Women started shaving their legs in varied ways across history, with early evidence from ancient Egypt, where both men and women shaved their entire bodies for hygiene and aesthetics. However, shaving legs specifically as a mainstream practice among women became more prominent in the early 20th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, shaving by women was mostly limited to the upper classes and often done in secret. It wasn't until the early 1900s that women's leg shaving started to become more socially acceptable and widespread, driven significantly by cultural changes. The trend towards shorter hemlines in the 1920s exposed more of women's legs, which, combined with advertising campaigns—such as Gillette's in 1915 promoting smooth skin as a feminine beauty ideal—encouraged women to shave their legs. During the 1940s, leg shaving became even more entrenched in American culture due to wartime rationing of nylon stockings, which left women's bare legs exposed. Women began shaving legs as a routine, patriotic beautification practice during World War II. By the 1960s and 1970s, leg shaving was a common and expected part of female grooming, with studies showing nearly all American women routinely shaved their legs by then. In summary, the practice of women shaving their legs became mainstream in Western culture primarily from the 1910s through the 1940s, solidifying as a social norm by mid-20th century, influenced by fashion changes, advertising, wartime conditions, and evolving beauty standards.