because i dont shave my legs. I dont really care about shaving my legs, only do it if i want them to be smooth, which is kind of rare. Its not a matter of not having time (though i usually dont anyway) or as she thinks "sticking it to the man." I really just dont care enough to shave often. Thing is when she notices, she gets really mad. Usually I'm barred from leaving the house, or she threatens to take my phone/laptop etc. Today she flat out told me I cant go to work until I shave, and shes taking my car away until i do. I grabbed my keys really fast but im probably gonna have to shave just to please her. Shes the only person to ever say anything negative about my appearance and it really hurts. I'm 21 and not self reliant yet because i dont have the money (my family pays for school and everything) I keep telling her its my body but she just gets bad and starts threatening to take my possessions. Is there anyway to convince her to stop?

Someone please tell me that this is a joke, otherwise I...just wow, wtf man. Since when is your body hair your mother's problem? Tell her to shave her own legs, arms, ass and head all day long but to leave you alone with her lame beauty standards, .

Please tell me this is a joke. No one can be that absurd and be serious.

How does she seal with the thought of Europeans and all sorts of other people around the world who don't see any problem with the fact that their bodies naturally produce hair? Hair isn't disgusting. In fact, it helps keep your body clean. Not to mention that we humans are actually completely covered in hair, but most of it is too fine to be seen.

I feel the OP. Fortunately my parents don't take it this far, but I have a habit of just not shaving for the same reason OP has. I just don't care. The only reason I shave my legs is because my parents will give me awfully dirty stares and berate me otherwise. They've also insisted that I'm less of a woman because of it, get mad at me and say things like "you're not a boy!" I didn't know I needed a sex change to justify the natural growing hair on my body. My bad! Sorry this turned into a personal rant, this topic just really resonates with me. To answer the OP, unfortunately I don't think there's a way to get her to stop. I know I probably couldn't get my own parents to stop if I tried.

This. And wtf. She needs to mind her own fucking business and get a life. Maybe she got made fun of for body hair as a girl and now she's super aware of it on anyone else? shrug Still not a reason to be an ass about it though. If either of my parents ever told me how to groom myself, I'd laugh in their faces. And they know it. My mom will once in a while tell me to do my hair differently or put makeup on, and I just give her a look, and she shuts up, lol. She realizes that I normally wear my hair up because I overheat really easily and I don't wear makeup because I'm fucking allergic to 99% of it and the other 1% I can't afford. XD

To be honest, I think a lot of women don't shave their legs often. I hardly shave mine at all (though, I've been blessed with blonde hair on the upper half of my legs). The only time I actually shave is when I (a) can see the hair in the mirror lol or (b) my boyfriend notices it (he usually doesn't notice until it's visible in the mirror). Shaving is so overrated nowadays and most guys don't even notice. And forget shaving when I'm wearing pants because no one's going to see but me anyway.

- Seriously!?! Your mom is being completely unreasonable. Then again, so is my mom.

She used to buy clothes for me, only because she is a shopaholic. If I didn't like something, she would yell at me and whine about how picky I am. To please her, I would simply accept everything she gave me, stuffed it in my closet, and never wear it. I ended up with a mountain of clothes on the closet floor. She would also give me nasty stares if I wore something she didn't like.

I got fed up with it and told her not to give me any more clothes. She stopped eventually, probably only because she couldn't afford massive shopping sprees any more.

Your mom is probably projecting her personal desires on you. Maybe she didn't shave and she was rejected by society because of it? It's still no excuse for her behavior.

Unfortunately, there's no easy way to get her to stop. You can talk to her as much as you want, but if she chooses to ignore you, she will.

Keep your keys and other possessions with you at all times. You need to try to find a way to get out of that house. Can you work more or get a second job?

I agree with everyone else - she is being really unfair, and it is your right to choose whether or not you shave your legs. I hate that there is this expectation of women, it is really very unfair.

However, given the circumstances as you rely on her support and she seems a bit stubborn, perhaps you could wear tights (nude or other colours), leggings, or pants, so she doesn't see that you haven't shaved your legs? You could take them off after you leave the house.

Gonna play devil's advocate here for two seconds (forgive me), but does she own the car? Or is it under your name? If she's the one who owns it and just lets you drive it as if it were your own, then it doesn't matter her reasoning - she has the right to take it if she so chooses. I am by no means saying that she's being rational - what you do with your own body (especially given that you're 21) is none of her damned business. But, if it's her car, it's her car.

That being said, if you're the one who owns it, she's just being a straight-up psycho. D=