Five years ago, I took my usual, conservative approach to things, I set about shaving my legs in stages. I somehow believed that this would make the transition to the end result less noticeable. At that time (around Christmas '97) I liked to wear short, sock-length nylons with my high heels when I was wearing jeans. So I shaved the few stray hairs on the top of my feet and used an electric beard trimmer to trim the hair on my legs up as far as my calves. I set the trimmer to its shortest length, about 1/8th inch (3mm). This worked OK, but I could still see the dark hairs around my ankles through the nylons. There was nothing for it but to take my wet razor into the shower and shave at least as high as my nylons would cover.

It was pretty obvious to me that I had shaved. In fact, compared to the rest of my legs, it looked like I was wearing off-white socks! And of course that was when my wife noticed. (A month or two prior to that, she had noticed that I had shaved the backs of my hands, and I had told her the truth - in as much as I had done it because I thought they were too hairy. She didn't understand my reasoning then, but she accepted it. So I decided to extend that reasoning to my legs). This time it was more difficult to get her to drop the subject, and in the end we went a day or two without really talking - her method of choice for reprimanding me.

About a week later, I trimmed all the rest of the hair on my legs to the same 1/8th inch. (There was quite a heap of hair on the bathroom floor - I hadn't realized just how hairy my legs were.) Again my wife noticed, but this time her comment played right into my plan... she said "I really don't know why you would do such a thing, but at least now it's not so obvious that you have your ankles shaved." And off she went. Follow the logic? If shaving to 1/8th inch made it less obvious - then shaving the rest of my legs completely, should hide it completely. So that's what I did. One Saturday afternoon in January while she was out, I had a long, long shower and shaved both legs completely! It was a wonderful experience, quintessentially feminine. Admittedly I did knick myself a couple of times (shin bones are difficult to shave if you are inexperienced) but I didn't mind. My legs felt so smooth in the shower as I let the water cascade over them.

I got my first surprise when it came time to dry them. Intuitively, I would have assumed that having smooth legs would have made the towel slide over them more easily. The exact opposite is true. The smooth, slightly damp skin actually makes for more friction, so patting your legs dry is easier than rubbing. Once the skin is completely dry, garments DO slide on more easily. I noticed this when I finally slid my jeans on for the first time. It felt very strange and very wonderful at the same time. I imagined that I could feel every imperfection on the inside of the denim, and I was acutely aware of the feel of the jeans against my legs as I walked. It was quite distracting. I couldn't wait until that evening when I could do the thing that had precipitated the whole adventure - put on a pair of full-length nylons.

To be honest, it was a little bit of an anti-climax. Yes it felt good, it felt great, but since the nylons didn't move against my legs, there wasn't as much of a sensation as there'd been with the jeans. The big thrill for me with the nylons was visual, not sensual. I just stared at my legs, seeing them for the first time with out the masculine hairs showing through. I was amazed at how much more feminine the shape seemed to be, although of course, there was no difference from six hours earlier. I wanted to wear the nylons as much as possible, which in my case meant wearing them under my jeans. I quickly realized that this was a mistake, because it was just too hot. What a pity. This time it was because there was no distinction between my ankles and the rest of my legs, that my wife noticed. All I got this time was a sigh and shaking of the head. I breathed a sigh of my own, but mine was one of relief.

I've kept my legs shaved ever since and I love it. I've been surprised at how quickly the hairs grow back - not quite as quickly as beard hair, but too fast for my liking. At first I was very conscious of how bare my legs looked. The first time I went to my sports club and was wearing shorts, I was sure everyone noticed and was staring. But they really weren't, it just felt that way. Indeed, I'm not sure if anyone noticed at all; and if they did, they certainly didn't say anything. Since then I've found myself consciously looking at other men's legs to see if I can spot anyone else who has shaved their legs, but so far I am the only one I've seen.

I discovered a "naughty but nice" thing to do at the sports club. I take my razor into the steam-room (when there's no one else in there, of course) and after five minutes or so, when I am nice and hot, I carefully shave my legs - keeping a towel under my legs to catch any stray drips. It is much more sensual than doing it in the shower, and my legs are ultra smooth when I've finished. (In case you're wondering about being seen, the dense steam provides wonderful cover from anyone who casually walks by.)

Updates:

Winter 2002.  I've kept my legs shaved completely for almost 5 years now, and feel completely at ease with it. I've had virtually no derogatory comments in all that time. I'm shocked when I see old photos of myself at just how hairy my legs were. All that hair was Ugly. At this point in my life, I don't think I could ever go back to having hairy legs again.

Fall 1999. Two summers have been and gone and I've had my legs shaved for both. I've been in work situations, play situations and big crowds, and only once had any comment on my smooth legs, and that was complimentary! I need to shave my legs a couple of times a week to keep them smooth, but I've gotten used to that, and don't mind. Indeed, in many ways, the act of shaving my legs gives me such a feeling of being feminine, that I enjoy the process as much as the end result of having smooth legs.

Summer 1998. We are now approaching the summer, and my one final concern is wearing shorts in a non-sports environment. How noticeable will it be? I will probably fall back on the excuse that I shave my legs because of cycling. But to be honest, I am not that worried about it. At work we have a summer picnic outing, and that may be a little awkward, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I have no intention of letting the hairs grow back.