by 
Spixxy
ANSWERS: 2
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It started during the First World War. In the May 1915 issue of Harper's Bazaar, they ran an ad of a young woman in a dress with next to no sleeves. She had her arms raised above her head and showed bare armpits. The copy of the ad read in part, "Summer Dress and Modern Dancing combine to make necessary the removal of objectionable hair." A few months later, various ads promoted underarm shaving for hygienic reasons. One ad stated "The Woman of Fashion says the underarm must be as smooth as the face". By 1917, McCall's magazine started featuring ads opposing arm hair. By 1922, the Sears catalogue started advertising women's razors and hair removal products. Many of the ads coincided with an increase in sleeveless dresses and tops. Leg hair took much longer to conquer. It wasn't until World War Two that shaving leg hair became popular. Some attribute this phenomenon to a pin-up poster of Betty Grable showing off her bare legs. At the same time, skirts were becoming shorter and stockings were becoming sheer.
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Just to add on to the other answer... Technology also played a roll. Until razors and creams had been invented of converted to utilise in this regard the general person wasn't about to dive head first into the world of hair removal. IE, most men still used razor sharp knives etc. far into the 20th century. I'm still young and I own a straight razor, though I mostly use Mach 3's now. Nowadays it's acceptable for men and women, as well as becoming easier every year with newer and better razors and creams.
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