Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

Huh. I scored 13 on this "test" (not that it's at all scientific).

Interesting test; I scored a lot - 21. Just last night my husband took me to a show, a vaudeville-style show, as a surprise. During the first 15 minutes I was extremely overwhelmed by all the music and people around me and lights and singing and the expectation of laughing. Then I had to remind myself, "you are sensitive to things, just take a deep breath and focus on one thing," which helped until intermission and then I had to redo my mini excerise when it started again. :/ My mom was always extremely sensitive to things like light and temperature when I was growing up, so I wonder if this is a learned reaction or genetic. (Yeah yeah, probably both.)

PS Yeah, it was really unscientific. Maybe I'm *not* so overly sensitive; I mean, don't most people feel uncomfortable when put on the spot for competition at work? I don't know.

my brother says he is sensitive. I don't really understand it

But did he take the quiz? Without you telling him it was a sensitivity-testing quiz?

Not only do I think not asking out a woman who has an ungroomed 'stache is reasonable, I think it should be encouraged. That's like the female equivalent of a neckbeard.

Why should we encourage people to judge others based on their appearance?

Judging someone (assuming they have a bad character or something) is not the same as wanting to date them. I think body hair removal is in the same category as showering and flossing: basic hygiene stuff. I stand my case.

Personally I think it would be better for us to be more accepting of normal body hair. But it's a cultural ideal that isn't going to change quickly.

I think that's a fair viewpoint. I suppose some may view me as undatable since I don't do Brazilian waxing, say, which I suppose I find ridiculous but would view as their right?

And BYU women are particularly harsh on this point in regards to men, obviously, since men's facial hair is not only "natural" but not outside anyone's beauty standards if it's groomed.

Portia wrote:I think body hair removal is in the same category as showering and flossing: basic hygiene stuff. I stand my case.

The primary role of hygiene is health. The secondary role of hygiene is making yourself not malodorously offensive to those around you. Body hair removal does neither of those things. (And as NerdGirl has pointed out elsewhere, the trend of removing most or all pubic hair is in fact *harmful* to hygiene, as it's likely to lead to ingrown hairs and infections.) The idea that women "need" to remove hair from any part of their bodies was basically made up by razor companies to sell more razors around the time it became socially acceptable for women to wear short skirts. I feel that shaving, both for men and for women, ought to be entirely optional.

Emiliana wrote: The idea that women "need" to remove hair from any part of their bodies was basically made up by razor companies to sell more razors around the time it became socially acceptable for women to wear short skirts. I feel that shaving, both for men and for women, ought to be entirely optional.

This is one of the reasons I'm afraid to ever live in Japan. I've heard having hair on your arms over there is as socially unacceptable as women having leg hair is over here.

Out of curiosity, is there anywhere where noticeable facial hair on women is not seen as unusual or unattractive?

well, it's against Sikh religion to shave, and here is one post about that culture shock http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/2 ... 19336.html

Here's a woman whose lifestyle is partially controlled by her desire not to have visible facial hair http://www.xojane.com/beauty/female-facial-hair

As much as I'd like to never shave again, I have a love-hate relationship with shaving my legs. I feel sexier and prettier when I shave my legs, but I often get rashes and it takes a long time. Shaving legs has become acceptable for men--why not have not shaving be acceptable for women?

Whistler wrote:well, it's against Sikh religion to shave, and here is one post about that culture shock http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/2 ... 19336.html

Here's a woman whose lifestyle is partially controlled by her desire not to have visible facial hair http://www.xojane.com/beauty/female-facial-hair

As much as I'd like to never shave again, I have a love-hate relationship with shaving my legs. I feel sexier and prettier when I shave my legs, but I often get rashes and it takes a long time. Shaving legs has become acceptable for men--why not have not shaving be acceptable for women?

Good point about Sikhs.

I liked the xojane article. I suppose I didn't put that much thought into the effort put into getting rid of facial hair—for nearly all men and some women. If I had hair on my face, I'd probably get a laser treatment removal or some such.

Shaving my legs in the shower is quick and painless, and it definitely feels better (I would do it even if I were sick and not going out, say). I use a men's razor. And I have fairly sensitive skin, in general, but the men's razor works great. It is interesting to see older erotic photos where women have luxuriant underarm hair. Any Portlanders here? I feel like that WOULD increase the chance for bad smells.

There could be a fair-haired advantage thing going on here, too. My body hair is light enough that I don't think even the Japanese would notice it on my arms or legs! (I hope...)

P.S. I recently saw The Rake's Progress opera, and Baba the Turk, a bearded lady, was an awesome character.

Fair hair is definitely an advantage! I have extremely dark hair and extremely pale skin, and even immediately after shaving the roots of my leg and underarm hair are visible (as in they can be clearly seen but not felt through my skin and it looks like I have two or three days worth of stubble). It used to bother me a lot but I suppose I've become more comfortable in my skin as I've gotten older. Fortunately I don't have facial hair that is as thick/dark so I don't have to worry about that.

I'm one of those lucky people with extremely fair hair on my arms and legs. I can go about 3-4 weeks without shaving my legs and it won't be terribly noticeable unless the light is reflecting off of the leg hair.

I have an upper respiratory infection, an ear infection, and laryngitis. I'm celebrating by lying on the couch listening to Harry Potter audiobooks while floating in and out of sleep. It's kind of fun because my husband has never read them before and he keeps giggling at Rowling's silly prose ("In fact, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she let herself be caught no fewer than three hundred times...").

Ha. Mathematical model: "I model wet steam flow." I'm sure many pay attention in this math teacher's class, but how much to the math?

Jew, Marxist, Potato, Hipster, Southern Baptist, or Islamic Fundamentalist.

WHICH HAS PORTIA DATED? A COMPENDIUM:

• Jew: I had never met a Jewish person before I was 25, that wasn't a distant relation who had converted from Mormonism to fairly conservative Judaism. WHO KNEW? Also don't say "Jews," say "Jewish people." I learned that the hard way.
  Marxist: You'd better believe it. Even met his parents. He was ten years older than me, divorced, vegan. He kind of looked like a much less-fit Ryan Gosling to me.
  Potato: Some with the personality of one, but no.
  Hipster: ... Despite what you might think, ... no, I don't think so. Weird. I don't think I'm their type. More yuppie MPDG than Coachella Sevigny chic. Engineers, urban planners, and actuaries aren't "hip," usually.
  Southern Baptist: Hoo boy yes. These guys are really hot. They're also, like our 43rd president, alcoholics. Surprisingly.
  Islamic Fundamentalist: Um, nope.