Looks like you've got a different Wilkinson Sword ad embedded there — the "Butterfly Effect" ad is here, though the version on YouTube is lower quality than the non-embeddable one at the official website, and leaves out a few seconds after the bus crashes through the sign.

your leg looks pretty good after not having shaved for weeks! I didn't even have to leave the room screaming.

I always try to make sure to wear long socks so that my students won't be traumatized my yeti legs... although I agree that it's ridiculous that yeti legs on a woman seem to be more traumatizing than a real yeti.

I think you embedded the wrong video...
This is the one that Feministing provides:
http://www.wilkinsonbutterflyeffect.co.uk/#film1-watch

As weird as that commercial was, I don't see the connection to the commentary. Is it perhaps the wrong link?

Mountains out of molehills.

That wasn't the advertisement she was commenting on. That advertisement is on this site: http://www.wilkinsonbutterflyeffect.co.uk/

Click the "Watch Film" link at the bottom.

I didn't shave for about 6 months (easy to do in northern climate). I really really wanted to never shave again. But damn, my dark thick hairs really stood out when wearing shorts. So I caved. I'm jealous of the women with non-yeti hair (great description!).

The hair was really soft though! (I think they get softer the longer you go because they get brushed up against and worn down.)

It is largely the only thing I give in to. No more makeup for me, even with my very dark circles. Very aware of them, but don't care anymore. Leg hair, though, I can't get over (perhaps because I've worked in a very professional place and don't think it would be acceptable).

Thanks ya'll! Fixed!

I last shaved my legs over 20 years ago. It took a couple *years* before I was comfortable with how the dark leg hair looked in summer clothes. Now I forget it's unusual, except for the occasional unabashed stare at the beach (and living in a beach town, that's not too rare). Most of the time, I get a kick out of seeing the reactions. But, like I said, it took a little while to get over the self-consciousness.

Time for a short essay.

When I was young, I was a total tomboy. I would play in the yard all afternoon and come back to the house covered with bites from mosquitos and fleas and fire ants and ticks. Some nights my legs itched so much I couldn't get to sleep without taking some benadryl. I never cared, though, because I loved running through tall grass and climbing trees.

Then I started growing hair on my legs, and my mom told me in no uncertain terms that I should shave. It's what girls do, you see. It's a sign I was turning into a woman. Throw in some religious justifications, too - Adam was made from dirt, but Eve from a human, and though men can appear to be more base, as women we should aspire to separate ourselves more. Stupid argument? Worked on me as a kid, since it came from Mom.

That's when the real pain began. As if puberty wasn't enough of a torment, try shaving your legs when they're covered with insect bites. (And let's not even talk about that Nair experiment.) I was never ashamed of the red marks across my legs from the bites, but once hair started growing - Mom's words ringing in my head - I was ashamed of my legs. I would try to shave and end up bleeding because of the bites. Mom made me rub some sort of lotion on my legs every night for a while, until she got tired of me resisting. She tried to make me wear insect repellent when I went out, but the artificial chemicals disgusted me.

Eventually I found that sulfur soap did wonders for my legs - the insects wouldn't bite me anymore and the existing bites healed quickly. I was happy that my legs didn't itch constantly anymore. But the damage was done; I was ashamed of my legs. I spent 5 years in Houston heat never wearing shorts because I internalized Mom's messages about hairy legs.

When I moved to Dallas, it was a while before I was comfortable with my legs. I stopped shaving altogether, but was living on my own for almost two years before I bought a pair of shorts. Now I can say that I am comfortable going out in public for most occasions with unshaven legs.

On special occasions, especially when I'll be around many strangers, I'll still shave - because them seeing me dress what they consider "inappropriate" will do nothing to broaden their concepts of an acceptable female form. It's the discussions on my sofa with close friends that will change them, and once they've unpacked their expectations of the female body, they can challenge others.

Wow, lots of bitterness.

Why does it matter to you if some men like hairless legs on a woman?
Why does it matter to you if some men like skinnier women?
Why does it matter to you if some men like fatter women?
Why does it matter to you if some men like shy women?
Why does it matter to you if some men like gregarious women?

Find someone who appreciates you for who you are. You aren't a hairless legged woman. It doesn't feel natural for you. Some women do feel more comfortable with their legs shaved, and they'd do it even if there were no men left on earth.

I'm always mystified why some people have to tell other people what they are allowed to appreciate in others.

Nobody is saying it matters if some men like those things you listed, Duran. What matters is if these things are presented as the ONLY things men should like and the things that women MUST do to Get A Man. It's insulting and harmful to both men and women.

it sounded like sandpaper or something! this lady must have a health problem that turns her leg hair into porcupine quills for us to get that sound when brushed up against lol. but that guy really shouldn't have been feeling up on her legs in the first place. she moved his hand for a reason, because she didn't want him on her leg. maybe because she hadn't shaved and she knew he'd react like that and crash the bus. or maybe because they weren't at that level yet (if they were at that level, he would know that she didn't shave, and wouldn't have been so shocked).

Wow Duran, you must have grown up in that vacuum where the rest of society didn't exist and all of your preferences and choices were completely individual and influenced by no one but you. lucky you.

First, preference does not happen in a vacuum. And women are BOMBARDED with thousands of advertisements and images per day that tell them what is wrong with them and what they are really supposed to look like. Yes, men objectification is on the rise, but that does not make it ok. More men having anorexia is not what we are after.

Second, the girl in the commercial made it clear that she did not want to be groped. There is a real problem that the media does not take that seriously.

I'm a guy and I find hairy legs on a woman repulsive. Is it society's fault for making me feel that way? I guess.

Grooming is a cultural norm. There are not always evil misogynistic motives behind cultural norms. Every culture grooms and dresses differently. Shaved legs is the norm in our culture. People can do whatever the hell they want, obviously, but I for one refuse to feel guilt for my personal tastes.

Feel free to email me thoughts. Seriously.

Dear Anonymous: Perhaps the most obvious commentary is that women do not have a general moral obligation to make themselves sexually attractive to *you*.

Oh, and leg and armpit shaving is not older in our culture than the 1920s. Obviously men before that were able to cope with their partners' hairy extremities.

Elena: Maybe they weren't able to cope. Most of those men who were around in the 1920s and earlier are dead!

Though my understanding is that hair removal has been a part of different cultures throughout history, though probably not to the extremes we see in modern American culture.

Anonymous, your personal preferences are not really the issue. However, since you brought them up, repulsive is a bit strong. That means, unfortunately for you, whoever you are in a relationship with (if you are in relationships with women) will be repulsive to you at one time or another. There is not a woman in the world who has clean shaven legs 100% of the time. And I wouldn't want to be around when you find out she has other mammalian qualities like burping or shitting.

Cultural and societal norms should be questioned. Saying that it is a cultural norm is not a defense. There are so many normative things that are messed up in our culture.

Don't you find it odd that we keep having to shave more and more to be deemed acceptable.. That reminds me of this: http://current.com/items/89975180_sarah-haskins-in-target-women-your-garden.htm

We all make decisions about whether or not we want to go against the norm or not. That is not the point. The point of the commentary that those of you discussing personal preference seem to have missed is the message this commercial sends:

A girl must be ready at all times and be available to be groped at all times, whether she likes it wants it or not. And if she is not available and conforming to his preferences, chaos will ensue. This is what the commentator and the rest of us find offensive. We really don't give a shit who shaves their legs or who doesn't. This isn't about shaving.

Maybe I just have very liberal and open minded friends, but it seems like hairy legs on girls is becoming fairly normal in my social group and around my school. At least with the American students (I go to an American school in Japan).

Keith, I know several women my age (mid-20s) who don't shave their legs -- it does seem to be somewhat more acceptable to forgo it. Though of course, I know plenty of women in their mid-20s who do shave.

Elen, you are completely right. In fact, I am a hypocrite. You see, several years ago, I decided to quit clipping my toenails. My girlfriend at the time protested, but I decided it was not my obligation as a man to make myself attractive to her. So I haven't clipped my toenails since. Sometimes when I go to the beach and my gnarly alligator feet are laid bare, I get plenty of stares from other people. Which makes me quite indignant. How dare they look down on me for having the courage to question a social norm. I have also taken to wearing unisex leotards all the time. I no longer have a girlfriend, and frankly it is society's fault for conditioning, nay forcing, all heterosexual females to prefer males archetypes that are much different from me. So I started an angry blog about it.

Also, the woman in the video certainly did not look adverse to being "groped" (I guess caressing one's girlfriend's calf is groping). They obviously were in a relationship. And besides, if she was truly hesitant to be touched, and not simply being coy with her lover (which is what lovers do sometimes--you've had lovers before right? Well, maybe not) it was most likely due to the fact that she didn't shave that day...kinda the point of the commercial.

But thanks for trying.

I have also taken to wearing unisex leotards all the time.

That's the perfect way to show off your lovely shaved legs! (You said they're the "norm in our culture" right? So obviously you shave, right?)

Regarding the necessity of strict grooming, I heard that feminists actually *store* things in their leg hair! Like diseases! And knives! And gay people! (They braid little pouches, in which these dangerous objects nestle quite comfortably.) Any of these could be used as a weapon against an unassuming (but nicely shaved) straight dude such as yourself. Shaving is a public safety issue, really. (How *else* do you make sure your girlfriend isn't packing a diseased knife-wielding lesbian in there? You can never be too cautious.)

Since people trim their toenails not because of social imperatives but because long toenails break, snag on socks and can cause open wounds, that's a nice analogy FAIL.

Bagelsan you're hilarious.

Anonymous, as Elena pointed out, the analogy doesn't quite work. When I let my toenails get too long and I wear close toed shoes, they make my toes hurt. So I cut my toenails to prevent pain.

Hair removal, on the other hand, is more likely to cause pain than prevent it (except, of course, in this video where the girl's hairy legs caused a lot of pain for a lot of people). These people are ridiculous with their shaving every day campaign.

Have you ever seen the movie "What Women Want"? There is a part where the main character, male, tries to use a bunch of women's products. If I remember correctly he tries to wax his legs. Try that and then come back and tell us how it's comparable to wearing your leotard and letting your nails grow out.

Before anyone says I'm on this side of the fence because I'm storing lesbians and knives in my leg hair pouches, I'm not. I remove my leg hair sometimes. I epilate due to a skin condition that makes shaving less than fun, and epilating actually helps alleviate my condition (at least that's how it feels to me). So, I do it because I want to. Because it makes me feel better. Which is the whole point, women shouldn't feel like they HAVE to do anything to please anyone but themselves.

On a completely unrelated note, my boyfriend is so damn hairy he can't even tell whether or not I have hair on me. I always feel hairless in comparison, which makes me laugh.

Thanks, Nique!

My mom didn't shave her legs for ages (pretty much my whole childhood) until she had to get knee surgery. My kid-self and my little sisters were all like "hey, the shaved knee looks like a little girl knee and the hairy knee looks like a grown-up knee! ... OHHH." So, yeah, kids can easily get that shaving is all about forcing women to look like little girls, but grown men often seem to have difficulty with that... 9.9

(And I say this as someone who shaves religiously --that is, maybe weekly if I'm not busy. :p)

The analogy works fine. Ellen said social norms need to be questioned, not me.

And no one addressed my point about the coy lovers. I guess because, oh yeah, I'm right.

And I think Bagesan failed to recognize my sarcasm. Which, you're right, IS hilarious.

Anon, clipping your toenails is hygienic. Shaving is aesthetic. There is no analogy.

Additionally, questioning norms does not inevitably mean abandoning them. It's just about being self-aware.

For example, you could examine why you're repulsed by women who look as though they've completed puberty, and what that says about your proclivities. Or you could continue to harass random women you don't know and champion your moral imperative to "caress" unwilling women who look no older than 11.

If you question social norm and still choose to continue it, fine. If you do not question and follow the norms solely because they are norms, because that is what everybody else does, than that is just truly sad.

I am fine with my boyfriend caressing my shaved or unshaven leg. However if I tell him to stop. And he does not, there is a problem. And if I didn't shave that morning, and he recoils in ridiculously immature exaggerated pain, and the bus wrecks. It's his damn fault not mine. He better be getting the text from the future self.

Anonymous is completely right about everything. She was being coy. Geez, what are we supposed to do? Sponsor a bunch of ads featuring un-shaved girl-legs? How would that make all the girls that shave their legs feel? I daresay it would make them feel very judged.

i like your hairy legs i like your feet i like your toes hairy
i like sucking your toes i am slave your feet plz send me your legs hairy and feet and toes pictures

l

I am a blonde male from Chicago and I think women should shave their legs. My legs and thighs are naturally hairless. I never grew any hair on them. It's pretty embarrassing seeing a female with leg hair especially if she sees my legs. I live in a hispanic area and I've seen my share of hairy legs. I don't think it's in their culture to shave their legs. The 12 year old girl next door to me has hairy legs. She said my legs looked weird be cause she didn't see any hair on them and guys suppose to have hair. I was the only guy in coed gym in high school with hairless legs, heck even some of the girls had leg hair. I thought that was strange.
I went out with hispanic girl last year and she didn't shave her legs. It was really an awkward moment for me the first time we saw each others legs. She had really hairy lower legs.Black hair. She actually put her leg next to mine and kinda teased me that she was a girl and that hers were hairier and mine were bald. She was kinda shocked that I was a guy with no leg hair. She was comparing our legs and I was so embarrassed. Her leg hair and my lack of hair was so obvious to see. She was flaunting her legs. She was proud of her legs.She laughed that her legs look like the guy legs and mine looked like the girl legs. I asked her to shave her legs and she said I was just jealous and don't you wish you had hairy legs like mine. Without a doubt I wish I had her hairy legs.I kinda stopped wearing shorts around her. Swimming in my pool is a different story.God, her legs when wet looked sooo hairy and mine looked pale and sooo damn bald. I do tan my legs because it appears to make them look less hairless.
Evey female I have been with has had hairier legs than me but they pretty much shaved them regularly except in the winter.Only one other female commented that her legs were hairier when she didn't shave them.
Being a guy it's not a good feeling knowing that pretty much every female grows leg hair and has hairier legs than me. I do feel that every woman should keep their legs completely hair free all the time so their would be no chance that she would have hairier legs than me. Keep your legs hair free and feminine.
Why would a female be proud and tease that she has hairier legs than a guy?

Hahah if allwoman stopped i would never go out with woman again i would rather live alone no problem rather than this,just the thought has put meoff woman for the time being hahahah go feminists go and watch the human race die out,hopefully it will

@Ray the only time i went to the US as a kid i was traumatized by the sight of a hispanic woman on a bus going to disneyland hahahah that is one memory i never thought i would bring back with me hahahah i would rather take a bath with spiders

@bagelsan what are you talking about

Oh please. You know, some of us chicks like our legs shaved too. Does not mean I'm a slave to anything or anybody, or available to be groped. Your mad little essay made me laugh out loud. So did the commercial. I think it's hilarious!

That's just a stupid ad! And so wrong...there is just so much wrong with it. Her legs weren't even very hairy anyway! The sound was so stupid...maybe stubble is rough but actual hairy legs are very soft. And the ad is encouraging people to do it daily?! Then there is the groping problem...

I'm a female who hates shaving my legs and tries to avoid it where possible. The only time I did it was in the start of the relationship with my first boyfriend. Then I did it less and less often and stopped gradually until I didn't do it at all. He didn't seem to care, said he didn't care and was even cool with holding my hand in public when I was wearing shorts. Great guy, I wish he was still mine. Hopefully I can find another like that.

I dont think females need to worry about hairs, they are given by nature, and it looks very erotic also, i just cant understand why we always try to go agaiinst nature, somebody started years ago about removing hairs ... now every female is running ... I feel female hairs on a leg of females tell a different tale ... every hair form has a characterstic .. please learn to live with hairs

I'm totally on a mission to grow out my leg hair!

I've never shaved regularly (i.e. I've never felt obligated to shave), but I'm usually hairless (or rather, growing relatively invisible-from-afar stubble, since it feels like I have stubble almost an hour after I shave!!) because I shave while in the bathtub reading, to give my other hand something to do. If I only took showers, you better believe I'd be hairy as heck!

But recently my best bud decided to grow hers out- part sociological experiment, partly because I think it is more of a burden for her, and she's tired of feeling beholden to the hairless standard. So I'm doing it with her in solidarity (hard as it is to not reach for the razor in the tub!). It is pretty fun to track the growth, though- kind of like the way some guys vow to grow out their beards together. And it doesn't hurt that it makes me feel like a tried-n-true feminist :)

I'm waiting for it to get really long- right now it's at that "long pokey stubble" stage, whereas I want it to get long enough to lay flat and be a bit softer. I've seen some gorgeous pictures of women with a long leg hair, especially my idol indie porn star Jiz Lee (side note- it's endlessly interesting to me that some of the only sources of such pictures are indie porn or fetishist websites).

Anyways, yeah, just thought I'd put my little post down. And while having personal preferences towards hairy legs (for yourself as a woman, or for one's female partners) is perfectly fine and valid, telling hairy-legged women that they are ugly, gross, disgusting, grotesque, or anything else like that is NOT. Acting as if it's "just our culture's grooming norms" is completely dismissive of how cultural norms that come from sexist societies are, in turn, sexist themselves (not to mention that if it's about grooming, there's a huge double standard- why is hair on men's legs okay, but not on women's?).

The ad is ridiculous. I don't shave my legs to avoid catastrophic disaster, and I don't like the insinuation that I have to do it so that I don't get an "Ew" response from a man; I won't be buying their razors. How 'bout a commercial that simply said "Hey, do you not like it when your legs are hairy? If so, our razors are really good at gettin' em smooth and soft. Buy our product." I'd buy that.

Just two amusing things: It is funny that something like a hairy armpit can look normal on a man, and then be considered disgusting on a woman, when they look exactly the same. If you just zoom in on the hair part and exclude the rest of the body, it would look equivalent. Also funny that it would be unhygienic on a woman, but not a man.

(The) "beauty ideal is designed to erase: the reality of our bodies."

Probably one of the most powerful quotes I've read! awesome!

Hey. Good that you do not shave your legs and the man near you doesn't care. My husband keeps saying I do not have to go through the whole "total hair removal project", I can not feel comfortable with it (yet?).

Which leads to situations as wonderful as: he/I expresses/feel interest in having sex together and today ; then me in the bathroom for 30 minutes to 2 hours ; then him asleep when I finally get out. This happened so many times.
Or "Oh I wish we would but I'm not hairless so I can't, because I would feel too uncomfortable and he wouldn't have the right to touch my legs, and I don't have enough time to do the epilation and the sex in the remaining time, what can I do" Or "oh this week again I epilated myself for nothing, which reminds me that I actually spend more time every month removing my hair than having sex"...
So, you rule, and so probably does your sex life.