Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unc.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!mcnc!unc!fsks
From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.flame
Subject: Re: Mutilation ... of the English language
Message-ID: <252@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-May-85 15:42:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.252
Posted: Sat May 18 15:42:49 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 19-May-85 10:17:32 EDT
References: <2518@cca.UUCP> <sphinx.500>
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 36
Xref: linus net.women:4653 net.flame:9112
Summary: 


With respect to the debate on whether female leg-shaving is
grooming or mutilation--I think it is more analogous to cosmetic surgury.

Just as a face-lift helps and old person look middle aged,
leg-shaving helps a mature woman look more like a very young woman
(i.e. teenager).  Teenagers tend to have much sparser body hair than adults.

This may also be analogous the the male custom of face-shaving
(is this evidence that men are oppressed by women? :-)	).

By the way, is cosmetic surgury considered to be mutilation?

	Frank Silbermann

In article <sphinx.500> shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore) writes:
>
>> From: norcott@cca.UUCP (Bill Norcott)
>>	Why do we bandy about the word 'mutilation' when refering to women
>>	shaving their legs, etc. ?  
>
>Maybe because that's the way some women feel about it?
>
>>	2. to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect (MAIM)
>
>Gotcha!
>
>>	I suggest the word grooming ('to make neat or attractive') is more
>>	appropriate.  
>
>Actually, this seems to me to be substantially worse.  I've seen several
>people on this here net imply that fuzziness == poorly groomed.  Tain't so.
>
>Anyhow, I *do* agree with you that mutilation isn't really the best choice
>of words here, but I'd have to say that the word 'grooming' is at least as
>inappropriate.