• Question: hello, why are woman hairy? cause all they are going to do is get rid of the hair. do you think that one day we will evolve and woman will no longer be hairy? please reply

    Asked by embrycall to Betul, Bridget, Ceri-Wyn, Maria on 24 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by mayakatz.
    • Photo: Bridget Waller

      Bridget Waller answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Well, good question. Women are less hairy than men, so clearly there has been some selection for a reduction in body hair. But, the extreme ‘de-hairing’ that we see in the western world is probably more cultural than anything, and does not necessarily represent an ideal, universal body image. Generally, anything that makes women look young is seen as attractive, so it could be that removing body hair makes them attractive because it makes them look young. There are so many cultures that aren’t bothered about it though, so it can’t be that important! I don’t think this will change with evolutionary time unless women who are less hairy have an advantage – and shaving in your lifetime doesn’t count! See previous posts on why you need genetic change rather than lifetime changes for evolution to occur. 🙂

    • Photo: Ceri-Wyn Thomas

      Ceri-Wyn Thomas answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Women are hairy just like men because we are mammals. One of the main characteristics of mammals is having hair to keep our bodies warm. Hair follicles in mammals are thought to have evolved from the scales of reptiles! So we have a long history of hairiness. Modern western culture dictates that women look better without hair so we all remove it. However, not all women remove their body hair in other countries. it’s all about personal preference. I suppose it’s kind of silly really but I bet you think womens’ legs look nicer when they’re not all fuzzy!

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