Ask Adri: How do I shave my legs? & a little snark at Mitt Romney.
Finally get my computer up and running, get into my e-mail, and what do I find? A brand-new Ask Adri question waiting to be answered. (…well, that was a little self-evident. I’m Captain stinkin’ Obvious today.)
Dear Adri:
I am m2f (or i will be soon).. I want to start crossing. I have nice clothes but I don’t know how to shave my legs. I’m afraid to ask my girlfriends because I don’t want them to know yet. Can you help?
Sassy
Oh, honey, first thing I’m going to tell you is to put the razor down. You may have been shaving your face since you were sixteen, but trust me, shaving your legs and shaving your face are far different things - and have no doubt, the first time you’ll end up cutting yourself, giving yourself razor burn, and twisting in a dozen of the most uncomfortable positions trying to get into some obscure places you didn’t even know you had until you tried to shave them.
(Why yes, I do know this from experience, and no, I have no intentions of telling you just how I know this. Suffice to say that the negatives were burned, and we shall never speak of this again. Ever.)
Rather than shaving, you’d be much better off with a depilatory cream. (Avoid waxing unless you’re really that into pain. I don’t know how girls do that to themselves - I really don’t.) Most would recommend Nair or Neet, though I find that Nair stinks to high hell and both can leave a bit of a chemical-burn feeling behind even when leaving them on for the minimum amount of time, and they don’t remove all the hair - so you end up shaving anyway. Plus the consistency of male leg hair tends to be a bit different from female leg hair, so female shave products don’t always work for us - just as the mess we use to shave our faces doesn’t always work for them.
Stop looking at me like that. Yes, I know too much about this. Hush.
My personal recommendation is No Shave Liquid Depilatory, which you can buy from UnderGear. It’s designed to remove hair smoothly from the male body, although I recently bought it for use on my face and absolutely love it. As with any depilatory, though, you need to remember that you are dealing with chemicals here and you should definitely test it on a small area of your body first before slathering it all over your legs. Don’t want you coming out looking like an overcooked bucket of the Colonel’s Extra Crispy.
Good luck and sexy legs to ya, Miss Sassy.
Everyone else, seriously. Stop looking at me like that. It was one time. In college. Shaddup.
Have a question you’d like to see answered on Ask Adri? E-mail your question to adrien-luc.sanders@451press.net with the subject “Ask Adri Question” or use the Contact Form to send your question in.
Gay Republicans air anti-Romney Ad
Remember when I transcribed Mitt Romney’s creepy radio spot and spent a little time nitpicking it? Well, Romney’s own party has struck back from the rainbow quadrant with a lovely little TV spot:
Well…I wouldn’t really call that lovely, honestly. Actually, depending on how you’re listening, it sounds almost like it’s trying to sell Romney; according to the article, it’s highlighting Romney’s evolving stance on abortion. I don’t know. It’s just not very clear to me, and seems to have limited effectiveness. Don’t have much to say about it, really; guess it’s just too subtle for a blockhead like me. If you guys want to have a go at it, knock yourselves out.
Well, that’s it from me; I want to thank everyone who came out (no pun intended) in the delurking post and gave us all a chance to get to know you. The response (over 25 comments) was really a pleasant surprise.
Be back Monday with another No Style.
mitt romney, log cabin republicans, presidential debate, ask adri, gay advice column, mtf, m2f, male-to-female, transgender, transvestite, transsexual, cross-dressing, depilating, depilatory, shaving your legs
October 5th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
For pure sense of comedy I have once tried to do some manscaping below the belt, legs included.
I still have nightmares about it, so go with Adri’s advice for sure.
October 5th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
I’m a fan of Veet, especially because it comes with a nifty little pseudo-razor to help you scrape off all that mentholated nasty. I find that it also tends to burn less than Nair.
But what do I know? I’m a lipstick lesbian who wears trousers 99% of the time because I’m too lazy to do the above.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
As a generally conservative gay man (right on fiscal and constitutional issues, left on social issues), the Log Cabin Republicans really tick me off. They give people like me a bad name and are part of the reason I get funny looks when I “come out” as conservative to people who know I am gay.
October 6th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
waxing is painful PLUS it’s bad for your skin. Since waxing pulls your skin, it gets wrinkled and saggy faster. (plus that area would be red for an entire day and if you’re really unlucky, you might get pimples)
If you can afford it, laser hair removal is worth the pain (which surprisingly isn’t a lot) and the cost.
October 10th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Shaving really is a pain in the neck and razor burn is evil. If you feel ok with it the hair removal cream really does wonders. As Adri said, careful bout leaving it on too long though. Personally I don’t shave, but being female and not shaving gets you some funny looks. Not that I care so much.