Forget The Man Drought - Kiwi Women Say Hairy Knees A Barrier To Romance

New survey reveals Kiwi women struggle to get a smooth shave.

Even in a man drought Kiwi women are putting the handbrake on romance, with 50 per cent of New Zealand women surveyed saying they think twice about romantic encounters when they have hairy knees, according to a survey released today by Gillette Venus Embrace*.

The poll has uncovered that 95 per cent of New Zealand women surveyed have struggled to get a completely smooth shave and have been left with hairy knee caps.

The unsightly areas of missed hairs around the knee on otherwise smooth legs causes New Zealand women surveyed feelings of frustration (47%), untidiness (34%), self consciousness (23%), disappointment (20%) and embarrassment (15%).

Sixty eight per cent of women surveyed may have had to struggle with the difficult spot for five years or longer.

Designer Sera Lilly, who recently showed her latest collection of must-have sexy summer dresses at Air New Zealand Fashion Week, says hairy knees are a common occurrence.

“It’s surprising women have been putting up with this for so long. The consequences can actually be really embarrassing and very unsightly. With this research coming out in time for summer we can help make sure it doesn’t get out of control!”

New Zealand women surveyed agree – 82 per cent believe smooth and beautifully shaved legs with virtually no missed hairs are essential for summer.

The Gillette Venus Embrace poll also finds:

· Half of New Zealand women surveyed feel mortified when having to bare their legs in front of colleagues or friends when they have hairy knee caps and 76 per cent are often too embarrassed to wear skirts, dresses or shorts when they have hairy knee caps.
· Having hairy knees has stopped over half of New Zealand women surveyed from wearing what they like, with 64 per cent saying they have chosen not to wear something they’ve really wanted to because of their hairy knees.
· 23% of women surveyed believe hairy knees reflects badly on a woman’s personal appearance, with 54 per cent also believing that smooth and beautifully shaved legs with virtually no missed hairs shows a woman takes pride in her appearance and 28 per cent reporting that it can show that she is a confident and sensual women.

· Results from the same survey conducted in Australia reveal that while New Zealand women suffer from hairy knee caps to the same extent, they appear to be more relaxed about it than their trans-Tasman sisters. Australian women surveyed say they find hairy knees more frustrating than other beauty blunders such as lipstick on their teeth (36%), discovering a ladder in their stockings (38%) and even more frustrating than discovering a pimple on their chin (34%).

· Experiencing hairy knee caps makes 50 per cent of New Zealand women surveyed think twice about romantic encounters, and even more Australian women - with 64 per cent of them saying hairy knees makes them think twice about romantic dalliances.

The new Venus Embrace research has uncovered that New Zealand women are looking out for a remedy. Over a third of women surveyed believed the cause of hairy knee caps might come down to not having found the right razor to remove virtually every hair. Thankfully a solution to this condition is available in the form of Gillette Venus Embrace, just in time to help prevent any hairy knee caps this summer.

“For something that can affect the day to day lives of New Zealand women so much, the answer is simple. New Zealand women can rest at ease as the new Gillette Venus Embrace has five curve-hugging blades which individually adjust to stay close to the skin - even around tricky shaving areas such as the knees and the ankles,” said Sera.

“I use it every day to help keep my legs silky smooth every time, and there’s no better accessory for summer’s dresses than smooth, hair free legs. Now New Zealand women can wear what they want this summer, and feel nothing but confident of their legs” she added.

_________

*Source NZGirl Survey commissioned by Gillette Venus Embrace for New Zealand, 1200 women nationally- August 2008