AITA for not shaving my legs while pregnant after my husband said I looked gross?

Just a quick disclaimer: this story involves body image, pregnancy, and a hurtful comment from a partner.

I honestly didn’t think not shaving my legs while pregnant would become this big of an issue, but now I’m sitting here wondering if I really did something wrong.

I’m 26 and currently 28 weeks pregnant. My husband is 35, and he’s absolutely thrilled about the baby. But even with all that excitement, pregnancy has been really hard on me physically. I’ve always been very small, usually an XS or a small, so every bit of weight gain feels extra noticeable to me. I already feel huge all the time. I stopped exercising, I get tired so easily, and some days it’s honestly hard enough just to put my own shoes on.

So shaving has just not been my priority.

When I first met my husband, I was always on top of that stuff. I shaved, I waxed, I kept up with everything. But lately I just haven’t had the energy or the motivation. I have dark hair, so yes, it’s noticeable, but from my point of view, I’m growing a whole human being right now and trying to get through each day with whatever energy I have.

Recently we went out with my in-laws.

Even though I’ve been feeling uncomfortable in my body, I still made an effort. I did my hair, did my makeup, and even wore a dress. I was actually trying to feel nice and put together. I thought that mattered. I thought maybe he’d notice the effort I did make.

But when we got home, instead of saying anything kind, my husband started going on about how gross my legs looked because I hadn’t shaved.

Then he said something that really stuck with me.

He told me that “nobody wants to look at that while eating.” And apparently, because I knew we were going out, I should have gone somewhere and gotten my legs waxed at the very least.

That completely crushed me.

Because in that moment, it didn’t feel like he saw me as his pregnant wife who is exhausted and doing her best. It felt like he saw me as something embarrassing to be looked at and judged. I already feel unlike myself right now. I already feel uncomfortable in my own skin. So hearing the person who’s supposed to support me talk about my body like that made me feel even worse.

That was the turning point for me.

It stopped being about shaving and started being about whether I’m really expected to keep performing normal beauty standards while I’m struggling just to get through pregnancy comfortably. I wasn’t ignoring hygiene. I wasn’t trying to be lazy just to prove a point. I just genuinely didn’t have the effort in me to care about hair on my legs when everything about my body already feels different and difficult.

Looking back, I can understand that maybe he has preferences. But the way he said it felt cruel, unnecessary, and honestly humiliating. I made an effort to show up, look nice, and spend time with his family, and instead of appreciating that, he focused on one thing I didn’t do.

So now I’m left wondering if I’m wrong for letting shaving slide while pregnant… or if he’s the one who made me feel bad for something that shouldn’t have mattered this much in the first place.