Body hair

[moonwolf]

hum body hair... interesting question. As for me, body hair in general doesn't bother me, except maybe down there it needs to be trimmed once in awhile. For the back, chest, legs and arms if you're human then it's alright. If you're furry as a bear then I don't know I might suggest that I WOULD prefer some shaving or something but in the end it's his body not mine and I have to respect it.

 

As for down there, if you've never shaved it before a word of advice... be prepared to scratch yourself when it grows again. and I wouldn't recomment wax on the balls either (just thinking about it and I tremble)

 

Jason aka Moonwolf

[Benji]

hum body hair... interesting question. As for me, body hair in general doesn't bother me, except maybe down there it needs to be trimmed once in awhile. For the back, chest, legs and arms if you're human then it's alright. If you're furry as a bear then I don't know I might suggest that I WOULD prefer some shaving or something but in the end it's his body not mine and I have to respect it.

 

As for down there, if you've never shaved it before a word of advice... be prepared to scratch yourself when it grows again. and I wouldn't recomment wax on the balls either (just thinking about it and I tremble)

 

Jason aka Moonwolf

 

 

........You obviously missed Tigers post!

[greenmann]

Can't believe this is my first post... but the question, or more importantly the answers, kinda intrigued me...

 

Ok, for me; I'm a bear, sorry. And that is NOT gonna change any time soon. More on that later, lol... anyway, I have hair pretty much everywhere, including a full beard, except the stuff on top is getting kinda thin. (Its not fair, really... BOTH of my grandfathers had full heads of beautiful, thick hair... yet I get my father's "caesar's crown" half ring of hair. Oh well.) I don't have much on my back, but the ass is pretty well covered. And since I'm what used to be called dishwater blond, it varies from almost transparent blond to darker caremel tinted brown in the center of the chest, beard and other thicker bits. I swam my way through college with a scholarship, and though back then none of us thought seriously about using wax, I DID have to shave for the important meets, starting when I was 14. So yeah, been there, done that, NOT doing it again. The right guy can get me to clip it all (assuming he is willing to help, lol), but even the beard is here to stay. I hate shaving to bare skin... I get a rash every time no matter how often I do it or what I use to keep it from happening, and honestly I could care less if others don't like it. If they don't like it, I probably will be better off not getting too close to them anyway.

 

What I like; well, variety or maybe better put naturalness, though honestly a totally smooth body to me is rather boring. Stubble to me is incredibly erotic- the feel of it is rather like velvet, very soothing and pettable. Now I have to admit that every once in a while I get to feeling like a yeti myself, and don't particularly like that feeling either, so I will occassionally clip it down to stubble, but that is as far as I am willing to go myself, and I certainly would not expect anyone I was interested in to do more either, even in those sensitive areas. Mutual shaving might be fun, but it would have to be very carefully done and done often, cause I really hate the feeling of hair growing back in. Sorry, practicality before aesthetics for me.

 

Hair color; personally I love grey hair, so honestly, I don't understand the fad to color your hair. Coloring it different colors can be more a personal statement, but I honestly get tired of the superficiality of people going to get their hair highlighted and styled to an inch of their life. Not very gay that, huh? I just like things to be real and natural I guess. Although I did get a big kick out of the idea of coloring your leg hair and going to the beach That would be totally hilarious to see people's reactions! I could never do it myself, just cause I hate that much attention applied to ME, but it would be fun to watch how people would react.

 

Now on to my reaction to the discussion... I notice that almost all the people who answered the question are under 30. I wonder if that makes a difference as to how people react? The comment about no body hair looking prepubescent I think is rather accurate... I wonder if part of this has to do with age, and possibly how some people's reactions might change as they grow older? (I won't say "grow up" cause I am not sure that really happens to most of us, lol, nor am I sure that it would be a good thing) but as we get older our tastes DO change. I used to hate blue cheese, now I kinda like it under the right circumstances.

 

Plus, as we grow older we naturally tend to grow more hair. In college, I had a furry belly and chest, but the hair on my arms was only up to the elbow. Now it goes all the way to the shoulder. Maybe some of you don't like body hair much cause you are not interested in older men, and perhaps subconsciously, you equate body hair with older men? Though with many of caucasian ethnicity, that makes little difference.

 

Anyway, I personally prefer a man with at least chest hair and a treasure trail. And anyway, if there is too much, its always fun to do some mutual grooming.

[AFriendlyFace]

I dislike hair except for pubic hair. There's something peculiar about a man with no hair there. Aside from that, though, my philosophy is that wax exists for a reason.

Amen to that!

That said, it's not something that is the be all and end all of a relationship for me. The guy I'm dating right now (and the reason I never post anymore) is quite hairy, and I've long since gotten over it.

Good to know the reason for your reduced presence is a happy one

 

Still I do miss you, so I hope you'll continue to swing by occasionally

 

The only regions i do not like hair on are the back, shoulder, and a$$ cheek areas. Everywhere else is okay by my standards. With the face I'm okay if the person has a beard, unless its Santa Clause thick.

What if the person is a woman?

 

However, I REFUSE to shave all over my body on a daily basis. If a guy has that as a requirement, fine, go do somebody else. One day when I can afford laser treatments, then I'll probably get rid of it where I'm not fond of it. In the meantime, I'm gonna be hairy. Shaving is the most uncomfortable, vile, terrible, awful thing in the world. It only lasts about two days, and after that I start getting the itch from HELL and those wonderful shave bumps. I ain't gonna do that no matter how cute a boy is.

Well, I'm not too horribly hairy, but I aspire to be completely smooth so I have some considerable hair removal to do myself.

 

Personally speaking my strategy is to only keep the bits that people are going to see smooth and let the rest go for awhile every now and then. Then just get rid of it if I think there's a chance I might be showing extra skin OR if I'm going somewhere special or doing something nice. In that case, even if I figure there's very very little chance of 'exposure' I still like to do it because it makes me feel extra-sexy and sensual.

 

What happened to liking real mean? Real men have body hair. It's a fact of life. I just don't get it. Hairy chests are so damn sexy!

 

I don't know... part of why I call myself gay is because I'm attracted to men, and men tend to have hair on their bodies, so I think just the right amount in the right areas is sexy as hell! I like hairless as well, but if I had two cute guys standing before me, one has hair in the right places and the other does not, I'd pick the hairy guy.

 

Yeah I'll say!! Shocking, this is. A man's not a man without body hair -- and I thought most of you people fancied men, not girls?

As one of the adamant 'no hair' people, I'd like to address this point.

 

For me, I've never claimed to like 'real men' or the 'rugged' type. In fact that's the opposite of what I like. My physical preference has always been to guys that could be described as 'beautiful' or even 'pretty' in some cases. It's not just physical either. I tend to like my guys emotive and sensitive as well, not to mentioned refined, well-cultured, and polite. Intellectual and witty are massive pluses too. I like the stereotypical gay guy.

 

If I had to date guys that were like guys in the traditional hyper-manly sense...well no way in hell! I'd literally much rather date women, and I'm just about bisexual enough to pull that off. Either that or I'd probably opt to avoid romance completely. Watching old movies with the traditional 'tough guy' type, they do nothing for me. If all guys were like that I would assume I was straight.

 

In fact it is for all of these reasons that it took me so long to work out exactly whether or not I was gay, straight, or bi. Now I know that I'm 'gay' and I just have a very specific 'niche' of attraction.

 

Actually it's unhygienic to shave (wax, etc) it all off, possibly with some rare exceptions -- for women too, of course, not just for men. Btw does anybody here have an opinion on women's body hair? I didn't limit this thread to male body hair, nor to people's fanciableness, don't you have an opinion on body hair in general? Should women always shave their armpits?? Should men do that (no, *not* only your future lovers, but men in general?)

Well, I have opinions about female attractiveness, and unsurprisingly given my position on male body hair, I have to say I have even less patience for it on a woman.

 

To be graphic, whereas I'm pretty neutral about pubic hair on a guy if I were going to be with a woman I'd really like for her to be smooth there (and everywhere else but her head).

 

 

 

Now on to my reaction to the discussion... I notice that almost all the people who answered the question are under 30. I wonder if that makes a difference as to how people react? The comment about no body hair looking prepubescent I think is rather accurate... I wonder if part of this has to do with age, and possibly how some people's reactions might change as they grow older? (I won't say "grow up" cause I am not sure that really happens to most of us, lol, nor am I sure that it would be a good thing) but as we get older our tastes DO change. I used to hate blue cheese, now I kinda like it under the right circumstances.

 

Plus, as we grow older we naturally tend to grow more hair. In college, I had a furry belly and chest, but the hair on my arms was only up to the elbow. Now it goes all the way to the shoulder. Maybe some of you don't like body hair much cause you are not interested in older men, and perhaps subconsciously, you equate body hair with older men? Though with many of caucasian ethnicity, that makes little difference.

First off, welcome to the site, Greenmann! It was a very awesome post and I enjoyed reading it very much!

 

To answer your question, I think you've got a great point! It's something I've considered myself, and to be completely honest I have to admit that I'm not really in to older guys at all, and the only exception would be if they looked considerably younger.

 

It's something that's given me serious concern! I've often wandered, "what if I meet this great guy when he's in his 20s and fall in love and then by the time he's in his 40s or 50s I'm no longer interested?" It's a scary thought and it makes me feel very shallow and cold to consider such things. To be honest, I still don't really know the answer to that question. I can only assume (and hope) that if it's a guy I'm very much in love with by the time those things gradually happen they won't matter anymore. I'm not so much worried that I'll get tired of him and leave him or be unfaithful, because I know I would never do that. I just worry that I genuinely won't be physically attracted to him any longer. I would still expect to have stay with him, and even to continue to have frequent sex...I'm just not sure I'll really be into his body anymore. As I said, scary thought.

 

I'm somewhat consoled by the fact that gay and straight couples seem to affirm the same thing: the physical stuff is just less important as the relationship persists and deepens. I believe it will be that way for me, and I concede that a fit guy in his twenties will probably always be more appealing to me than one in his 40's or 50's, but I do assume that if I've already got one in his 40's or 50's I'll still continue to love and cherish him and prefer to be with him.

 

Basically, I guess what it comes down to is that I can easily imagine being in love with an older guy, but I can't really imagine falling in love with an older guy. Thus, if I'm honest it'll probably be the case that if I don't have a partner by the time I'm an older guy, I'll be one of those guys looking for a May/December romance. I guess it sucks, and again I have to concede it's really shallow, but I know quite a few people who prefer older guys. And I think that's really wonderful if it makes them happy! And I can see how it could make them happy! I can see quite a lot of things that an older guy could offer, so hopefully if I don't have a partner by the time I'm older I can find one of those younger guys who wants an older guy. Anyway, I have a very youthful, energetic personality, so I think even if I do get older physically, I'll remain 'young at heart'.

 

 

Anyway, to conclude I know all my posts and comments in this thread have been very superficial and shallow. Well, we're discussing something that IS superficial and shallow and only giving my honest opinion so that's just the way it is. I also stand by the statement that these are only my opinion and I personally know tons of people who hold the full range of other opinions.

 

I think the bear culture has a great deal to offer the gay community and it can be really good and affirming to a lot of guys' self-esteem. A very very large contingent of people also prefer the move 'average guy' type. Or prefer the more hyper-masculine type. My statements are not meant to be judgment statements at all. Those are only my opinions and they're only my opinions about superficial things. I have a lot of opinions about non-superficial things as well and in many if not most cases the serious, deep stuff trumps the superficial, shallow stuff.

 

Besides all that, I'm personally friends with and very close to guys on the full range of the spectrum from ultra-femme to ultra-butch, and I care about them all and love being friends with them. None of these statements are about people I'd like in general and want to get to know better, only about the shallow aspects of my physical attraction.

 

 

Anyway, so ends another epic post

 

Take care all

Kevin

[Rakuten06]

It's interested that body hair is at a discussion, because I have chest hair but it goes in a "v" way like if it was worn a vest. the chest hair goes from the shoulder blade all the way until the point where the bottom end of the sternum then back to the shoulder blade the other way and I think that hair in the back is what I have but at least I tries to shave the hair off my belly but it grows back, plus that if I tried to shave my under-arms, it will feel awkward, I will kept the legs since it was a gene passed around by my paternal ancestors...

[Anthony]

Well! I'm surprised that you are all so definite about it. I don't think I would cavil at hairy or hairless; if I like the person (or more, if I love them) then I take what comes (joke) naturally.

 

I discovered over 40 years ago that it was a waste of time to shave every morning. I haven't shaved since except that I *did* shave my pubes to see what it was like. Sylvia didn't like it so that's out.

 

Trimming pubes is well worth doing if, like me (when I used them) condoms tended to roll up a turn or two and pull on pubic hair very uncomfortably. Has anyone else found that?

 

Anthony

[cheese]

I feel that it would be unfair to say that having a lot of body hair is unattractive. I know people that love big burley scruffy men. That's what makes life wonderful. There is some one for everyone. OR so they say. But as for me I like my men neatly trimmed and clean. And all hair is good for is holding sweat and sent. Oh and the occasional dingle berry pending on location. So I don't have much use for it. But it makes for good decoration if done tastefully. Lucky for me, I'm not naturally hairy due to my being part native american.

[rknapp]

Oh and the occasional dingle berry pending on location.

ROFLCOPTER holy crap that line just had me in tears hahahaha.

[Benji]

ROFLCOPTER holy crap that line just had me in tears hahahaha.

 

 

..........Yeah, I saw that and wasn't even going there!

[Tiger]

........You obviously missed Tigers post!

Well, that needs to be said more than once, 'cuz some people might actually try it if it's not pounded into their heads. In addition, do NOT use Nair down there. Nair is for legs. I don't know about Veet, but my guess is that the same rule applies. It belongs on your legs and not your crotch.

[Procyon]

Can't believe this is my first post... but the question, or more importantly the answers, kinda intrigued me...

 

I feel flattered that it was to a topic I'd started (only my second one) and one that seemed like it'd get only 'shallow' responses at that. But you managed to give this a bit of a deeper dimension.

 

different colors can be more a personal statement, but I honestly get tired of the superficiality of people going to get their hair highlighted and styled to an inch of their life. Not very gay that, huh? I just like things to be real and natural I guess. Although I did get a big kick out of the idea of coloring your leg hair and going to the beach That would be totally hilarious to see people's reactions! I could never do it myself, just cause I hate that much attention applied to ME, but it would be fun to watch how people would react.

 

Haha I'll tell you if we ever get around to doing it. It is a bit tempting, but I wouldn't do it on my own since, like you, I wouldn't want that much attention. (Btw yes, I'll take pictures.)

 

Now on to my reaction to the discussion... I notice that almost all the people who answered the question are under 30. I wonder if that makes a difference as to how people react? The comment about no body hair looking prepubescent I think is rather accurate... I wonder if part of this has to do with age, and possibly how some people's reactions might change as they grow older? (I won't say "grow up" cause I am not sure that really happens to most of us, lol, nor am I sure that it would be a good thing) but as we get older our tastes DO change. I used to hate blue cheese, now I kinda like it under the right circumstances.

 

Our tastes do change, and not only when it comes to body hair or food, but... loads of things. Harhar. And to a certain extent one is influenced by the values of society -- there's a lot of places and contexts where it is regarded as the 'right thing' to get rid of one's body hair. And maybe you care less about such things as you get older. Then again, I think some people care more about what other people think as they get older... so yeah.

 

 

What if the person is a woman?

 

*gasp* Are you saying there's something wrong with bearded ladies??

 

 

For me, I've never claimed to like 'real men' or the 'rugged' type. In fact that's the opposite of what I like. My physical preference has always been to guys that could be described as 'beautiful' or even 'pretty' in some cases. It's not just physical either. I tend to like my guys emotive and sensitive as well, not to mentioned refined, well-cultured, and polite. Intellectual and witty are massive pluses too. I like the stereotypical gay guy.

 

Yeah, those are all great things in a guy. And 'rugged' isn't a plus for me either, nor am I overly fond of stubble or massive forests of body hair. My post was semi-joking; partly I wanted to see if there was no one out there who also liked body hair on men (as I do, in reasonable quantities) and partly I wanted to challenge the waxing mafia. It's interesting, talking of sensitive and refined guys, that there seems to be a much greater scope of variation for women in this respect. It's okay for women to be rather male in their ways, but for guys it's much harder if they've stereotypically female character traits (I imagine). At least I guess it must be in certain situations, at school for example.

 

Well, I have opinions about female attractiveness, and unsurprisingly given my position on male body hair, I have to say I have even less patience for it on a woman.

 

To be graphic, whereas I'm pretty neutral about pubic hair on a guy if I were going to be with a woman I'd really like for her to be smooth there (and everywhere else but her head).

 

Oh dang, it'll never be you and me then. Anyway, fair enough that you want hairless women, since you want your men hairless as well. I can accept that; but I have a hard time accepting when people think women should be smooth as babies while they think men can have as much hair as they want.

 

It's something that's given me serious concern! I've often wandered, "what if I meet this great guy when he's in his 20s and fall in love and then by the time he's in his 40s or 50s I'm no longer interested?" It's a scary thought and it makes me feel very shallow and cold to consider such things. To be honest, I still don't really know the answer to that question. I can only assume (and hope) that if it's a guy I'm very much in love with by the time those things gradually happen they won't matter anymore. I'm not so much worried that I'll get tired of him and leave him or be unfaithful, because I know I would never do that. I just worry that I genuinely won't be physically attracted to him any longer. I would still expect to have stay with him, and even to continue to have frequent sex...I'm just not sure I'll really be into his body anymore. As I said, scary thought.

 

I'm somewhat consoled by the fact that gay and straight couples seem to affirm the same thing: the physical stuff is just less important as the relationship persists and deepens. I believe it will be that way for me, and I concede that a fit guy in his twenties will probably always be more appealing to me than one in his 40's or 50's, but I do assume that if I've already got one in his 40's or 50's I'll still continue to love and cherish him and prefer to be with him.

 

Basically, I guess what it comes down to is that I can easily imagine being in love with an older guy, but I can't really imagine falling in love with an older guy. Thus, if I'm honest it'll probably be the case that if I don't have a partner by the time I'm an older guy, I'll be one of those guys looking for a May/December romance. I guess it sucks, and again I have to concede it's really shallow, but I know quite a few people who prefer older guys. And I think that's really wonderful if it makes them happy! And I can see how it could make them happy! I can see quite a lot of things that an older guy could offer, so hopefully if I don't have a partner by the time I'm older I can find one of those younger guys who wants an older guy. Anyway, I have a very youthful, energetic personality, so I think even if I do get older physically, I'll remain 'young at heart'.

 

I don't think you'd 'go off' someone simply because he got old, you'd get used to it just as you get used to yourself getting older. And again, one's taste does change over time, though i have to say that I don't like wrinkles any better now than I did when I was 20, and I don't think I will anytime soon. Harhar. But -- hey, there's plastic surgery! J/K, how awful, most of the time it only makes you look worse. I think, though, that you get more tolerant when it comes to physical appearance as you get older, and it's not only because you become more desperate. You just realise that it doesn't matter as much. Maybe it's some sort of defence mechanism, or maybe it's the beginnings of what people call wisdom? Dun dun dun. Who knows.

 

I realise that I am rambling. Maybe it makes some sort of sense though, so I'll still post this. Have fun shaving, all of you!

[AFriendlyFace]

It's interesting, talking of sensitive and refined guys, that there seems to be a much greater scope of variation for women in this respect. It's okay for women to be rather male in their ways, but for guys it's much harder if they've stereotypically female character traits (I imagine). At least I guess it must be in certain situations, at school for example.

 

 

I have a hard time accepting when people think women should be smooth as babies while they think men can have as much hair as they want.

I agree; double standards for men and women drive me crazy!

[rknapp]

It's odd that double standards should be mentioned since I had a body hair discussion with a few of my female friends last week. I'd said that I really would not care if my girlfriend stopped shaving (though since my girlfriend would likely be a boy, I would beg "her" to stop shaving certain places). They argued that they feel unclean, so I get the feeling that there really isn't any double standard here... they do it because they want to, not because they feel pressured to.

 

As a side note, it's been getting warm here near Atlantic City and the boys are starting to wear shorts! All of the guys I've been crushing on since January are showing off their hairy legs and I'm getting excited

[corvus]

It's odd that double standards should be mentioned since I had a body hair discussion with a few of my female friends last week. I'd said that I really would not care if my girlfriend stopped shaving (though since my girlfriend would likely be a boy, I would beg "her" to stop shaving certain places). They argued that they feel unclean, so I get the feeling that there really isn't any double standard here... they do it because they want to, not because they feel pressured to.

 

As a side note, it's been getting warm here near Atlantic City and the boys are starting to wear shorts! All of the guys I've been crushing on since January are showing off their hairy legs and I'm getting excited

 

Same here! It's spring, and my concentration gets shot every time a hot guy walks past. I'm never going to get anything done. :wacko:

 

Most everyone on this thread has claimed that this is superficial and shallow, but it's probably more important than we give it credit for -- physical attraction, that is. I mean, it's almost an a priori issue when it comes to deciding relationships. If you don't feel a physical spark, it's hard to get the romance going. Otherwise, you might as well just marry some girl you were "really good friends with." It's always interesting, then, when you see these factors at play -- 'He's really hot, but our personalities won't mesh;' 'It'd be great to be his boyfriend, but he's just too hairy'.

[Tiger]

Same here! It's spring, and my concentration gets shot every time a hot guy walks past. I'm never going to get anything done. :wacko:

 

Most everyone on this thread has claimed that this is superficial and shallow, but it's probably more important than we give it credit for -- physical attraction, that is. I mean, it's almost an a priori issue when it comes to deciding relationships. If you don't feel a physical spark, it's hard to get the romance going. Otherwise, you might as well just marry some girl you were "really good friends with." It's always interesting, then, when you see these factors at play -- 'He's really hot, but our personalities won't mesh;' 'It'd be great to be his boyfriend, but he's just too hairy'.

Well, I think part of it is some natural force at work that makes us feel a little more amorous in the spring. As for a man being too hairy, there is a certain level of it that I can't stand. I don't think I could date a gorilla. However, I do agree that romance is important. I have to have romance in order for a relationship to work. That's a requirement.

[AFriendlyFace]

It's odd that double standards should be mentioned since I had a body hair discussion with a few of my female friends last week. I'd said that I really would not care if my girlfriend stopped shaving (though since my girlfriend would likely be a boy, I would beg "her" to stop shaving certain places). They argued that they feel unclean, so I get the feeling that there really isn't any double standard here... they do it because they want to, not because they feel pressured to.

Well I don't think that's a truly valid representation though because you were saying "her" to mean "him". So in your mind you were imagining a guy with all the societal expectations that come along with it. Imagine yourself dating a REAL girl. Would you really be okay if she had all this arm, leg, and pitt hair? Maybe you would, but imagine it on a girl and not a guy.

 

Anyway, I agree that there's nothing wrong with someone making up their own mind about hair removal. I'm going to feel more comfortable and happier with smooth arms and torso (and face for that matter). It has nothing to do with anyone else, or my gender or sexuality, it's internal to me. However, if I were a woman who didn't feel this way and people still expected me to get rid of the hair because I'm a girl...well that would be an unreasonable double standard, IMO. Also, even though your lady friends want to get rid of the body hair, and thus society expectation that they will doesn't cause them any psychological duress, the fact still remains that if they didn't want to they would have more trouble getting away with it than you.

 

Most everyone on this thread has claimed that this is superficial and shallow, but it's probably more important than we give it credit for -- physical attraction, that is. I mean, it's almost an a priori issue when it comes to deciding relationships. If you don't feel a physical spark, it's hard to get the romance going. Otherwise, you might as well just marry some girl you were "really good friends with." It's always interesting, then, when you see these factors at play -- 'He's really hot, but our personalities won't mesh;' 'It'd be great to be his boyfriend, but he's just too hairy'.

As is usually the case, I quite agree with you and think you've brought up some excellent points.

[rknapp]

Well I don't think that's a truly valid representation though because you were saying "her" to mean "him". So in your mind you were imagining a guy with all the societal expectations that come along with it. Imagine yourself dating a REAL girl. Would you really be okay if she had all this arm, leg, and pitt hair? Maybe you would, but imagine it on a girl and not a guy.

 

Anyway, I agree that there's nothing wrong with someone making up their own mind about hair removal. I'm going to feel more comfortable and happier with smooth arms and torso (and face for that matter). It has nothing to do with anyone else, or my gender or sexuality, it's internal to me. However, if I were a woman who didn't feel this way and people still expected me to get rid of the hair because I'm a girl...well that would be an unreasonable double standard, IMO. Also, even though your lady friends want to get rid of the body hair, and thus society expectation that they will doesn't cause them any psychological duress, the fact still remains that if they didn't want to they would have more trouble getting away with it than you.

You misread my post and misaligned my thoughts. During my discussion with these girls, I was fully imagining dating a woman when deciding my preferences. Does the fact that I'm gay play a role in my thought process? Maybe, we don't really know that for sure. What I CAN tell you is that the small part of me that is not gay was certainly doing the majority of my thinking when I came to that conclusion. I WAS imagining the hair on a girl. In fact I imagined it on a girl who, were I straight, would practically be my fiance right now and I had no qualms with it.

 

Is there an unfair double standard? Yeah. The problem is I've yet to meet a woman who chose their body hair standards based on societal pressures and a few them do not operate under the philosophy that beauty is only skin deep (meaning they're a tad shallow).

 

That said I don't think women need to shave as much as they think they do. Maybe just the mustache, but I don't like those on men either.

[Procyon]

It's odd that double standards should be mentioned since I had a body hair discussion with a few of my female friends last week. I'd said that I really would not care if my girlfriend stopped shaving (though since my girlfriend would likely be a boy, I would beg "her" to stop shaving certain places). They argued that they feel unclean, so I get the feeling that there really isn't any double standard here... they do it because they want to, not because they feel pressured to.

 

In some countries, you'll find women arguing that female genital mutilation makes them feel 'cleaner' (this is sometimes the case with women who move from, say, Somalia to Europe -- all their lives they've been told that they are 'clean' and look nice down there because they've been mutilated, and then they come to the west and their gynaecologist gasps in horror at the sight of their genitals.) But to themselves and other women from the same background they do look 'clean'. Of course, not all of them share this view, and I don't know how common it is anyway. But it does happen, and it's not unusual either -- there is a reason why they can keep on doing it, and it's certainly not only the men's fault, the women promote it just as much (if not more) than the men.

 

And in some societies women actively help men with so-called honour killings and genuinely believe they're doing the right thing. This is nothing that is 'natural' or intrinsic in women.

 

Also, in the seventies there were a lot of women who didn't shave their legs, and shaving your armpits hadn't really been invented yet. So how is it natural for their daughters to feel 'clean' when they shave off their body hair? I think it's the media and trends in society in many, many cases. Both men and women have a lot of things forced on them by society and choose to embrace some of these and make them their own, and then they may think certain things make them feel cleanor good. Of course I'm not saying it's all imagination. It's a bit like getting your ears pierced or choosing between long or short hair. At some stage you decide that you like something and then it makes you feel good, and then you begin to like it even more. I can get some sort of good feeling from removing my body hair because society says I'll look beautiful when I do, but if there'd be a preference for hairy women in the media I'm sure I'd never even get the idea that shaving my legs might make me look good.

 

 

Most everyone on this thread has claimed that this is superficial and shallow, but it's probably more important than we give it credit for -- physical attraction, that is. I mean, it's almost an a priori issue when it comes to deciding relationships. If you don't feel a physical spark, it's hard to get the romance going. Otherwise, you might as well just marry some girl you were "really good friends with." It's always interesting, then, when you see these factors at play -- 'He's really hot, but our personalities won't mesh;' 'It'd be great to be his boyfriend, but he's just too hairy'.

 

Yeah, physical attraction definitely matters, denying that will only get you into trouble. The problem is that it's so hard to find people who are both physically attractive and to whom you can connect, a lot of the time it's either or. But if your significant other doesn't turn you on at least a little bit, it's not likely that your relationship will last...

[AFriendlyFace]

You misread my post and misaligned my thoughts. During my discussion with these girls, I was fully imagining dating a woman when deciding my preferences. Does the fact that I'm gay play a role in my thought process? Maybe, we don't really know that for sure. What I CAN tell you is that the small part of me that is not gay was certainly doing the majority of my thinking when I came to that conclusion. I WAS imagining the hair on a girl. In fact I imagined it on a girl who, were I straight, would practically be my fiance right now and I had no qualms with it.

I'm sorry. I did misinterpret what you were saying. I apologize for misrepresenting what I inferred.

 

In some countries, you'll find women arguing that female genital mutilation makes them feel 'cleaner' (this is sometimes the case with women who move from, say, Somalia to Europe -- all their lives they've been told that they are 'clean' and look nice down there because they've been mutilated, and then they come to the west and their gynaecologist gasps in horror at the sight of their genitals.) But to themselves and other women from the same background they do look 'clean'. Of course, not all of them share this view, and I don't know how common it is anyway. But it does happen, and it's not unusual either -- there is a reason why they can keep on doing it, and it's certainly not only the men's fault, the women promote it just as much (if not more) than the men.

 

And in some societies women actively help men with so-called honour killings and genuinely believe they're doing the right thing. This is nothing that is 'natural' or intrinsic in women.

 

Also, in the seventies there were a lot of women who didn't shave their legs, and shaving your armpits hadn't really been invented yet. So how is it natural for their daughters to feel 'clean' when they shave off their body hair? I think it's the media and trends in society in many, many cases. Both men and women have a lot of things forced on them by society and choose to embrace some of these and make them their own, and then they may think certain things make them feel cleanor good. Of course I'm not saying it's all imagination. It's a bit like getting your ears pierced or choosing between long or short hair. At some stage you decide that you like something and then it makes you feel good, and then you begin to like it even more. I can get some sort of good feeling from removing my body hair because society says I'll look beautiful when I do, but if there'd be a preference for hairy women in the media I'm sure I'd never even get the idea that shaving my legs might make me look good.

Wonderful points one and all!

[Procyon]

I agree; double standards for men and women drive me crazy!

 

Yeah totally, and the thing is, often people don't realise that it affects men too, adversely, because the 'male standard' has higher status and thus men should be happy with their assigned role. But that just makes it even more difficult for men to be different or more 'female'.

 

But just like women most men are raised to think they genuinely desire to be the way they're 'supposed' to be. It's a hard topic to discuss too because only (or mainly) those of us who have chosen to go against the standard actually realise that it's coming from the outside and not from ourselves. And of course, if you're happy with the role you have there's no reason to do anything about it... or is there?

 

 

Is there an unfair double standard? Yeah. The problem is I've yet to meet a woman who chose their body hair standards based on societal pressures and a few them do not operate under the philosophy that beauty is only skin deep (meaning they're a tad shallow).

 

That said I don't think women need to shave as much as they think they do. Maybe just the mustache, but I don't like those on men either.

 

I've met young girls (age 14 to 17 or so... maybe up to 19?) who were convinced that it was their deepest desire to remove all their body hair, and that they would be disgusting if they didn't, but other than that I don't think I've met a woman who didn't shave for only social (and possibly aesthetic) reasons. I mention aesthetic because hairy legs really don't look good with certain types of dresses; of couse one might argue that that is a social standard too, in essence.

[ltc_fireman]

First post but I'm one of the furry ones. I HATE IT but can't afford the multiple laser trmts. I use a mangroomer for my back and just a regular set of trimmers for my chest etc.

 

Don't get mad mods but this product works great for trimming back hair. Its short enough to not be picky but not shaved. I use it weekly and only takes a couple of minutes.

 

www.mangroomer.com

[Procyon]

I just waxed my armpits, go me!!

 

First post but I'm one of the furry ones. I HATE IT but can't afford the multiple laser trmts. I use a mangroomer for my back and just a regular set of trimmers for my chest etc.

 

 

Welcome! Sorry to hear that you hate being furry, but nice that you made your first post.

[Razor]

Oh my sweet lord you waxed your armpits? I'd scream like... well... nevermind. I could deal with wax on non-sensitive parts, but that would just ouch!

 

 

Meh, non-hairy people don't seem to understand how much more difficult hair removal is for hairy people. The difference in thickness and texture of existing hair combined with the relatively greater volume makes for a bitch of a time if you're gonna attempt waxing. Forget doing it yourself unless you're a freak from hell who'd make someone with a hardcore BDSM fetish cry. Not only does it HURT eight thousand million times worse (and I know this because I've waxed places with different amounts of hair, middle of the chest versus side, etc.), but the thickest parts of the hair can cause bleeding if you're not careful about how ya rip. You're gonna wanna go to a pro.

 

No, no, no, no, no shaving chest/back/tummy. BAD. Especially any place you can't see, that's just asking for serious trouble. If you have someone who absolutely loves you more than life itself, or has a fetish, then maybe you're lucky enough to have someone to get the spots you can't see, but otherwise it's not a good idea. That's not even mentioning the rash/razor burn/razor bumps that can be inevitable depending on hair/skin type.

 

 

Now... I was gonna give a good example of an at least semi-hairy guy who is sexy. Here ya go. http://kaniemom.homestead.com/files/__hr_Jake_chest_shot.jpg He is one sexy man, and a shining example of how a guy with body hair can make you wanna jump them just as fast, if not even faster, than a guy without. While I do not pretend to know many hairy guys who are hot like that... I wish I did. ~drool~

[Bandage]

Oh my sweet lord you waxed your armpits? I'd scream like... well... nevermind. I could deal with wax on non-sensitive parts, but that would just ouch!

Ouch, indeed :wacko:

 

No, no, no, no, no shaving chest/back/tummy. BAD. Especially any place you can't see, that's just asking for serious trouble. If you have someone who absolutely loves you more than life itself, or has a fetish, then maybe you're lucky enough to have someone to get the spots you can't see, but otherwise it's not a good idea. That's not even mentioning the rash/razor burn/razor bumps that can be inevitable depending on hair/skin type.

What would you do if you had hair between your lower 2 cheeks? Personally I hate that patch down there, so I try to shave it, lol. And I don't think I'll ever have enough courage to lay with my bum in the air and let someone laser that hair away there... *Shudders*

 

Well, maybe good question for others; what do you do with that patch of hair? lol

 

Now... I was gonna give a good example of an at least semi-hairy guy who is sexy. Here ya go. http://kaniemom.homestead.com/files/__hr_Jake_chest_shot.jpg He is one sexy man, and a shining example of how a guy with body hair can make you wanna jump them just as fast, if not even faster, than a guy without. While I do not pretend to know many hairy guys who are hot like that... I wish I did. ~drool~

Jake Gyllenhaal is hot

Well, personally I don't really mind body hair, I even think it's masculine! But some patches, like between the lower cheeks, is just unhygenic, and in the armpits it shouldn't be able to poke someone's eye out.

And beards I don't like either, lol! A stubble is great, but whenever it gets longer than 1 cms it's just gross...

[Demetz]

I shave that patch of hair... franklly its just more hygenic.

 

You want a horror story? I was with a guy who hadn't ever shaved down there. Cock-blocked by a patch of fur.

 

not cool