To me, there seems to be something

both worrying and obscene about society's

requirement for adult women to remove

the body hair that proclaims them

sexually mature adults,

and turn themselves into

facsimiles of pre-pubertal girls

I can't believe the prejudice and stigma

attached to hairy women - it makes me want

to grow my body hair even more, and continue

to wear sexy, revealing clothes

But it's not just the lads mags who demand

immaculate, smooth-looking women

Personal Note: Why do women shave off their armpit hair? I find armpit hair very erotic. The reason is obvious [to me, anyway]. Armpit hair is the 'teaser' for the pubic hair that hides/protects the vagina. The iris in the female I.

Similarly, the breasts and cleavage are a trigger for "shakin' that ass"! What man doesn't prefer sex from behind? I'm not an analist. It's just that vaginal penetration from the rear is greater. The pleasure is magnified.

There's a new XXX Porn Site called Natural Women. I'm not a great Triple Xer. Most of the stuff around is pretty tacky . "Natural Woman" is tacky too. But there are a few tantalising photos. It must be the hair that turns me on!

I suppose I'm showing my roots. I live in a French/Spanish milieu where female body hair is the norm, unlike sanitized American Women.

As one commentator put it:

I agree about armpit hair. Same goes double for pubic hair.

Gals, leave that delicious mop o'curls alone! It's fun and sweet and nifty and why in the dickens would anyone prefer it all gone?

What's all the craziness about grown women without pubic hair, is it crypto-pedophilia or what?

Sorry to bore you with my sexual preferences. Each to his/her own, eh? Max Blunt

Why do women want to look like pre-pubertal girls?

Most men say they think facial and body hair on a woman is disgusting, with comments including:

"I wouldn't go out with a woman who was hairy, that's just lazy", "It's disgusting", "It's unattractive".

And the women? Most say they remove almost all body hair - arms, legs, underarms, Brazilian, upper lip, chin, eyebrows.

I meet one woman who had her pubic hair waxed in the shape of a heart, then dyed red with diamante stones on it as a Valentine's Day gesture.

I wonder if her boyfriend did the same in return. And what next? A python? An elephant? What happened to being natural?

I had assumed that a lot of women were doing this for men and because of men - but it appears women can be just as ruthless towards other women.

Every morning I go swimming, and in three months of hair growing, while men have rarely battered an eyelid at the bush hanging out of my leopard-print swimming costume, women certainly have. (I think the men just assumed it was part of the costume.)

I walked into the sauna the other day and the two women in there did a double take and walked straight out with their backs against the walls. I didn't mind - I had the sauna all to myself.

But I am not so confident when I visit Loaded magazine. When I walk into the office with six weeks' worth of body hair, a young, confident writer comes over: "Hi, come through to my casting couch."

Apparently, this is where girls are auditioned. Audition? The office is plastered with pictures of Abi Titmuss, Jordan and other glamour models with extraordinary sized breasts and not a hair in sight.

The air smells of pure testosterone. I sit like a 15-year-old boy, mouth wide open, very confused. Could I be in Loaded? They look at my face: "Yeah you're all right".

Then they look at my legs: "No way! Why have you got hairy legs?" Then I show them my underarms: "That's disgusting! I can't believe you left the house like that. You've painted your toenails and you've got hairy legs, what's that about? Our readers don't want to look at something like that!"

Hairy women, it seems, are more suited to fetish magazines.

I can't believe the prejudice and stigma attached to hairy women - it makes me want to grow my body hair even more, and continue to wear sexy, revealing clothes. But it's not just the lads mags who demand immaculate, smooth-looking women.

We take a visit to the National Gallery, to see if women have historically been painted with hair - but even as long ago as the 16th century, nudes were hair-free.

Look at Renoir's A Nymph by a Stream (1869) - smooth, perfect, and without any trace of facial or body hair.

To me, there seems to be something both worrying and obscene about society's requirement for adult women to remove the body hair that proclaims them sexually mature adults, and turn themselves into facsimiles of pre-pubertal girls. Shazia Mirza @ Guardian

Why do women have to shave or wax constantly?

After 20 years in America, I still struggle with the question of whether I should shave my armpits when summer comes along.

Shaving was cruelly introduced to me when I arrived in an American college dormitory. As a modest female from humble Hong Kong, I was mystified by the sight of razors hanging out by a row of showers in the women's bathroom.

For a moment I thought I had entered the men's bathroom. It may sound unbelievable, but for a foreigner who once thought cottage cheese was egg white marinated with mayonnaise, the thought was real.

I quickly learned that American women shave their legs and armpits and pluck their eyebrows. They may also wax their pubic areas and upper lip hair. I understand that some even shave their backs and stomachs.

To attain the ultimate smooth look, women in America have committed themselves to constant maintenance and risk. I used to see some bloody messes caused by shaving.

I remember my first college roommate telling me that after you start shaving, there is no going back. You just have to keep on going.

Philosophically, I don't have any problem with shaving. Hey, it's a free country. But what amazes me is the attention given to those who don't shave.

I recently came across a piece in Newsweek mocking Julia Roberts for showing her armpit hair as she waved to fans in her cap-sleeved red dress.

I looked at the photo and honestly did not think she looked vulgar. But if Newsweek dedicated a quarter page to this, it is obviously a sensitive issue for the country.

For me, it's not the hassle and nuisance of shaving but the lack of a point. I brush my teeth every day to avoid decay. If I don't, there may be long-lasting consequences. But shaving armpits? What does that accomplish?

Are boyfriends, lovers or husbands so intoxicated by the curve of bare armpits that they whisper to women about how sexy their armpits are during passionate moments? Mei Yan Leung @ Salon