at what point did women decide to shave their body hair?

[vinphetamin]

Thank god they did but what made them do this and when?

[Quizmonster]

Click http://www.google.com/custom?q=women%2Bshaving%2Bh
istory&sa=Go&cof=T%3Ablack%3BLW%3A282%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.refdesk.com%2Frd.gif%3BLH%3A94%3BBGC%3Awhite%3BAH%3Acenter%3BAWFID%3A6332576430c078b2%3B and a link will take you to a web-page that lists 43,000 further websites with information on the history of shaving in general as well as women shaving in particular. Once there, just click on any of the blue-coloured headings to access the information.

[mikewith]

vinphetamin - the first shavers were the ancient Egyptians (men, women and children) who came to believe that being hairless was more beautiful as well as more comfortable (against the sun's rays) and healthier (against body lice etc). Roman women used depilatories, pumice stone and tweezers. The practice also developed in India by this time, presuamably independantly of what was happening in and around the Mediterrannean. In the Middle Ages, eyebrows and eyelashes were also plucked - for fashion and beauty. I imagine that this was in part a continuation of the trend to shave for health and comfort, but it may also be that women were trying to recapture a youthful look (possibly even the look of hairless adolescent men?) in order to appear more beautiful for their men? [Source: http://www.quikshave.com/timeline.htm ]

Quizmonster - while that answer is so often well deployed by you, I think this time you've been a little hasty.