A Man Wrote in to a Newspaper Advice Column to Ask Why Women Don't Shave Their Arms

Impact

A man who wrote a letter to an advice column asking why women don't shave their forearms received a dose of feminism realness when the column's author responded that maybe it's because women have no energy left over from trying to dismantle the patriarchy all day long. 

The man, referred to by his moniker, "Curious Guy," went to great lengths to explain that he was, indeed, "just curious" when he wrote in to Amy Dickinson's syndicated advice column "Ask Amy."

"Why don't women typically remove the hair on their arms (elbow to wrist)?" he wrote. "Not all women have hairy arms, but I've seen many women who have a decent amount of noticeable hair on their forearms."

"Curious Guy" goes on to helpfully explain that dark arm hair is noticeable when women are wearing T-shirts, and even blond arm hair is "very noticeable in the sunlight".

"I'm just curious as to why women would shave their legs, but walk around with hairy arms. I'm not hating on it, I'm just curious," he wrote.

Dickinson, whose column is carried by over 150 newspapers and has a daily readership of 22 million, according to her website, wasted no time before eviscerating the question.

"Maybe women don't shave their forearms because they have to work an extra 60 days a year in order to earn the same pay as a man in the same job," came Dickinson's savage first sentence. "That extra time spent trying to make a living really cuts into a typical woman's primping time."

Dickinson acknowledged that although women LOVE dragging lethally sharpened blades over their bodies daily to accommodate the male gaze, "there are just so many hours in a day, my friend."

"But thank you for noticing and scrutinizing our arm hair. I'm sure the women of the world are relieved you're not a hater," she added.

Dickinson closes out her response with the suggestion that any men who would like to be guinea pigs for the arm-shaving trend could step up at any time, offering to judge the results herself alongside a committee of women.

"Without hating on it (of course)."

Read more: