The History of Shaving
What’s the one thing that I hate most about summer?
Shaving. It seems like in order to be silky and smooth during summer, I need to shave about everyday if not every other day. Stubbling legs and scruffy arm pits do not make a lady. I mean after all, women have always been shaving….right? Wrong. Shaving for women is a relatively new beauty ritual. If you’re interested in how the ritual came to be than keep reading and I’ll tell you the history of female shaving.
In history there has been documented proof of people removing hair. As far back as the Egyptians have attempted to remove body hair by using dangerous chemicals like arsenic. Egyptians were all about being hairless not for the look but for the practicality. Being hair free prevented Egyptians from lice and other diseases. Roman women used pumice stones to remove their body hair. I know what you’re thinking, sure this is all interesting but I want to know the exact moment in time when every hairy women ran to their bathroom, took a razor and started shaving away. Well there’s the answer. The time was 1915 and the exact moment was when Harper’s Bazaar ran an ad with a model wearing a sleeveless dress posing with both arms above her head. The underarm was never exposed before and the idea of shaving become trendy and the concept of shaving one’s hair was never really objected or contested so everyone went with the crowd.
Leg shaving began to pick up in the 1920s during the flapper movement. The risque hemlines showed a woman’s legs up to her knees so some flappers took the liberty to shave their legs. However it wasn’t a very popular movement. The majority didn’t start shaving until during World War II. There was a shortage of stockings since they were made of silk. Silk was needed for the parachutes. This left many housewives to take their husband’s razor and shave their legs to mimic the look for stockings. After shaving they would draw a black line down the back of their legs to mimic the seam line in the stockings.
In terms of pubic hair, that history seems to be a little more different. Apparently, bikini waxing has been occurring for hundreds of years. Muslim brides-to-be waxed out of courtesy for their husband to-be and the husband will do the same. The bride will also keep the area well maintained throughout their marriage. Romans detested pubic hair and girls and boy during puberty were advised to remove pubic hair as soon as it started to grow. Egyptians removed pubic hair too once again to prevent disease. Pubic shaving was very popular during the Renaissance but the movement died out when Queen of France, Catherine de Medici forbade her ladies in waiting from doing so. The prudish view of pubic hair continued and the trend died. The trend was reborn in the 1960s when the Bikini became a popular piece. The bikini line needed to be hairless and smooth.
So the next time you pick up a razor you will know the story behind it.
Written by: Gia Gladden
Photo Sources:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/be715f41d89ecda656287a454a82e557/tumblr_mls3bqlngq1r5oo3go1_500.jpg
http://veethemonsoon.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/may1915harpers.jpg
http://jp2.r0tt.com/l_ebf004c0-8084-11e1-a733-29ede2b00002.jpg
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