In today's society underarm, leg, and facial hair is considered offensive and disgusting on a woman's body. This trend alone wasn't recognized as an hygenic ritual until the late 1930's, and the whole 'WOMEN MUST SHAVE THEMSELVES!!!!", obsession started as a fashion trend once sleeveless dresses came at full force in the 1920's. It has grown it a subconcious thing now that a woman shaving her underarms, legs, stomach, or private area is a part of the norm. Well, until winter.
But, lately the question arises, does the same now pertain to men?
Recent online videos from male hygiene product companys like, Gillete and Nivea for Men, have targeted men to shave their hair crop areas. According to these videos, shaving the whole body (ie, chest, underarms, backs, and even 'that' area) will give men greater sex appeal.
Our culture came to a moment that being the clean shaven clad man, was a characteristc of being a metrosexual, and gay men have clung to bare chests since their opening. Even Sacha Cohen's gay fashion reporter, character, Bruno, participated in multiple 'waxathons' in order to get as much hair waxed off of his body as possible. Weird, yes, but Bruno is weird completely.
According to a market research, released by The New York Times, more men are removing hair from their armpits, chests, and that bushy place, area. This regime goes to most college aged men to men in their thirties, and the most common reason for this phenomenon is from the 'because my girlfriend likes it/six pack/it's clean' type thing.
“It used to be a hallmark of male models and homosexuals,” said Kat Fay, a senior analyst at Mintel, during a New York Times interview, who writes an annual men’s grooming report. She added that the high-maintenance primping of metrosexuals was “privileged” and clustered in cities; by contrast, this campaign has “more of an everyday middle-America feel” and aims to convince squeamish men that body shaving is “the greatest dating weapon.” Not much research has been done to study the growing trend of male body depilation.
However, a 2005 study, published in the Journal of Sex Roles found that 63.6 percent of 118 men at the University of South Florida admitted to trimming or removing body hair below the neck to be hygienic and attractive. And in a yet-to-be-published survey of 364 male students at the same university, more than 80 percent said they engaged in body depilation.
Out of this new found curiosity, I did a little study myself.
I asked 15 of my males friends the same question, 'Do you or do you not shave/ trim under the neck line?', and the response that I got was tremendous... and a little weird, to say the least. Out of 15 of my friends that answered the question 73% (11 of the males) said that they did!
In addition, out of the study at University of South Florida, there was no numerical statistic difference as to the number of gay and straight men whom trimmed or shaved their body hairs. The biggest whoopla-ers of this are undoubtly the companies that create the men hygiene products. These companies are making the opening statements for their five-blade razors, multi-taksing gels, and moisterizers that specially made for use in the shower.
In May 2009, male hygiene products company, Gillette, posted a series of how-to videos on their site to demonstrate how to shave the airmpit, chest, groin, etc. areas, suggesting that men go further when it comes to shaving. Each tutorial video is posted below, but if you would like to go to the gillette.com website, be my guest. Each body part tutorial has a slinger that grabs a weirded attention. Chest hairs? "A sweater should be bought not grown." Back hair? "Wall to wal carpet is okay. Shoulder to shoulder isn't." And for that little area, you know, down there? "Trees look taller when there's no underbrush." What!
They even have a figure showing you how to keep the 'tool' out of harms way.
Braun with Gillette, has an online video advertisment, that turns the ladies almost primeval when a guy with a clean shaven chest strolls by.
According to, Times repoter, Catherine Saint Louis, in late May, Gillette’s How to Shave Your Groin video ranked No. 3 on a list of the top online video advertisements compiled by Visible Measures, an Internet video measurement firm. In its three weeks on the list, it racked up more than 1.4 million views, not counting traffic to Gillette’s site. (Previously, videos promoting the idea of shaving “everywhere” as well as specifically touting Philips Norelco’s Bodygroom, a trimmer and shaver, also attracted notice with 680,000 views, according to Visible Measures.)
In past years, companys like Gillette probably wouldn't be too succussful in getting men to, "go further with shaving." Shaving men's 'prized regions' was out of the realm in possibilty. So, why all of a sudden is it becoming much of a more accepted thing? I personally don't like chest or back hair and shaving the 'down theres' is something that I have to get accustomed too. But, other than that let a man be burly and curly, just as long as it's not unruly.
theeFashionista signing out!
TUTORIALS:
Nivea for Men: Shaving Tutorial
Gillette Video How to Shave Groin
Gillette Video How to Shave Chest
Gillette Video How to Shave Back
Gillette Video How to Shave Airmpits. Eww.
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