Editor's note: due to some technical difficulties, this blog is being reposted from this morning. 
Miss PenguinToday, I want to have a philosophical conversation about hair. One
of my many issues with gender roles in society right now is this idea
that women have to be without hair yet it's totally acceptable for men
to have hair all over them.
Now, I shave my legs and I don’t think it's
anti-feminist of me to do so. I shave my legs because I like them
smooth. Not because I give a shit what men think. They just feel nicer
that way to me.
And honestly, body hair is gross (yes, I know
it's "natural" but some things that are natural are gross, like mold,
for example). And I think it's gross on guys too. I do not like guys
with chest hair and ESPECIALLY guys with back hair *shudders*.
Honestly, I even think men should shave their legs if they're
pretty hairy (and most guys' legs are way hairier than mine ever get
even when I stop shaving entirely).
I recently encountered one of the
hairiest men I have ever seen and it was really gross. He definitely
should at least wax his back and chest…Yes, it hurts. But women wax
all different parts of our bodies all the time and we're not big babies
about it
And besides, if you expect me to get rid of what little hair I have on
my body, shouldn't you be willing to do the same (especially if it's
excessive…)?
I got in a debate with my roommate's boyfriend the
other day about how we are conditioned by the media to think of body
hair as gross. While I'm sure this is true to some extent, I also
believe the opposite. I'm a firm believer in science and the roles it
plays in the subconscious reasons that we're attracted to each other
(you know, things that imply better genes or higher survival likelihood
or fertility).
While some hair in some places serve a purpose such as
protection from bacteria, I think that evolutionarily, we don't need
body hair on our chest, back, legs or even arms anymore for warmth.
Therefore, it's no longer an attractive trait scientifically (it
doesn't mean the person is more likely to survive) and that is part of
the reason that all models now are hairless (notice most male models
are just as hairless and smooth as the female models). If anything, a
really hairy person might seem to us subconsciously as being closer to
our evolutionary ancestors...
Maybe as we evolve more, we'll
stop growing it. But until then, guys, don't think you can expect us
girls to be hairless while you walk around looking like an ape.
Thoughts? Opinions?
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Comments (101)
ew, back hair D:
I do believe that the issue of women's hair as a socialized thing. Conditioned by tthe media? Yes, but what does the media reflect really? -- Society's norms. It goes both ways.
Anyway... I've grown "socialized" I guess to the idea of hair being gross on a woman's body.. and I do enjoy it actually. Maybe if it were more normal, I wouldn't give a care but now that I've actually lived a whole lifestyle of shaving my legs I'm actually quite fond of smooooooothhhhh legs. I LOVE the feeling!
I don't believe it's a whole scientific thing that we aren't attracted to people with lots of hair. What about the hair on our heads? Majority of men love when a women's hair is long and flowy... skinheads aren't as popular and balding (combovers?) is never popular. We love the hairs on our heads and we love doing all sorts of styles to them.
Also: sat on the train once. A guy with REALLY hairy arms sat next to me and I sure felt tickled the wrong way.
You raise a good point... the standards set for women, and the standards set for men, being completely opposite. In my opinion, I think men should do away with arm pit hair. They think it's gross when we have arm pit hair... what about them? It's long... that's ridiculous. Don't even get me started on the deoderant that may get stuck there. Ick. Shaving legs might be excessive, it's wierd for me when guys are completely hairless. And it usually means they are very vain. But that arm pit hair should go.
Haha. This is amusingly true. I am against body hair myself... and have nothing against shaving one's arms or any other part of the body one does not find hair attractive on.
Lack of body hair doesn't imply better genes - it is in no way related to natural selection, as per the comment I made on an earlier incarnation of this post. It's a form of sexual selection that served to inform members of the opposite sex that they've reached a level of sexual maturation that makes them ready to reproduce.
Furthermore, how does shaving imply better genes?
There is no evolutionary argument against body hair, and no "gut feeling evolutionary" argument against body hair, and further, no even "sexual selection" argument against body hair, because again, it serves a purpose, in both men AND women. Therefor, any argument against body hair again comes down simply to personal, good old fashioned, Victorian opinions about the way things should be (and the sociological function of women) and our socially conditioned concepts about what is and isn't beauty.
both my boyfriend and I shave most of our hair out of the need to be kept and neat.
for myself, i like smooth legs haha so i won't give up shaving anytime soon..as for guys, i think it's kind of silly when guys shave/wax their chests*
i never really had a preference because it's natural for guys to be hairier than chicks...perhaps i am conditioned haha
(*although if you have a hairy back, i think it ought to be waxed...sorry hairy-backed men)
I do think that excessive body hair is gross. I shave myself(though I don't shave my actually arms, just my underarms), and I expect my fiancé to shave in certain places. I do actually like his chest hair, but maybe that's because it's not too crazy.
But, yes, if you expect us to spend that time and energy de-hairing ourselves, please do the same.
If hairless is truly intrinsically better, shouln't we be discouraging both genders from artificial depillatories?
That way it's easier to choose the smoother, superior sorts as parents for the next, improved generation.
Is hair on the top of the head a biological advantage? Isn't that as atavistic as back hair?
I'm glad I'm asian. I hardly have any hair on my body, haha. Heck, I know girls who have more body hair than me... scary :)
I shave my legs because I like being smooth. I'm West Indian so I do have tiny hairs all over my body (thankfully not my face) but it's so small it's hardly a concern. I think body hair is looked at differently in different cultures. For example in the middle east they consider arm hair on a female beautiful. The darker and more noticeable the better.
I don't have a problem with chest hair but excessive hair on the chest is a bad thing. I do like a little hair on my men though. Arms, good; legs, good; back, ears, arm pitts, BAD!
I guess it's just personal preference.
It'd be nice if we weren't quite so hair conscious. I'd like women to stop shaving their legs and their pubes (as much as they do) and I'd like men to start trimming their pubes and waxing back hair and chest hair.
Hair on my significant other doesn't bother me. My boyfriend has hobbit feet [hairy legs & feet] & I don't mind at all.. In fact, I love them. It's a source of amusement for me & also the butt of a lot of jokes. haha. As for me, my boyfriend doesn't mind when my legs are hairy. I chose to remove the hair on my legs & his opinion doesn't play a factor in my decision. I chose to do so because I find my legs are more moisturized when hairless but I don't go removing my hair every few days/week.. I just don't see a need for it. I also remove my armpit hair 'cause I don't think they belong there. Other than that, hair doesn't bother me. I do believe in trimming some hairs like the eyebrows..
As for some hair.... I don't see a need to remove them 'cause it DOES serve a purpose you know? haha. I hope I make myself clear.
I definitely don't like hairy men. Some hair is fine. But chest hair, no.
IN DEFENSE OF MEN WITH BACK HAIR.
You can still be super sexy. In fact, a man who doesn't lack confidence but is still AWARE of his not-so-amazing hair is not just hilarious, but also comforting in my book.
And, without disclosing WAY too much information--
It's not always important what you notice with a guy's shirt off... but what they do.
Ahem.
I did the not shaving thing with my legs for the summer, and it was pretty awkward, people's reactions and whatnot, as open-minded as some people would like to think they are...
I wish body hair was considered beautiful, because then I would be considered irresistible.
I am not turned on by back hair. I like guys body hair though; especially facial. I love facial stubble hair.
Personally, I shave almost everywhere, I feel it's "cleaner" to do so. [My decision to do so has nothing to do with societies beliefs that women shouldn't have hair everywhere.]
As for men, I don't mind the leg hair, armpit hair, and usually chest hair. Back hair however, is a different story. It grosses me out a little, I must say. I've never really dated men with back hair, but to see it gives me a nauseous feeling and my stomach starts to churn a little..
Just as long as the body hairs on my SO aren't thick..then I have no problem with them.
As for me personally, I shaved / wax because of my own personal reasons..not because society asks me to.
The trend here now seems to be that it doesn't matter what body hair women have or don't have, but no man should ever have back hair.
Here's how I see it: keep whatever hair you want to keep, remove whatever hair you want to remove, however you want to remove it. Everyone has a different idea of what is attractive and what is not, including you about your own hair. Do what makes you feel good about yourself.
Personally, I am a relatively hairy guy. I was born with a full head of hair, and now I also have a decent amount of hair on my chest, limbs, and yes, back, as well as a full beard on my face. And it's all going to stay exactly where it is, because I like it there. I do like my beard, and I would feel effeminate without body hair; I dislike shaving, and waxing is painful and I don't know why anyone would do it.
As for what the opposite gender finds attractive... Well, as much as certain ideas are ingrained in us, others may be genetically programmed, and it's hard to tell the difference. What's for certain is that you will never be able to please everyone, so do what you like. (Personally, I prefer arm and leg hair over stubble, and I don't even really mind that fine hair that a lot of women have on their faces. The only hair I don't like is armpit hair. There is no "women should remove their armpit hair" in my head... I simply don't find it attractive.)
(And my idea of attractiveness is truly my own - I have never paid attention to any common perception of beauty, and only occasionally do they overlap.)
Interesting; I never thought of it that way.
But I like your thoughts, and they make a lot of sense.
I, personally, DO shave, but it gets annoying. D:
Guys with hair are okay, but I still prefer slightly hairy over something like ... wolf-man.
lol. The first thing I look at when I see a guy's legs is if it's too hairy or not...
It really bothers me if the guy is hairy. Yuck! But that's only personal preference.
Yes, being hairy myself and not shaving really bothers me. Smooth legs feel nicer than hairy-pokey legs. ;)
wow.. guys should NOT shave anywhere else but their face. Maybe wax their back...but thats all. I mean, it's natural for guys to be hairier than girls. In fact if a guy isn't kind of hairy... I don't find them as attractive. I just think hair on a guy makes them manly... I mean.. I don't want wolfman or anything... but I would hate to have a guy with no hair on his arms and legs... unless he's an olympian swimmer or something. haha...
hahah omgosh so true so true.
the natural things are so funny. thank you for adding humor in an every-day self conscious addition to my physical features.(i happen to hair a bit of hair on my arms and i absolutely hate it!)
thanks =)