Do You Still Manscape?
28 Comments Published by Alex January 18th, 2007 in Grooming, Sex. Share This
The pendulum’s been swinging back towards men being men for a few years now, and in that I mean that men have been found with their body hair intact in increasing percentages. Indeed, the practice of shaving, waxing, or by any other means removing hair below the neck has been in regression since late 2005 when GQ ran the article, “End of Manscaping as We Know It.”
I was surprised that this level of grooming became popular in the first place, though for the ladies’ sakes, I was glad to hear it. While there are surely many women out there who want to bed down with hairy men, most of the 4700 women who took the GQ poll from the same period claimed that they preferred their boyfriends and husbands to depilitate before they copulate. I have to wonder if those numbers are waning as well.
Personal confession time after the jump.
Yeah, I was surprised that it became popular, because I used to catch a lot of shit for doing all of those things myself, well before the rest of the world caught on. I’ve had a thing against my body hair from my high school years up. I find I smell less ripe after an active day if my pits are smooth, and I’ve been buzzing my crotch hair with a clippers for years. Hell, I’ll get specific – I shave clean as a whistle underneath, and trim it short (1/4″) above. The advent of cordless adjustable height beard trimmers are a godsend for the latter part of that practice, but only a safety razor, a little talent and oodles of steely nerve works for the former part.
The upshot: you sweat less, you stink less, and the whole area seems to be much more salacious to that certain someone from whom you’d like to receive certain attentions. And frankly, sex feels better because there is a lot more skin on skin contact.
The downshot: more time in the bathroom for grooming, needs to be performed at least twice weekly to keep the ballbag’s skin used to having a blade dragged across it without breaking out, and then there’s the horror of the occasional cut.
I don’t usually shave my torso, however. I hate doing that. I will use that same beard trimmer on it once in a while, especially in the summertime because it actually does make a hell of a difference in staying cool. I even take my arm hair down to a quarter inch in the summer.
Then again, I’m not an especially hirsute fellow. If the job was too daunting, if the density was too great and my back was a carpet, I’d probably give up entirely, rock the bear thing, and adopt a “fuck’em” attitude if anyone had a problem with it on the beach.
Anyway, that’s how I roll. What about you?
I pretty much leave my body hair untouched – shaving your arm hair is kooky – but I keep the nethers hacked down to a managable length every month or so.
Here’s my advice, should anyone consider otherwise: Keep every manner of electric shaver meant for the face away from the nutsack. Having tiny bits of my scrote sucked into the cold metal and snipped off was serious trauma. That said, there is no greater feeling than having hairless sack. It’s like nature’s own Play-Doh.
I tried shaving my armpits once or twice but I always found my arms to stick together more. The underarm hair acts as lubrication.
Of course, I bought that damn Bodygroom and then never sent it back, so I may be trimming things a lot more than usual if I end up losing the rest of the weight I want to. I’ve never even considered shaving my chest hair (ignoring the post-puberty experiments) because I figure having a gut with some hair on it is less gross than having a gut that’s completely smooth like a grub.
It’s probably because I grew up at the beach in the 70’s, but there’s nothing that turns me off faster than a guy who shaves/waxes/othwise removes his body hair. Having said that, it’s kinda interesting to hear you guys talk about why you do it. I’m a little bit confused as to exactly when body hair became taboo – anyone care to workout a timeline?
Eventually the pendulum will hopefully settle somewhere in the middle, between the “Metrosexual” and “Hairy Beast.” Some manscaping is good (e.g. removal of the unibrow) and some way over the top (e.g. shaving legs and pits).
I love this site!!! My girlfriend and I were just having this conversation last night. We were watching Freaks & Geeks and some kid had hairy pits and she said she was so glad that I shave mine. Also, I do almost the same thing as Alex in the “nether regions” but I do shave my arms and my chest with a razor. I think it makes all the time I spend in the gym a little more noticeable. I can’t bring myself to actually shaving my legs with a razor, so I just do the trimmer deal (again, for muscle definition purposes). It’s a lot more comfortable and clean being shaved down even though it can be a pain in the ass sometimes. The skin on skin thing with the girlfriend is really nice even though some positions produce unwanted noises sometimes (!). My girlfriend sais that “all women” prefer no body hair, but I think that is a little too broad of a statement, but I am glad that she appreciates that I am “well groomed”.
I manscape. I trim my chest with clippers once a month. Naturally, I don’t have a lot of chest hair so I think it looks splotchy until I trim. By trimming, it seems more consistent and still gives my pecs and abs a nice defined appearance. I use a beard trimmer for the crotch and shave the goods. I have to disagree with one part of Alex’s assessment. Shaving downunder will make you sweat more not less. Its not a good situation on a hot day wearing thin boxers (i.e. puddle in your pants). So Axe spray comes in handy for keeping them dry and fresh. Just be sure you don’t have any nicks and wash before busting a move. I don’t mess with leg, arm or pit hair and just let it grow natural. While most women don’t care for chest hair, they love leg hair and arm hair because it still gives the man a masculine appearance. In college, my friend dated a guy that was a swimmer whom shaved all his body hair every week or before meets. She dumped him because she couldn’t get over his shaving and felt like his legs were always silkier and sexier than her own. LOL!
i leave a wide mohawk in the junk area, and everything else is shaved. i usually just keep the little chest hair i have short with a buzzer. same with the pits. i don’t have really long arm or leg hair, so that’s fine.
I think every man, well, everyone, for that matter, could be improved by pit shaving and down under shaving. It may be true that shaven nethers sweat more, as webonics says, but in my observation, I think the issue is that a bunch of hair down there captures the sweat and odor and saves it. Just imagine…the man wants some intimate attention down there on a hot summer day…a wild knot of hair down there can really make that a ripe experience. If I have to have my nose anywhere near a body part, the less hair there, the better.
I don’t mess with my arm and leg hair. I mean, I have plenty, but it’s not “bearish”. My chest hair is similar, in that it’s present but not thick, not long, not dark and curly and Ron Jeremy-esque. I remember when I was 12 or 13, and I would see my dad without his shirt on and think, “That’s how a man looks, dude”, and after I escaped high school and found myself to look much the same, I never did away with it. I use an electric trimmer to keep the crotch trimmed short, I hit that a couple times a week. The way I see it, unless your body hair is really coarse or really thick (or, more importantly, youre lady can’t handle it), just roll with it.
And two asides, that are related.
1–Gentleman, your grandpa was right. Use shaving soap and a brush. I switched a couple months ago, and realized that all those expensive creams and shit that Gilette was selling were just that, shit.
2–Has the pendulum swung back concerning women’s pubes? Are we still baby-bald, or have we gone back to the 70’s? I got married a couple years ago and I only see one lady’s stuff nowadays. She keeps it mighty short and sculpted, but not bald. So, you fellas out in the wild–what’s goin on with it these days?
Wow! I have to say I’m surprised to see so many shavers here. I trim neatly in the nethers, but I’m altogether too hairy to maintain the rest of me.
Upper arms. Hairy.
Back. Hairy.
Neck. Hairy.
Chest. Hairy.
Gut. Hairy.
In fact, my dad was over a few weeks ago helping me do some plumbing. I was getting a fresh shirt from the laundry in the basement, he exclaimed “wow, you are a hairy boy.” I can’t believe I’m hairier than my dad.
I’m almost 30, and my wife claims to not hate my hairiness.
I’m not a huge fan of how I look without a shirt on, but that is equally to do with my pudge than anything else.
Out of necessity, I’ve adopted the “fuck’em” attitude.
no razor passes below my neck. but i will say that one should pluck the uni. its just how it should be. men being hairy and gross, and women being shaved and soft. my gf seems to agree with the no manscaping clause.
i’ve found that the kinds of guys that shove most of their bodies are also the kind that use hand lotion and have no callouses.
as for women, every girlfriend i’ve ever had shaved everything besides head region.
Being furry sucks, and it really sucks as I fall into the coarse category. So, beard trimmers can take a beating with the manscaping on me. Right now I fall into the half fuck-it category, shaved face, clean burns, and down below the neckline on a casual polo to keep the “tuftiness” at bay. After that, frankly, too much of a bitch to keep up on as it comes back too quickly. Only exception to the rule is my tattoo on my shoulder blade which I like to keep clean with a monthly shave. Below the belt that gets a the same monthly trim with the beard trimmers down to a nice #4, not so long that it looks like a forest, but not so short I nick myself or get razor burn. Once summer comes around though in all this damn heat in Texas, everything but the crotch goes to a 3 or 4 every 2 weeks so I’m not burning up even in just shorts and sandals.
I’m furry and hate it. I shave my back hair whenever possible and am thinking about getting it lasered off or some other permanent solution that won’t risk death. My chest hair is fine although I trim it occasionally. I shave the nethers now and then, depending on whether I anticipate sexual activity in the foreseeable future (I’m a bachelor). My hairy legs are hairy in a good, masculine way and I would never touch them. I shave the pits too mainly because it just feels better. The fuck-em attitude is fine and I totally respect it. But come on folks, not all of us can or should simply give up on our physical appearances. What do you think Justin Timberlake’s talking about in his latest hit song? I like being sexy so trimming my fur is one of those annoyances I have to put up with. At least I don’t have to wear make up every day.
I have a theory concerning the rise in pubic region shaving, and the rise in oral sex and it’s…um…just that. I think it’s hardly coincidence that as stickin’ your face in another beings crotchular region has risen in popularity, so has making sure that your crotchular region is face friendly.
Matt S,
Check out shaveblog.com as it is a great resource on wet shaving, of which I am a huge fan and practioner of it. You will enjoy it if you are using a brush and shave soap.
andrew, i can promise you that your assumption is not true. granted, i am a fey 25 year old, but i row, so i have a shit load of calluses. i just don’t want someone having to floss when they go down on me.
In my experience, the girls I’ve talked to about it dislike manscaping in general, and find shaved torsos and legs “girly”. That said, nobody likes the stinky guy, and trimming nethers and pits definitely leaves fewer places for natural man-stink to live, and I find my pits get less heated in the summer months if I trim them down a little bit.
When was oral sex not popular?
I think the happy medium is trimming. You cut down some of the weeds, but the land isn’t bare. I suggest this especially for the pits, which can help your appearance. Whether in a tank or t-shirt, hair sticking out of the pits isn’t a great look. Trimming allows you to keep the hair at a workable length.
As for the nether region, I find that the longer the hair grows, the more it irritates. As for the sweating, throw some talc on there and you should be good to go. Of course, you don’t want to use any products down there that may be irritating in case someone is, um, sampling the goods. I suggest Balla Powder. The scent is masculine and I’ve never had any complaints from people visiting the region.
Is anyone else finding the name “Balla Powder” for a product recommended for use around a man’s groin extremely hilarious?
I’m actually finding the entire conversation hilarious. What you guys are saying about hair and smell being bad is exactly the opposite of what works for me. I’ll take a slightly smelly, hairy guy over the alternative any day. But I’m old. And I do get called hippy a lot. So take that with a grain of salt ;)
i dont find that being hairy cuts down on the oral sex.
but i’ve also never dated a deep throater.
” clean as a whistle underneath, and trim it short (1/4″) above ”
my strategy too – bald over is just goofy – on me at least
tip for the bodygroomer … use talc powder or the like, instead of shaving cream … much easier on the kiwis
I’ve manscaped the nether regions once and dug it – the first day or so. When the pubes began to re-sprout, I was scratching and tugging at the crotch as though I were infested with the crabbies. I have to say, there’s a certain freedom to being clean down there, but I couldn’t do it on a regular basis. I even hate to shave my whiskers.
But overall, I’m pretty hairless, so taking the shaver elsewhere isn’t much of an issue.
I shave the boys downstairs, and the underside of the old guy who resides above. It feels nice and clean. Emm…it adds a spring to my step to feel all clean and spruced-up in my underpants.
On the flipside, last year I had the fortune of nestling my mug in the stellar opposite. It felt hella good to sniff and taste and revel in that bear’s … emm … parts. All that fur smelled and tasted great. A year later I still long for that brutish skinhead’s sweaty fur.
Enough of that! Shave the nads and trim the pits! And Joel, please stop telling us about your scrotum. I know more about you bitches’ scrotums than I KNOW ABOUT MINE.
I am furry and don’t give a fuck.
I have felt the curiosity to shave the balls, though, but the idea was kind of scary and also high maintenance so I forgot about it.
Of course, that means I am not entitled to complain if she doesn’t do a brazilian (which, by the way, is not common in Brasil).
Forgot: the only part that actually bothers me and will make me shave eventually is the upper back.
I tend to avoid most body grooming. But I just cant take the fuck it attitude with my upper back/shoulder hair. I’ve had good luck with nair for men to beat back this alarming development. In a moment of mild curiosity and experimentation I tried the nair on the boys down below…and loved the results. I dont think I can go back to the natural way…also dont think I’d ever trust myself with a razor down there.
I have been manscaping for some time now. I started working out in the gym a long time ago. I built a good hard body that was covered in hair and no one was able to see the work I put into keeping myself in shape. I then started reading about men shaving themselves to “look bigger”. I tried it and decided I liked it. I then shaved my stomach to my chest to make things look a little more uniform. I then trimmed the hair on my arm’s, leg’s and chest. I really like it. It’s more comfortable and it show’s off the work I’ve done over the years. It also makes me want to go back to the gym on a weekly basis.