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The norm to remove leg hair for women became very strong in the 1940s, more specifically, it moved from fad to custom in a matter of months in the early 1940s. A later survey, in 1964, indicated that 98\% of American women aged 15–44 routinely shaved their legs.
When did women begin shaving?
1915
Women began shaving their hair in 1915. This was the period between World War I and II. Before then, women removed unpleasant hair just in the neck and face. These parts were the only women body parts not expected to be covered by clothes, as the clothes they wore at the time were much less revealing.
How did shaving become so popular?
To some degree, the shift to increased shaving was made possible by technology, such as the the 1901 invention of a safety razor with disposable blades and the 1919 packaging of instant shaving cream. But that technology also needed to expand its market.
Did you shave your legs in the 1920s?
In 1920, when a young woman cut her leg shaving, it wasn’t just an accident. It was national news, because shaving your legs was just that unusual: Shaving legs: national news.
Why did women start using razors during WW2?
After the war, many women would surreptitiously use their husbands’ safety razors. The transition from depilatory creams to razors was complete when, during World War II, the need for women to remove hair from their legs emerged. Before that, women would conceal their hairy legs with thick stockings.
Why did women’s razors get curved?
“Small and curved to better fit the armpit, the razor was designed to supplement the sleeveless and sheer sleeved fashions of the period,” Hertzig confirms. To convince women that buying a razor came part and parcel with buying the latest fashion, catalogs began to cleverly market the two products together.