Recently, a man named Conor Arpwel tweeted a poll asking if people washed their legs when they took showers.
The poll in the tweet still has four days left for people to vote, but already over a quarter of a million people have responded (and just over 80 percent of them are “yes”). People feel strongly about leg-washing, clearly.
Twitter: @arpwel
Who would have thought that a tweet about washing your legs would have gotten so much attention? Actually, scratch that—it totally makes sense that something having to do with personal hygiene and shower habits would be a hot-button issue on Twitter. Recently Twitter became heavily involved in a debate about the order in which people put on clothing each day, and that, too, became a highly debated topic.
This is also, if you watched the excellent TV show, You’re the Worst, something that came up in one of the earlier episodes and became a running joke later. Look, some people just don’t wash their legs in the shower. That may never have occurred to you, but it’s time to give it some thought.
https://twitter.com/Arpwel/status/1126594900055793671
Arpwel volunteered that he, himself, does wash his legs, but he’s just realized that many people don’t.
For the record, I do wash my legs but lots of people apparently don’t!
— @Arpwel
And the people who answered no explained why not. A lot said their legs just don’t get very dirty.
They’ve been safe inside my pants, the whole day. What’s the problem
— @PreciousBFluids)
People figured that if they washed their top halves, the soap sorta justran down and did its job on the way to swirling down the drain.
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,
— @PizzaAndWhiskey
Some people volunteered that they only showered once or twice a week, a position that received a lot of consternation.
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
One woman admitted that she’d probably shower more if she exercised more, but as it is, she’s not doing a whole lot of sweating.
i think this probably also has to do with the fact that i don’t exercise much. if i was sweating a lot i’d prob want to shower more. but you also don’t need soap to get off sweat! your body is fine without constant soap.
— Sophie Weiner (@sophcw) May 10, 2019
Another person included a bit of a clipping that actually says you don’t need to wash your legs!
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
And then there are the forgetful showerers, who have no sort of real plan and just go through it in a daze.
— ~SiYa (@Si9aN) May 10, 2019
But when it comes to the yeses, they are ADAMANT that it is crucial that legs be properly cleaned with soap and water (and possibly a sponge or washcloth of some type).
https://twitter.com/KhaleesiOfRage/status/1127391746852380672
Some people were grossed out by the idea of people not washing their feet, but hey, no one said anything about not washing their FEET. That’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. Feet are stinky, they produce a lot of sweat, there are many reasons to wash your feet.
I wash my legs in a shower. Cannot understand why people wouldn't. Does that mean they don't bother with their fet😕😕 https://t.co/KV5pFjHfpw
— Sheila Turner (@SheilaT52668578) May 12, 2019
None of these posts are about skin conditions or medical advice. This is just people who don’t wash their legs and feet. Ever. That’s weird.
— Marney Eichstaedt Simon (@marneyike) May 10, 2019
Twitter users just could not comprehend not washing their legs.
How do you skip your legs? pic.twitter.com/KBxmmt7100
— Lady KP of House Targaryen (@growandahalf) May 10, 2019
gifting everyone in the no category one of these pic.twitter.com/IBLqIHI8Eb
— colleen (loves strikes) (@colleentie) May 10, 2019
?!?!?!? are there people who do not feel the need to…. wash their legs…….
— ⚷100% unkillable boy⚶ (@malloy_online) May 10, 2019
I'm not gonna speak on the proper interval for bathing one's self. That can be variable on a personal level. But once you're IN the shower… why would u skip your legs??? If you wash your car, and skip the doors… did you really wash it?!
— Ty. (@MFN_Ty) May 10, 2019
Looking at this bathing/showering topic like… pic.twitter.com/vtT3IiCtG5
— DJ Heat (@DJHeatDC) May 10, 2019
And, of course, many jokes were made.
I just found out my husband doesn’t wash his legs in the shower 😩😩😩we gotta divorce now ….
— Mrs. King 💋 (@Ms_Bolden1) May 10, 2019
Damn imagine you found the love of your life…then you see her tweeting about not washing her legs
— Timberwolves Brooklyn 🐺 (@RobbyRav) May 10, 2019
The first question in the first democratic primary debate has to be “Do you wash your legs in the shower?”
— Tim Duffy™ (@TimDuffy) May 10, 2019
The debategot so huge Arpwel became slightly overwhelmed.
https://twitter.com/Arpwel/status/1126866561808072705
But he did share some research findings.
https://twitter.com/Arpwel/status/1127339227916787717
So, which bathing camp are you?