For most of history, women didn’t even think about shaving. Body hair was just… normal. But everything started to change in the early 1900s, when razor companies realized they’d already sold enough to men. So, they turned to women. Advertisements began showing clean-shaven legs and underarms, calling body hair “unhygienic,” “unfeminine,” and “embarrassing.” And slowly, this idea spread that being “hairless” equals being beautiful.
By the 1920s and 30s, magazines and fashion trends joined in. When sleeveless dresses and shorter skirts became popular, ads started guilt-tripping women like, “You don’t want hair showing when you lift your arm, do you?” Women who didn’t shave were seen as “unclean” or “lazy.” They were quietly judged, even excluded from certain social circles. Basically, companies sold razors but they also sold shame.
In the 60s and 70s, a lot of feminist women tried to fight back. They refused to shave as a way of saying, “My body, my choice.” But instead of being respected, they were mocked. Even today, when a woman shows her natural body hair online or in public, people still leave nasty comments proof that those old beauty standards still run deep.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it something completely natural became something women were taught to hide. All because someone wanted to make a profit.