I’m 35F and have a lot of skin issues and sensitivities that make almost any form of hair removal bad for my skin. I’ve tried practically every method and product under the sun at this point, short of electrolysis and professional laser hair removal, which are unfortunately out of my price range.
For the past year, I’ve been kind of overworked and depressed, which has resulted in me giving up on removing any hair except for my underarms. I don’t feel good enough to wear shorts or go swimming, so there hasn’t been much pressure.
The result? For the first time since I hit puberty and started shaving, my skin is soft, with no rashes, ingrowns, bumps, acne, etc. It feels really, really nice.
I’d prefer having hairless legs, since long leg hair can get pulled in tights and leggings, but I’ve found I actually prefer having some pubic hair. My husband is truly unbothered either way (not that it’s his decision, but I’m grateful he doesn’t have an aversion to hairiness).
The problem is, I’m a fat woman. People already make all sorts of negative assumptions about my hygiene practices. I know I’m a very clean person (to an obsessive degree in fact, I have diagnosed OCD), but some backwards-ass people still consider hair on women a hygiene issue, and I feel like the fact that I am fat will just exacerbate that. I can already anticipate hearing comments about how I probably don’t shave because I’m lazy, or can’t reach that far (I absolutely can).
If it were just random people making assumptions like that, I think I’d be able to brush it off, but I’m also concerned about medical professionals and their assumptions. I don’t want someone making a note in my chart about “poor hygiene” or “lack of mobility” just because I made a personal decision to stop shaving.
So I guess I’m just looking for some personal insights from
other fat women who have stopped shaving. Is the judgment from people as harsh as I’m assuming it will be? Or are people accepting? Will I need to be prepared to explain my decision all the time, or is it just not that big of a deal?
I’m not really looking for advice on hair removal techniques. It seems like whenever I bring this up with friends, they want to recommend me a miracle product or technique, and I’m just…tired. I’m not looking to spend more money or time on constant hair removal when I feel better leaving the hair alone.
Thank you in advance for any insights.