Manscaping: Is Removing Enough Too Much? (Editorial)

MANSCAPING: IS REMOVING ENOUGH TOO MUCH?

Hairstyles have changed throughout history but so has the styling of the rest of the hair on the body -- for both women and men.  Ancient Romans and Egyptians shaved their body hair because of lice and cleanliness issues. They shaved their heads and wore wigs as well.  Women in Europe didn't start shaving their underarms and legs until this Century. Not shaving for Hippie women in the 1960's was an act of protest against the Establishment's repressive and narrow image for women.  Now, most recently, we have the Metro-sexual man who takes personal grooming as a badge of honor and a sign of sophistication.

The real question is: why do women shave so much of their body and should men do the same thing for the same reasons?  Women say they shave because of men who are visual-minded ask for it and men who are sexually attracted to women who shave say they like being with a woman who doesn't resemble a man.  The Straight Metro-sexual will say they manscape for women who like it.  Gay men, as a whole, shave less often than they used to, as the extremes of stereotypes of sexual orientation are being assimilated into the culture as "normal".  A Gay guy can look "Straight" and a Straight guy can look "Gay" without question just as women took to wearing trousers without the "man-ish" aspects of the dress being considered a negative connotation.

There are some scientific statistics that bare out that Straight women generally like men who are more "feminized".  Men who are "sensitive, creative, artistic and have a strong sense of humor" are less likely to treat a woman with disrespect in this theory, even though the myth of women liking "bad boys" persists. Perhaps its sexual-role-reversal of the Madonna/whore complex as applied to men?

By the way, there is no evidence to the belief that once you shave an area, the hair grows back thicker and darker.  The hair might not be bleached from the sun so it may seem darker. And the hair that grows back has been cut bluntly and feel bristly.  But if cutting hair made it change, the hair on your face would be a virtual forest of hair with each strand several inches around.

Here are a few reasons some men find shaving a necessity:

1. Body hair can be rough, causing friction when skin rubs against skin, especially in sensitive areas.  Ask Gay men about beard rash. Oh, yeah.  There are those "Others", such as Bears in the Gay community, who have hair fetishes.  They celebrate their hairiness -- specifically because it is "manly" -- and think "baldies" are missing out on a good thing.

2.  Hair catches light and can make legs look lumpy or dirty, particularly if the hair is dark against pale skin.  This is the reason body builders shave their bodies -- to see the muscles, not the hair.  By shaving arms, legs, toes, knuckles, and chest can make a man's body seem balanced, in proportion.  You want someone to look at your face before noticing the rest of you, not bushy legs. Trimming underarm hair that sticks out from the body can take the focus from "wild" to "contoured".

3. Shaving is common practice in the world of sports. Bike racing, swimming, body building and countless other sports require participants to shave at least some part of their bodies.  Shaving helps see any wounds better and can help the healing process by not having hair involved.  This is why your body is shaved when you go into surgery.  Shaving addresses chaffing, body heat issues, wind and water resistance drag (in fields where a tenth of a second matters, this is important stuff), plus it can show a message of a "team player".

4. Shaving can make you seem younger than you are.  Having less hair is emulating pre-teen signs of being sexual mature. If you are twenty, you could easily knock off at least three years of aging just by body trimming.

5.  Shaving the pubic area makes the penis seem larger. Although, some men have taken to shaving the public area but leaving the "Happy Trail" as a "sign of things to come" when taking off their shirt.

6. Sex is easier.  Shaving makes the idea of placing your mouth on someone else's body more tempting because you are not having to spit out bits of hair from your mouth which can interrupt the action.  When you see yourself naked in the mirror with an exceptionally hairy ass, ask yourself, "Would I have sex with that?"  If the answer is no, then you know what needs to be done.

7.  Manscaping -- just like shaving your face -- gives the impression you give a damn.  It shows you have a certain amount of self-respect, can maintain upkeep, and manage to have enough time (a luxury) to think about and do such things.  Manscaping can include tweezing your eyebrows, your nose hairs, ear hairs.

Keep in mind there are many ways to shave: waxing, razors, trimmers. And there are areas that take practice to shave.  You'll need a hand mirror.  Perhaps going to a professional (or even a close friend) for help would be advisable.

Ultimately, manscaping may be another questionable thing without answer in life: you do it because you can and doing it too much can lead to...a time in your life where you'd do anything to be able to grow any hair at all.