Is There More Pressure on Women to Have Good Hygiene?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/05/10 18:00:00

Related Topics: Hygiene, Lifestyle, Shaving, Student, Jean, Friends, Gross, Work, Leggings, Legs, Arms, Ugly, Hair, Smell

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835 votes
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	Yes	738 votes	88%
	No	97 votes	12%

We recently told you about a female graduate student who went 18 months without shaving her armpit hair -- and boy, did you have something to say about it! One SodaHead wrote: "It just looks ugly, and I remember the last time it was discussed during the hippie era. Doesn't matter with friends, but for dating it's a total turnoff."

Some of your comments got us thinking: Is there more pressure on women to have good hygiene than there is on men? And where does that pressure come from? Emer O'Toole of Dublin, the woman who stopped shaving her armpit and leg hair, said guys are totally fine with her fuzzy pits, but women are pretty grossed out by them.

Plenty of guys stop shaving the moment they finish the work week, and it's considered perfectly acceptable. Whereas if a woman has a little peach fuzz on her legs or under her arms ... pandemonium! Women are expected to look primped and smell sweet on a daily basis, but some guys don't even wash their jeans -- ever! What do you think? Is there more pressure on women than men to have good hygiene?

+38

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PJ Sweet Cheeks 2012/05/10 19:08:09

Yes

+20
Hell yeah! Look at the news yesterday....Hilliary Clinton photo came out...it made the news because she was not wearing makeup and her hair was not done.....could you imagine if they did this to a man?!!!! So not fair!!! Everything a woman does is based on her looks and that is not right!!!! Yet the ugliest men in the world if they have money they are studs!!! Give us women a break this is BS and men know it!
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More polls by SodaHead Living

scbluesman13 2012/05/11 19:00:29

Yes

+1
Absolutely.

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dzzshadz 2012/05/11 18:38:35

No

+1
It's always been there for good looking girls.

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MissGates 2012/05/11 18:05:08 (edited)

Yes

+4
Guys can be sweaty and not clean their jeans, but if a woman does that, it's the end of the world -.-"
Everyone should have a good hygiene, man or woman, doesn't matter..

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METALheadMom 2012/05/11 17:54:08

No

PRESSURE?? ADULTS NEED PRESSURE FOR THIS??

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rugrat1411 2012/05/11 17:49:38

Yes

Who wants to be around anyone funky? Male or female but worse for girls because we are suppose to be soft, pretty, smell good and be delicate. Boys are suppose to be mean and manly, sporty like....

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Sterling 2012/05/11 17:14:16

No

+1
Honestly it seems pretty equal to me.

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jean.smith.5201 2012/05/11 17:05:57

Yes

+2
In all honesty, I think we put the pressure on ourselves. But if we all are being honest, How many men wants a girlfriend/ wife/ mate that stinks, has arm pit and leg hair?

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ohsmith ☮ R P ☮ 2012 ☮ 2012/05/11 16:32:54

No

What about men? Shaving off their beard? Come on! We will have you grow your hair pit and legs if you let us grow our beard!

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MissGates to ohsmith... 2012/05/11 18:07:31

+1
I personally don't care if a man shaves or not... That might just be me though, i don't know!

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gia 2012/05/11 16:29:44

No

+2
i don't feel any kind of pressure. i do it because that's what i like and how i like to be. it depends from woman to woman as well as from men to men. also, i don't do it for men. i couldn't care less. if this days, dating and love comes down to how much hair you have and how often do you shave then screw love. i do it for myself, that's how i feel comfortable. who knows? maybe one day i will get bored and stop shaving.

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JCLadybug 2012/05/11 16:13:29

Yes

+1
There is...I personally don't care on many issues...but there is more pressure on women to have good hygiene.

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cmdrbnd007 2012/05/11 16:04:19

Yes

Probably so. A guy can walk around with anything from a clean shaved face to a full beard and nothing is said about it. If a man smells a little rank it's kind of expected but let a woman go without shaving her legs or pits for a few days and people will begin to talk. I hate it when my wife doesn't shave her legs for a day or two and then tries to cuddle up with me in bed. It feels like steel wool.

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Bali 2012/05/11 15:55:33

No

if so it is not apparent. women should be women, soft and beautiful, men should be men.

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Matt 2012/05/11 15:37:30

Yes

+2
why do women wear makeup and perfume?

because theyr'e ugly and they stink...

heh just joking.. but there is way more pressure on Women in all areas of looks and hygiene. also.. the number of old male reporters and newsreaders compared to older women ones... so much more pressure on women

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Simi Dave 2012/05/11 15:13:22

Yes

+2
Yet another double standard for the sexes. Y’all might not like it, but it’s reality.

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ID51 2012/05/11 15:01:28

Yes

+3
I believe up to a certain age, men get a big break on hygiene. That break on hygiene closes somewhat after college age, but women are still expected to be cleaner. Even into old age, men who skip shaving on weekends or down time get away with it, but if women skip leg/armpit shaving for a couple of days are criticized. While it's not fair, life isn't fair. One (male or female) can choose to do what they wish as long as they are willing to deal with the fallout.

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lstl5 2012/05/11 14:57:15

Yes

+1
It is not a matter of pressure. Women just have more areas that needs hygiene, thats all.

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Chris - The Rowdy One! #187 2012/05/11 14:53:44

Yes

+4
Absolutely and it is sad. Women have tons more social pressures than men do.

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angel face 2012/05/11 14:39:04

Yes

+3
Men dont want their women hairy and when you automatically think of a man you know he smells of sweat and manliness but if a woman smells the same way its gross

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darbecle to angel face 2012/05/11 15:52:28

+3
No, smelling gross is is gross, period. HELL YES its gross if your cooch smells like a lake full of dead fish, just like its gross for a guy to smell like dirty balls.

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~Jeffi <3 floats~ 2012/05/11 14:37:43

Yes

+3
Okay, in high school girls have to be picture perfect. No acne, no messy hair, have to have 50 pounds of makeup on.. and oh they have to have perfectly smooth hairless legs and armpits. :/ I don't wear makeup all the time and i don't shave everyday either.. I'd rather look more natural then be a puppet and have to follow the rules...

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turtledove123 2012/05/11 14:35:13

Yes

+4
I believe that may be true. However, I can't stand a stinky man, either.

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All American 2012/05/11 14:33:36

Yes

+2
Women are definitely held to a higher standard in that regards as well as fashion, looks, weight etc.

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Aksana 2012/05/11 14:07:41

Yes

Yes

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alex 2012/05/11 14:02:12

Yes

+1
We sort of HAVE to

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HiddenDVS1027 2012/05/11 13:55:07

Yes

+2
We always have to look our best. Its hard to be a working woman, mom, and wife. It gets exhausting putting on makeup, doing your hair, getting your nails done, etc. men jump in the shower, throw whatever on, and we accept that. Wth is up with that?

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Jacob 2012/05/11 13:41:54

Yes

+1
And there should be. Women (in the old days) had to be house mothers before they had jobs. Everything was to please their man, take care of the kids, and the house. Now they have to compete to be in the mans world of work too.

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Maximus 2012/05/11 13:17:07

Yes

Both my sisters wouldn't get out the house till their har was done.

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L1 2012/05/11 12:42:51

Yes

+2
Sure women are expected to have just about everywhere except their heads hairless, and maintain their bods.

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Andy 2012/05/11 10:47:02

Yes

+2
RIght or wrong...there is more pressure on women than men. I work with several guys that shave once or twice a week...and it is accepted

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AmyMah 2012/05/11 10:31:57

Yes

+1
of course and it is other females that will judge you on it the same way they judge what you wear its normal

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Rural Charmer 2012/05/11 09:55:05

No

They just think there is

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User Deactivated 2012/05/11 09:13:37 (edited)

No

+1
Good hygiene is something that both men and women want out of a possible partner. There is nothing in society that expects women to have better hygiene than men.

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edlie 2012/05/11 08:54:44

Yes

+1
Because of the society, good hygiene for most women is a must!

People initially look physical features of women more than their attitude.

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User De... to edlie 2012/05/11 09:15:17 (edited)

+2
What do physical features have to do with hygiene ? Nothing.

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edlie to User De... 2012/05/11 09:49:42

+2
it was like asking, why boys don't shave their armpits as well?!? xD

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User De... to edlie 2012/05/11 09:53:43

+1
I understand what you were asking. But one can have good hygiene despite those things. Hygiene has to do with keeping yourself clean, not amount of hair you have , no matter where it is. Though some mistake being hairless and such as a part of that. It all seems silly to me.

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iamco2000 to edlie 2012/05/11 13:31:40

lol, since when are pubes, mustaches, beards, leg/arm or armpit hair a "physical feature"?

Physical typically refers to something that is "permanently" "attached", hair can shaved, tooth enamel can be whitened, fingers/toes/chins/ears/eyebr... can be surgically modified (it is true as well that reproductive organs can be "reduced", removed, "enlarged" or otherwise modified), but hair of any description is not typically referred to as a physical feature.

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sglmom 2012/05/11 08:47:05

Yes

+1
Definitely more pressure on Females ..

With a daily shower and washing the hair as a necessity
(and at times more than once a day shower if the chores were especially dirty too)
I don't and never have felt the need to wear makeup ..

But there are some basics that I would expect all to do
(like the showers and keeping your teeth brushed, your hair untangled, changing your clothes to clean ones and yes, doing the laundry and changing your bedsheets at LEAST each week) .. (and yes, deodorant is a must .. we need to live around others .. )

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..tisha... 2012/05/11 08:06:12

Yes

+1
But I do have times where I don't want to put on makeup and walk out of the house, I have a boyfriend.....who else do I need to impress when he's not around?

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