Manscaping, which refers to removal of a man’s body hair, is a constant topic of conversation behind closed doors. There are specialty manscaping salons and a lot of hideous-looking unwanted man hair now gets removed with razors and clippers in bathrooms across America.
“Honey, can you shave my back hair?” is a much more common question in the 21st century than the previous one and most good wives, girlfriends, and boyfriends will shave and pluck the back of their loved ones if they are asked.
Why the sudden urge for men to get rid of their extra chest hair, scraggly back hair, and too-long pubes? Askmen.com speculates that the upsurge in manscaping is a direct result of the upsurge in smooth, hairless men in pornos. Another possibility for the popularity of manscaping is that shaving pubic hair makes a man’s genitalia look larger, which is presumably every man’s dream.
Slate details several theories on why hairless chests are often preferred to hairy chests. Most of the ideas offered in Slate’s article on Anthony Weiner’s hairless chest revolve around the beauty of a smooth chest. In addition, the writer speculates that pecs on a smooth chest look larger and more toned. Only 20% of white men have naturally-occurring hairless chests, which leads the Slate writer to speculate that there is a “four in five chance” that Anthony Weiner shaves his chest or frequents a manscaping salon.
While some men may complain that chest hair is natural, so are leg and armpit hair on women. What makes men think that women prefer their hairy chests any more than men prefer hairy legs? Just because the standard is for women to shave their legs doesn’t mean that hairy men can’t opt for the occasional chest or back wax in the interest of upping their sexiness, does it?
Women are also critiqued for unsightly eyebrows and in this day and age, even Tom Cruise is no longer sporting a unibrow. It might be wise for more men to consider taking a trip to the salon to get their brows waxed because it is relatively inexpensive and shapes the eyes.
Of course, rigorous manscaping is not for everybody. And, it goes without saying that there are some who actually like running their fingers through a man’s chest hair carpet. Not many, admittedly, but there are some.
In the end, to manscape or not to manscape is a personal decision that should be discussed with your partner.