The internet is divided over whether or not you should wash your legs

13 May 2019, 16:29

Legs in the shower/woman holding her nose — The internet is divided over whether or not you should wash your legs. Picture: Getty

By Jazmin Duribe

This Twitter debate is really exposing the unwashed among us.

If you have a burning question, Twitter is definitely the place to take it – but don't expect to actually enjoy the answer. There's a huge debate going on right now and it's all about personal hygiene.

People are putting shaving cream in their Crocs and the videos are weirdly addictive

Basically, writer Connor Arpwel created a poll asking one simple question: do you wash your legs in the shower?

Now you might think that the answer is pretty obvious, like, surely you ~ have ~ to wash your legs in the shower. Well, apparently not.

Do you wash your legs when you take a shower?
— Conor Arpwel 🌹🧰🌾 (@Arpwel) May 9, 2019

20% of people who answered the viral tweet – it has over 800,000 votes – do not wash their legs in the shower. Excuses for this ranged from people who believed that once the soap was used to wash the top of their body it would trickle down and clean their legs, whilst others claimed there was no need to wash your legs because your skin's "essential oils" would do all the work for you.

Now, there's actually no right answer to this. Dermatologists have debated over this and because everyone's skin is unique, there is actually no right number of showers someone should take or if they should wash their legs. Other factors like exercise and your daily activities (for example, if you work in a dirty environment) would come into play.

Washing your skin too much is actually bad for it and can cause damage, or lead to skin conditions like eczema. But c'mon, who doesn't love a good leg scrub?

via GIPHY

The loaded question saw leg washers take on the non-leg washers with fury.

I DO NOT (unless I'm shaving) AND I FEEL VINDICATED AND CONFIDENT THAT MY SKIN'S ESSENTIAL OILS ARE IN TACT pic.twitter.com/NcZbPZnas4
— Kelly 4 Dayz (@kjxoxo) May 10, 2019

I just called my mom to ask her if she washes her legs in the shower or if she just lets water & soap run down them and she was shocked and appalled that I would even think to ask. My mom is disabled, by the way, and she said she ESPECIALLY scrubs her “good leg” 😂
— Bonita Applebelly (@ekgekgekg) May 10, 2019

How the fuck are your legs getting so dirty you need to regularly wash them with soap and water? Daily showers are for areas that produce a lot of sweat-armpits, crotch, ass. You don't need to scrub yourself head to toe. It's a waste of time and it's bad for your skin. https://t.co/YbaXfaGbLw
— protect ya neck (@GLobbyist) May 10, 2019

I missed the debate yesterday but I feel like you don’t really need to wash your legs, you wash your top 3/4 and the soap and water runs down. Unless you’re just extraordinarily dirty for some reason,
— PAPI BLANCO 🌹 (@PizzaAndWhiskey) May 10, 2019

How does a human get in the shower and only wash "Part" of them? Like what kind of half-ass life are people living??
— Derrick N Ashong (@DNAtv) May 10, 2019

So let me get this straight.
Without being asked or requested to people are just openly tweeting that they don't shower their legs (or even their bodies) on a regular basis?

When they have access to running water and they can afford to? pic.twitter.com/Unw7LZStXQ
— Ronke Lawal (@ronkelawal) May 11, 2019

Hello! I am a Dermatologist and author of #beyondsoapbook. It discusses the harmful effects of soap on the skin and how over cleanliness has lead to diseases like eczema, asthma and allergies. You don’t lather up if you are not dirty. So no leg washing unless they are dirty.
— Dr.SandySkotnicki (@DrSkotnicki) May 11, 2019

I not only wash my legs, but I am passionate about leg washing. Also scrubbing feet. I live in Texas and wear flip-flops, but I have trouble imagining why anyone would not wash their feet if they live anywhere on earth.

Please wash yourselves. https://t.co/xD6AHC3Fyp
— andrea grimes (@andreagrimes) May 10, 2019

One woman even boldly admitted she only showers TWICE a week, which started off another debate – is there a need to shower daily?

i don't like use soap on my whole body when i shower? and i don't think i'm gross? i pretty much just wash my face and my armpits with soap. and i shower like once or twice a week lol. i think it's fine.
— Sophie Weiner (@sophcw) May 10, 2019

what’s really interesting to me is the “freedom” to be unclean is never ever granted to poor/ working class folks, specifically people of color. so, really, this is a white woman complaining about some shit that nobody ever projects onto her. https://t.co/QXJT3zMXJL
— clit eastwood (@dopegirlfresh) May 10, 2019

I thought it was just your legs you lot didn’t wash but now you’re telling me it’s only your upper extremities oonu bloodclat clean? and yuh no feel no way fi come pon beyoncé’s pussyclat internet and mek people no say you no wash yuh crotches since john was a bwoy? a way de ras https://t.co/ccHoWc2wna
— GIFLord Cruella De Bludclart-Ville (@DanielleDASH) May 10, 2019

Men don’t have to wash our dicks everyday. We don’t have to worry about discharge, blood, or any of that stuff so what’s the point?
— Toxic Black Man (@oldyoungstaa) May 9, 2019

It isn’t just about “I don’t sweat so I don’t shower.” You’re coming into contact with particles from the outdoors, you’re constantly sloughing off dead skin cells. There’s still taking general care of your skin!
— inorganic african feminist (@ztsamudzi) May 10, 2019

This person just logged onto Beyoncé's internet to tell the world that she doesn't wash her butt pic.twitter.com/x1Nblr7ZoR
— bolu babalola (@BeeBabs) May 10, 2019