Twitter Is Divided Over A Debate On Washing Your Legs In The Shower

It's good to see the world debating the important things in life. No, not politics, silly. It's a debate about leg washing. After a Twitter user posed a question on the topic, the social media platform erupted into a back-and-forth that may make you question everything. These tweets about washing your legs in the shower show that people are seriously divided on the issue.

It started on May 9 with a simple question posed by a Twitter user who goes by the name Conor Arpwel: Do you wash your legs when you take a shower? Nearly 700,000 have taken the poll, as of writing, with a majority of respondents voting in the affirmative. But there are quite a few who voted otherwise. Nearly 20% of people expressed that they don't wash their legs in the shower — and some people just can't make sense of that. "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?!" one person tweeted. Others, however, have said that they don't exactly see the point in leg washing. "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," another person wrote, adding, "Unless you’re just extraordinarily dirty for some reason."

What is gonna be for you? Is the soapy runoff good enough or do you actually wash your legs?

Not washing one's legs just doesn't make sense to some Twitter users.

One person stressed that everything has to be washed while showering. "I don’t just wash.. I scrub e v e r y part of my body (with exfoliating gloves and a wash cloth), everyday in the shower. Including behind the ears, belly button and every other place your mind can imagine," she tweeted.

Life is short, but there's still time to wash your legs, according to one person.

OK, but is leg washing really mandatory? Some Twitter users suggested that it's not.

Keeping the body's essential oils intact is priority for one person.

Editor Sophie Weiner wrote that the human body is "fine without constant soap."

Some Twitter users cited health reasons in their responses.

The debate is so heated that it's ruining relationships.

"I just found out my husband doesn’t wash his legs in the shower," a woman who goes by the name Mrs. King tweeted. "We gotta divorce now."

The creator of the poll didn't even expect all of this to happen, tweeting on May 10, "Oh god. What have I done[.]"

He also tried taking a neutral stance earlier on May 10, tweeting that while leg washing is an "important component" of his cleanliness regimen, he's "not out to get people who don’t wash their legs for various reasons."

"I only meant for this whole thing to be a fun & frivolous topic of conversation lol," he continued.

There appears to be no right or wrong answer in this debate, though. Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City told Women's Health in 2017, "Unless your legs are visibly soiled, you don't actually need to wash them directly with a cleanser. The cleanser that drips down your body is enough to remove most of the dirt and sweat that accumulates during the day." He noted that over-washing can strip the skin of essential oils, which can cause inflammation and other flaws, but added that a "gentle lather and rinse" can't really hurt.

So, there you have it. Whether you wash your legs or not, it seems like you're good either way.