The RN: The Hair of the Leg

Lately, I seem to keep hearing the same question about leg shaving: the whole thing or just below the knee? I've heard it on the radio, I've seen it on Facebook, there are countless articles and blogs about it.

Just a bit of difference there. Photo Credit

So, when my mom (hi, mom) taught me to shave my legs, she taught me to shave only below the knee. I think I was like 11 or 12 at the time. I quickly realized I have very light blonde hair on my legs and shaving took more time than I wanted to spend on something when you couldn't really tell the difference. Even now, some 20+ years later, you can't really see my leg hair when I get lazy and don't shave. It's more obvious now than it was when I was younger since I spend less time in the sun so it's not quite as light.

Then life happened. I must have been about 16 at the time. My high-school boyfriend and I were discussing leg shaving. My point was, "No one can see it, why should I spend the time?" We weren't very ... physical yet, so it wasn't really a big thing (what part of late bloomer didn't you pick up on?). One of our other friends overheard our conversation and chimed in with, "Oh, I always thought girls shaved their legs because it felt nicer when guys were running their hands up them." Wait. What? This is what I get for being friends with football players.

But, I actually think this sums up the whole discussion quite nicely. In general, the hair above the knee is much lighter than the hair below the knee. So, girls who shave only below the knee are shaving for appearances. They shave so people don't see their leg hair. While girls who shave their entire legs, generally shave for the feel. They shave so people don't feel their leg hair.

I guess it's a preference for if you care about how people see you or how people feel you ... up.