I do. I stare at women’s legs. You see, I’ve become really curious about leg shaving.

I refuse to shave my legs. I hate it in so many ways that I don’t even want to count them all. I am lucky to be married to a man who isn’t bothered by leg hair, and therefore I let it grow. I haven’t shaved my legs since university, I believe.

Society in general doesn’t share my views, I know, so I keep my deviance to myself. (Although now that I think about it, isn’t it really bizarre that something so natural can be so provocative…) I cover up at work and wear trousers or tights or leggings. But now I’m on vacation and it’s hot, and I care very little about the opinion of strangers, so I walk around unashamedly baring my hairy legs.

Meanwhile, I surreptitiously look at other women’s summer legs. Trains, train stations and playgrounds in particular are full of more or less immobile easily observable legs.

And I am truly surprised to see that every single pair of legs is shaved. I have not seen a single hairy shin. Young legs and old legs; skinny, flabby, athletic and plump legs; legs in trendy shoes, strappy sandals or worn-out sneakers. All of them shaved. Possibly I’ve missed some with invisible downy hair but those wouldn’t really count anyway.

Well, all except Lady Dahmer’s legs, I guess, but I haven’t seen those first hand.

All these years I’ve believed that leg shaving fell somewhere around “mascara” and “nice hairdo” on the primping scale: things most women spend time on because it makes them look prettier, but really optional. That seems to have been a misapprehension. Leg shaving appears to be viewed more like showering or brushing your hair: basic hygienic procedures that you just have to do if they want to fit into normal society.

So leg hair is somehow unhygienic. But only on women; men’s hair is not. I guess men just have a different kind of hair: teflon-coated and self-cleaning.