Probably more like a city / country problem

I did not say that it had anything to do with you and if your wife likes shaving that‘s completely fine. All I‘m saying is, that women shaving their legs has originally nothing to do with how it feels. It came with the introduction of short dresses and grew into a beauty standard and societal norm.
So yes, some women like it that way but many don‘t and yet still feel the pressure to do it.

My skin just gets irritated so I‘d rather not.

Well that‘s just not true. Sure, some women like having smooth legs. But you have to ask why. Probably because society tells them that it‘s normal for women to shave their legs and if they don‘t, they are abnormal. Or why do most men shave their beard but almost none their legs if it‘s such a good feeling?

Well yeah, that‘s just how people work. Mastodon is unfortunately also not really a catchy name. Combined with the seemingly complicated system behind it, it probably never had a chance to begin with.