts-only. She did, however, go to college and she was smart as a whip.

Some of the objection to leg-shaving and makeup may have come from those practices originating with prostitutes.

I'll bet some fun die heads would asplode knowing that the Koran mentions some grooming practices that follow.

Cleopatra, shaving wasn't always part of being a well-groomed woman. (See comment about hookers above.) There was also a thing in the early 70s for feminists not to shave their legs. I didn't for a while. but came to the conclusion that it felt better for me to do so. Razors also got better so that I was not sending about half of my legs towards the Atlantic Ocean every day or two. OUCH!

[lemonhead]

There was also a thing in the early 70s for feminists not to shave their legs.

Shaving was the norm in my fundie circle, and I think this was part of the reason. Not shaving was associated with feminist crunchy granola atheist liberals.

[TrueRebel1]

Former fundie weighing in! :-)

As a young teen, I was led to believe that shaving your legs or pits (or cutting your hair) was an act of rebellion to the way God created you. In other words, I believed that if God intended for a woman's legs to be hair-less, He would have made me that way!

I was very offended by the women who claimed to be modest and fundie, but shaved their legs and pits. That was "cheating" in my book. And, a woman shouldn't have her legs or pits showing anyway, so why the need for shaving?! Back in the early 90's, we would have been shocked at the worldliness of people like the Duggars, and how the girls wear knee-length skirts and exposed shaved legs!

[2xx1xy1JD]

In the 1980s, nobody in North America got Brazilian waxes, and armpit hair for women was still quite normal in parts of Europe. Anyone remember Nena singing 99 Red Balloons?