I’m a woman and maybe it’s my age (51), but with the exception of back hair, I think chest, leg, and other body hair on men is super sexy (I used to have a real thing for actor Tom Selleck and he has a fabulous hairy chest). As a woman, I want to get rid of hair on myself but I’m not interested in men who are that concerned about the hair on their bodies. Like anything in life, it’s a personal preference. I also think the hairless look for men is just a trend that’s in right now. I just wonder if men who are undergoing laser hair removal will regret it one day.
Jane, since you do seem to like hair on men, what’s wrong with back hair?
As has been said here and on other forums. There’s nothing natural about women removing hair, so I don’t know why women think it’s something exclusively female and so strange for a man to want to get rid of his fur coat.
If you do any sports or live in a hot place, it’s just so much more comfortable to have a smooth chest or legs. There’s also the hygiene and medical factor as well–if you’re bitten by ticks or malaria carrying mosquitioes, you need to treat those areas immediately and it’s often impossible with all that body hair.
I guess what bothers me is that a lot of women seem to want to dictate what men should do or not do with their appearance. Women generally don’t like body hair, so why can’t they understand that some men might not want to have a furry coat. Most women don’t like beards but then they get bent out of shape if men want to shave their chests or legs–go figure!
It really should be up to the individual to decide what kind of appearance they want and I hope that most women would understand that not every man wants to have a layer of body fur.
As has been said here and on other forums. There’s nothing natural about women removing hair, so I don’t know why women think it’s something exclusively female and so strange for a man to want to get rid of his fur coat.
… if you’re bitten by ticks or malaria carrying mosquitioes, you need to treat those areas immediately and it’s often impossible with all that body hair.
Women have been removing superfilicious body hair for hundreds of years, if not longer. For many of us, we are the only female in our family or among our friends with facial hair or excess body hair, brought on by hormonal imbalances or medical conditions such as polycystic ovaries. Not looking or feeling feminine is devastating to a woman’s self esteem and can seriously hamper her life and her relationships. I think it would be hard for most men to make that claim. Not too many men have had friends or dates make fun of them for having hair on their face or body. Unfortunately, women with excess hair cannot say the same. For those of us who live in the United States where malaria is not an issue, that reason is less compelling.
As I said, it’s all a matter of personal preference. I like feeling feminine and being with a man who is rough where I’m soft. Because I’m older, I can also see that removal of hair by men is a more recent trend that has now spread beyond the realm of bodybuilders and competitive athletes. If removing body hair makes a man feel better about his body, fine – go for it. But there isn’t a social stigma against men having hair as there is for women(no jokes on Jay Leno, for example).
As for back hair on men, it is not as common as chest hair so most women don’t care for it. It all comes down to what we’re used to, I guess. What attracts one person will turn off another.
Women have been removing superfilicious body hair for hundreds of years, if not longer. For many of us, we are the only female in our family or among our friends with facial hair or excess body hair, brought on by hormonal imbalances or medical conditions such as polycystic ovaries. Not looking or feeling feminine is devastating to a woman’s self esteem and can seriously hamper her life and her relationships. I think it would be hard for most men to make that claim. Not too many men have had friends or dates make fun of them for having hair on their face or body. Unfortunately, women with excess hair cannot say the same. For those of us who live in the United States where malaria is not an issue, that reason is less compelling.
As I said, it’s all a matter of personal preference. I like feeling feminine and being with a man who is rough where I’m soft. Because I’m older, I can also see that removal of hair by men is a more recent trend that has now spread beyond the realm of bodybuilders and competitive athletes. If removing body hair makes a man feel better about his body, fine – go for it. But there isn’t a social stigma against men having hair as there is for women(no jokes on Jay Leno, for example).
As for back hair on men, it is not as common as chest hair so most women don’t care for it. It all comes down to what we’re used to, I guess. What attracts one person will turn off another.
i concurr
Jane, since you do seem to like hair on men, what’s wrong with back hair?
well i just decided to reply to this because i’m surprised as well that she excluded back hair… i wonder why <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
as for myself, i think hair on guys is sexy, and i don’t really care where it is. in fact, i somewhat dislike dating guys who keep/have a hairless chest
Hi All!
I really think that women are “too worried about what men think about some facial hair or on other places”. I really DON’T think that most guys would be turned off by a women with some facial hair or body hair–I think that women largely “think” that this is all important for men but I feel that most men don’t pay much attention to this or are even aware of it. On the other hand, I think that women are constantly comparing themselves to other women and they are “too concerned” whether they are too hairy compared to their friends and peers.
If a guy is decent and loves his girlfriend/wife, then something like PCOS wouldn’t matter–I can’t believe some of the lengths that women go to “to hide this fact” from their husbands and families–again, if the guy is “a normal decent type of person,” he would be supportive and not have a problem with this.
Check out the “guys are amazing” thread on this board too. It seems that a lot of men really don’t care that much about female body hair and are very understanding of women who have to deal with PCOS.
At the end of the day, it’s a very superficial type of person or relationship, if a guy would reject his partner because of some facial or body hair.
I just don’t understand why people get so hung up on these things as to whether men body shave or if women are perfectly hairless. We get all these stupid norms and stereotypes from the media and society about how we are supposed to look and act–people, let’s focus on doing what makes us happy and stop being obsessed about how the media or society tells us how to act and look.
Cheers!
Hi:
Some women find hair on men sexy, especially chest or stomach hair. On the other hand there are women who like
the clean shaven look. In the end you have to do what you feel comfortable with,and if women are attracted to that or turned off by it, so be it. You will attract the ones who like it. If the woman is your wife, and you suddenly change she may have something to say though.
As far as women with facial hair. Most women have facial hair to some degree or even body hair. For most it is vellus hair and not visible. Unfortunately some women have darker or thicker hair, and it is a problem for them because of society. Unfortunately for some women this can lead to self esteem problems.
If you truly love someone, you love them for what is inside of them rather than the external. What if someone is overweight? They could be the sweetest, most caring person in the world and your soul mate, but someone won’t go out with them because of their appearence. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and more than skin deep. It is what is inside that really counts. Don’t let shallowness get in the way of finding true love.
Alicia
I really think that women are “too worried about what men think about some facial hair or on other places”. I really DON’T think that most guys would be turned off by a women with some facial hair or body hair–I think that women largely “think” that this is all important for men but I feel that most men don’t pay much attention to this or are even aware of it. On the other hand, I think that women are constantly comparing themselves to other women and they are “too concerned” whether they are too hairy compared to their friends and peers.
At the end of the day, it’s a very superficial type of person or relationship, if a guy would reject his partner because of some facial or body hair.
I just don’t understand why people get so hung up on these things as to whether men body shave or if women are perfectly hairless. We get all these stupid norms and stereotypes from the media and society about how we are supposed to look and act–people, let’s focus on doing what makes us happy and stop being obsessed about how the media or society tells us how to act and look.
i do agree with u about how it’s really a “media thing”, and how rejecting someone for body hair is extremely superficial. BUT we (women) are not always concerned about body hair for no apparent reason. let me make the story a bit more clear to u:
in certain areas of the world (mainly the middle-east, where all the fuss about hair removal emerged centuries ago), women with (excessive) body/facial hair are considered “manly.” women there do their utmost to hide such factors of “masculinity.” the individuals that know enough about sex hormones, know that male and female hormones rise/fall proportionally. those who don’t know much about sex hormones think that b/c a women has more body hair than normal, then her level of male hormones is slightly higher than the level of female hormones. that is where they get the idea about women that are more hairy being a bit less feminin than others. of course with all the globalization, this view spread to other areas of the world. and becuase americans spend as much on cosmetics as they do on food (which is A LOT, by the way), always wanting to look [our] best, we were also absorbed into the hairless storm – in fact, so much to the point that we now criticize those with excessive body/facial hair.
maybe we should all move to japan, i heard the trend there is to have surgery to implant hair in the pubic area. they apparently think it’s the sexy thing to do <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
Hi:
I think the notion that facial or body hair is taboo on women can sometimes be carried to extremes.
My electrolygist had a woman in her 80’s who was sent to her by her family to remove facial hair. I am sure the fact she had any facial hair did not bother her as much as it did her family.
In todays era women tend to bare a lot more skin than in previous generations, and are bombarded with hair removal adds or hollywood’s images of women. Nobody in the real world can look like that.
Alicia
Hi everyone!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I hope I don’t offend any of the ladies (my apologies in advance if I do) but I’d like everyone to keep an open mind about this one. I think one of the reasons that some women don’t like hairless men is that this might make them somehow feel insecure or less feminine, especially if they consider themselves hairy. This might be unconscious and they might feel threatened by a very smooth man or maybe, it just comes down to tradition or personal preference. I’d really appreciate your feedback on this one!
As I’ve said before, I really think we need to do what makes us happy and not worry about what others think is “normal”. I really feel that the media has created some very “unrealistic and harmful” ideas that women must be hairless. Lots of men in this forum don’t have a problem with some hair on women and I think it’s important that women are able to discuss this with their partners and not hide it–check out the “hair is sexy” thread! In the same vein, I would like to think that women could understand why men like being smooth too.
Hi Jane
As you say in the United States Malaria is not so compelling as Africa. For us it is the biggest killer on the continent, far surpassing AIDS.
Nonetheless for active sportspeople of all countries it helps to know when you have been bitten or stung in the field. Legs are the most common for mountain bikers, joggers etc. I think it is practical for a man to shave his legs for quick identification of bites and possibly serious infections from partaking in such outdoor sports or activities that involve exposure.
Even so it is a lot more comfortable without hair and a lot more hygenic when camping and washing facilities are limited and rudimentary.
Regards
Stuart
Hi caramel
Back hair is very repulsive to me as a man. Standing sideways to a mirror and seeing hairs bristlling all over your shoulders is not a good feeling. I trim this off much for the same reason as I shave my legs, it serves no purpose and looks bad.
I must add that some men look very natural with heavy body hair and that might appeal to women on a level I can’t understand. Tom Selleck was one of my teenage heros in Magnum PI. Unfortunatly I have his amount of chest hair and need to trim just to feel I can breath properly.
Legs are similar in my case and apart from sporting reasons it is more comfortable to sleep in hot climates without very hairy legs.
Regards
Stuart
hi Stuart <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
well i don’t think it’s repulsive or strange when men shave, i was just stating my opinion. but u know, to each his/her own! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> if u feel more comfortable being hairless, go for it, if not then don’t worry about it – that’s all i meant to say. in ur case, i can imagin how u feel. i know hair is really REALLY annoying in warm/humid climates, it’s quite irritating, i understand.
Hi caramel
Thanks for your reply. It’s not easy for men to shave their bodies generally as we have all seen, but some measure of commen sense must prevail where climate and conditions dictate this. All factors aside hair is quite gross on anybody and has already been said unhygenic in most body areas.
Personally I much prefer smooth legs to very hairy ones. I remember clearly waking up in my early teens and feeling my legs dreanched in sweat (yuck). Despite some extra time in the bathroom it’s well worth it.
Fortunatly in SA (and other African countries) male shaving is not as taboo as elsewhere, so I supposes we can count ourselves lucky in this regard.
All the best
Stuart
I am new to this forum - how refreshing to find this forum - I am from Cape Town and have noticed the trend here follows what Stuart has been saying - more and more guys are shaving their legs and other parts of their bodies.
There are many reasons for this - I am actually a serious cyclist and started shaving my legs to become more accepted in cycling circles (you cannot believe how fellow cyclists frown on unshaved legs). Anyway here is the dilemna - how far does one actually shave your legs - I have seen some only shave below the shorts which is so gross.
I keep all of my legs smooth and keep my pubic area well groomed - not sure if we can discuss this here but I would be interested to know what guys think about keeping their pubic area smooth/trimmed. From what I have seen this seems to be a trend.
I shave my legs, or I should say epilate. Actually, I epilate my legs, chest and pubic area. I use a groomer for underarms and will even shave my legs every now and then to get extra close. Been doing it for a while and have decided to not go with any reasons or excuses. I am an avid runner, exercise almost daily and a casual cyclist. However, the REAL reason I don’t have any body hair is because I just don’t like it. I do notice more and more guys that have shaved legs and to be honest I very rarely get asked about mine. Wore shorts every day this past summer and never had anyone ask me. I do still find myself a little nervous in some circles and am strategic in how I position myself. I get more and more confident each year and don’t even notice where I am.
There’s always going to be haters and guys that think they’re manly men because they have lots of manly hair and and do manly things but whatever. I can’t be bothered by caveman mentality and am who I am!
My wife really doesn’t care either way. In fact, she may even wish I didn’t shave my legs. But, it doesn’t bother her so much that she needs to complain about it. She knows I like it and is a good sport about it. Does make for better private moments!
Wow you’ve pulled up an old thread! From 7 years ago.
You can keep your legs shaved if you want. Those epilators though can cause ingrowns especially on a guy’s legs so sometimes arent the best.
I realized over time that my keeping my own legs shaved for so many years, whether I knew what I was doing at the time or not, was related to my being a transperson. Not everyone is the same though 
Seana
I have been shaving my legs since I was a teenager in the 80s. I have never been ashamed or shy about showing it off. I went to classes in college with shorts, and went to grocery stores.
When I have massages, I tell my masseuses that I do, and they always say how smooth I am. I tell girls I’m interested in I shave even before a formal date! Its a good segue way into asking them and confirming that they are completely smooth too.
Basically I love talking about it, and have never been shy about it.