Odd Question : Do the Female characters in the wheel of time shave?

[Nikmi]

Okay. Let me start by explaining the train of thought that lead to this question.

 

I'm currently re-reading Fires of Heaven, and I just read past the part where Siuan is inside a tavern to seek out one of the blue Ajah's informants she knew from back when she ran the blue Ajah's network. The owner of this tavern put Siuan up for some public humiliation where she had to show her legs in the common room for inspection to see if she had the "ankles" to go with her singing.

 

Now this started a train of thought in my mind. Seeing as it suddenly hit me that shaving legs and armpits and what else there is to shave, is a very modern trend in the real life western society. And therefor seeing as the wheel of time is set in a medieval like setting it made me think about whenever or not it is ever mentioned that the female characters we are all so familiar with in these books. :o) shave for example their legs. Or are they to my big horror hairy beasts you would rather have covered by their fine dresses than see in the nude.

 

Now I am not trying to start a discussion about whenever its fair or unfair that there is pressure from modern society in the real world for women to shave their legs. I an merely curious to know if this is a trend that is present in the WOT world I mean no offense to any women or men. And do not mean to press my personal oppinon down on anybodys head about the standards of beauty in the real world!

 

- Nikmi

[Epic]

Some members of the Seanchan nobility shave ;D.

[Nikmi]

Some members of the Seanchan nobility shave ;D.

 

Only their heads! While that is shaving it is not the part of the body I'mt alking about :P

[fader6818]

I would imagine that some culture in the WoT world does, though I have no evidence in the book to support it. Robert Jordan seems to be hit and miss about personal hygiene and such.

 

I vaguely recall one character having pubic hair though I am not really interested in finding that, and it might be an addition in my own visualization of that scene. I vaguely recall that the Shaido shaved a prisoner, and from the description it mentioned "every hair", so I assumed that included underarms and pubic hair as well. This might also indicate that the Aiel see shaving as taboo or insulting but it might also have been a stab at the prisoner's personal values. My knowledge of the shaving subject is hazy in the WoT world.

[Trebor Nadroj]

Members of the nobility most certainly do.

 

I don't think it's mentioned in any of the books wether women shave, but I can't really see that lower class women shave that often. I do believe straight razors is a common tool used by men in the World of the Wheel.  Most men in our world didn't own more than one straight razor though because they were expensive and we are talking about the 18th 19th and 20th century wich is the time they were most widely used.

 

I believe that women who shave in the world of the wheel do own their own shaving tools. But if they use a straight razor I do not know since I don't have the knowledge of wether they are ideal for shaving legs or the more "sensitive" regions of the body.

 

We do know though that they brush their teeth sometimes. In one book Nynaeve brushes her teeth using some kind of chewstick and soda to rub her teeth. ;D

 

 

 

[JenniferL]

It's a weave of the One Power.

 

Do not question me on this.

[hapazard]

Why should they?

 

You wouldn't spend all that time and energy doing shaving areas that no one (except your husband) is supposed to see! Even considering the husband/occasional lover they wouldn't have any expectations about a hairless body as they'd had most probably never seen a woman legs in an public situation to begin with, so no pressure there.

 

How could they?

 

A side from the mere cultural aspects the technical hurdles are quite large as well.  I can't possible phantom how to shave the inward curve of an armpit with a straight razor! (legs should be fine).

 

[mb]

It might be possible that they do and Robert Jordan thought the detail unimportant.

 

Or possibly they do not need to (like genes or something).

 

[Nikmi]

It might be possible that they do and Robert Jordan thought the detail unimportant.

 

Or possibly they do not need to (like genes or something).

 

 

I do think its a detail Robert Jordan would find unimportant. If it wasn't because I had a brain that at times decide to nitpick over the oddest details I would find it pretty unimprotant as well.. Seeing as its a book and there is the wonderful thing about books. That if there is something you want to look in a certain way you can quite simple MAKE it look a certain way. The power of imagination ^^

[LedZepMan]

I have always thought about this particular topic. Ever since I read my first fantasy series set in primative times, The Shannara series, I have wondered wether the women shave their legs. I think that is just a detail that is deemed unimportant to the authors. I mean they have a whole world to unravel, with numerous plot lines and characters, artifacts and landscapes, that the characters hygeine is just not important enough. Just my opinion.

 

[Mr Ares]

Why should they?

 

You wouldn't spend all that time and energy doing shaving areas that no one (except your husband) is supposed to see! Even considering the husband/occasional lover they wouldn't have any expectations about a hairless body as they'd had most probably never seen a woman legs in an public situation to begin with, so no pressure there.

Plus, some men like a wooly partner.

[Majsju]

It's a weave of the One Power.

 

Do not question me on this.

 

And this is where most of the White towers money really comes from, running beauty salons in the major cities.

[Cursedmage]

I think I'll just imagine that they all shave and leave it at that.

[Perrin 187]

I just like to add that RJ hated the impression people thought the wheel of time was set in a medieval setting, when he thought the closest time period would be the 1700's absent gunpowder. I agree with the seniment that the lower class would be very rugged and and lacking in any sort of hygiene, though. 

[Majsju]

Of course, shaving has a lot more to do with the whims of fashion than hygiene, so there would be even less incentive for it.

[JenniferL]

This is one of those questions that I really, really wish Jim was alive to answer. His response would have been brilliant.

[The Doctor]

the real question is, do they wax?

[sketching sedai]

the real question is, do they wax?

Yes. I’m sure they all pay regular visits to the ‘White towers beauty salons’ to get their bikini lines waxed. :)

[Padraic_Seebrr]

Well it seems to me that from the POV's of the village girls that we have (Egwene and Nynaeve) they are hygenic. I'd imagine they shave in the summer and spring and dont in the fall and winter for extra warmth =O

[Luckers]

The reality is that they probably don't shave--stockings are common on both men and women in the wheel, and the use of stockings was, and i suppose still is, to hide unseemly leg hair.

[mb]

I think we do not have enough information to tell whether they do or do not.  Like I posted earlier, Robert Jordan might have seen the detail as unimportant.

 

Since this series is fantasy and since fantasy is generally based on the Medieval era, characters probably reflect the Medieval practice of this issue.

 

[mathias92]

Or are they to my big horror hairy beasts you would rather have covered by their fine dresses than see in the nude.

That comment made me laugh.

I really hope not. Hopefully Aes Sedai does something with the Power atleast.

[sketching sedai]

What really needs shaving is all those moustaches. I’m looking at you Thom. *also eyes Basheres Harley-Davidson* ;D

I’ve also come up with a cure to the ‘permanent-stocking syndrome’ most of the female characters probably suffer from. It needs test-driving but...

BALEFIRE

...teeny, tiny strands of balefire. Say we start with someone like Elayne. If it goes badly...oh well, no one really liked her anyway.

 

[Mr Ares]

Since this series is fantasy and since fantasy is generally based on the Medieval era

Frequently, it isn't, and RJ's world is quite different from the Mediaeval era.

 

What really needs shaving is all those moustaches.

If anything, more people should grow them. After all, who could take a clean shaven saviour seriously?

[sketching sedai]

If anything, more people should grow them. After all, who could take a clean shaven saviour seriously?

I think 50% of the population could.  ;D