Lemondrop

In this day and age, is leg hair an absolute do or a don't?

In response to Mo'nique's shameless hairy-legged appearance at the Golden Globes, Lemondrop editor Erin Scottberg wrote last week about why she uses a razor and uses it often -- and it's not because she wants to live up to a man's notion of beauty.

After all, she said, women have been weed-whacking for centuries -- much longer than Gillette's been around. And who can beat the feeling of having your freshly shaven legs sliding against 300-thread-count sheets?

Catie, for one, agrees that the sensation is simply bliss: "Especially when the sheets are cool, and I have used my rosemary-mint aftershave."

Another reader, Vitoria, argues that the decision to skip waxing or shaving gravitates around the desires of men and our socially constructed archetypes of beauty. She says, "Feminism is also about questioning society and its rules, so it's only natural that beauty rituals, so important to women, are also scrutinized."

Why should leg-shaving be a girls-only club, asks sambakat? "I too think hairy legs on women look totally gross, but I'm equal opportunity. I think hairy legs on men look totally gross too! Let's face it, humans are halfway from the beautiful furry pelt of other mammals to the clean, smooth hairless skin of, say, a dolphin, and it just so happens that the evolutionary halfway point looks ridiculous. More power to Gillette for helping us look better while we figure out which way we're evolving."

Not everybody thinks hair removal is a necessity. Erica112028 argues that there "ain't nothing wrong with a home-grown pair of furry leg warmers." Especially in the wintertime, "Who the hell do I have to shave for? My husband? Nope, that ship sailed years ago."

Dezzy makes a case for feminism, saying, "Feminism isn't about doing this or that -- it's about having the ability to do either with or without being treated like you're breaking some horrible taboo." And we can't agree more. Rock on, Dezzy.

Tell us! Do you shave 24/7? Is hair removal just another male-inscribed beauty standard, or do you do it for you?