Acquired Tastes, XXXV: Shaving / Manscaping

Introduction:

This week the internet was abuzz about Olympian Tom Daley's body.  Apparently he showed up at some diving event sporting a goodly amount of razor burn covering his pristinely honed form.  People were aghast.  First off, that he would appear in public in that condition and secondly that he shaves/manscapes as much as he does. 

Shaving hair is helpful when swimming, but not necessary for diving, so, clearly, his choice to take razor to flesh is a personal cosmetic preference and not business-related.

That said, the dude is fine looking in a speedo, so what’s it to you?

It seems there are those who believe that men have taken this whole metrosexual/Queer-Eye-for-Straight-Guy thing too far.  Opponents of manscaping exclaim it to be unnatural and un-masculine.   Clearly these are people who have never gone down on a full bush of wild man fluff only to come up with a big mouthful of pubes.  It gets to the point where you don’t feel like you’re actually deepthroating a dude, so much as flossing.

And don’t get me started on what an easy comedic target men with back hair are in this society.  Personally, I don’t get the joke; hell, hair happens.

So, let’s trim back our skepticism, lather up some enthusiasm, sharpen our focus, and take a swipe at:

Shaving / Manscaping

Scope of Activity:

Gay men shaving/buzzing/manscaping their body hair.

The Official Line:

From Wikipedia

Shaving is the removal of hair, by using a razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down to the level of the skin. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove their leg and underarm hair. A man is called clean-shaven if he has had his beard entirely removed.

Many men in Western cultures shave their facial hair, so only a minority of men have a beard, even though fast-growing facial hair must be shaved daily to achieve a clean-shaven or hairless look. Some men shave because they cannot grow a ‘full’ beard (generally defined as an even density from cheeks to neck), because their beard color is different from their scalp hair color, or because their facial hair grows in many directions, making a groomed look difficult. Some men shave because their beards are very coarse, causing itchiness and irritation. Some men grow a beard or moustache from time to time to change their appearance.

Men sometimes shave their undercheek hair, chest hair, abdominal hair, leg hair, underarm hair, pubic hair or any other bodily hair. 

Hair removal, also known as epilation or depilation, is the removal of body hair, and describes the methods used to achieve that result.

Hair typically grows all over the human body. Hair can become more visible during and after puberty and men tend to have thicker, more visible body hair than women. Both men have visible hair on the head, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, pubic region, arms, and legs; and men also have thicker hair on their face, abdomen, back and chest. Hair does not generally grow on the palms of the hands, the lips, certain areas of the genital structure, or the soles of the feet.

Forms of hair removal are practiced for a number of reasons, including cultural, sexual, medical and religious. Forms of hair removal have been practiced in almost all human cultures. The methods used to remove hair have varied in different times and regions, but shaving is the most common method.

Psychological Aspects:

Our society has perpetuated the idea that body hair equals manliness or increased masculinity.  How many times were you told as a boy to eat something because it would put hair on your chest?  Body hair is therefore equated with being ‘a man’.

The sprouting of fur where there was no fur before is a part of growing up.  At some point – like when it starts springing out of your ears – it becomes a sign of growing old. 

Some try to turn back the hands of time by trimming and shaving, seeking an almost prepubescent look.   It’s easier to play ‘the boy’ if your body hair reflects that.  Some dom tops prefer their ‘boys’ to be as clean shaven as possible.

I must confess, I’ve never understood those who advertise on-line in their profile that they only hook up with smooth (men without body hair) men.  But then, these also tend to be those ageist individuals who are over the age of 30, but will only play with those under the age of 24.  I am always suspicious of those that present themselves on-line in this manner, as it creeps me out. As role play?  Not a big deal.  But this is not role play.  

Is it because they are afraid of real men (men their own age)? Do they find it easier to take advantage of/dominate/manipulate younger men?  It always strikes me as a rather predatory preference.  I’ve asked them.  They get offended.  They get nasty and bitchy about it.  They tell me that younger men are all they are attracted to.  But… what is that attraction REALLY about?  I find it creepy.

Precautions / Tips / Myths

Razor Burn is a common problem, especially among those who shave coarse hairs on areas with sensitive skin like the bikini line, pubic hair, underarms, chest, and beard. The condition can be caused by shaving too closely, shaving with a blunt blade, dry shaving, applying too much pressure when shaving, shaving too quickly or roughly, or shaving against the grain.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae is a medical term for persistent inflammation caused by shaving. It is also known by the initials PFB or colloquial terms such as "razor bumps."

Cuts from shaving can bleed for about fifteen minutes.

Common methods used to stop shaving-induced bleeding include:

• pressing any simple alcohol onto the cut until the bleeding stops,
• placing a small piece of tissue or toilet paper onto the cut,
• applying styptic pencils and styptic liquids,  
• placing a small amount of petroleum jelly on the cut after most of the bleeding has ended
• applying a small amount of aluminum chlorohydrate (commonly found in roll-on deodorants

Shaving in or just after a cold shower can help prevent bleeding because blood flow to the skin is reduced in these conditions due to vasoconstriction caused by the cold water.

Shaving does not cause terminal hair to grow back thicker or coarser or darker.

Hair can also appear darker after it grows back because hair that has never been cut is often lighter due to sun exposure.

In addition, as humans grow older hair tends to grow coarser and in more places on the face and body.  For example, a teenager may start shaving their face or legs at around 16, but as they age hair will start to grow more abundantly and thicker, leading some to believe this was due to the shaving, but in reality is just part of the aging process.

Shaving an area for the first time: buzz first and then shave

Use new(er) razor blades

Don’t press down – allow the razor to do the work

Don’t dry shave – ever

Allow plenty of time – don’t rush

If your skin is sensitive, trim your bikini area – don’t buzz or shave

If you are a bottom and shave around your asshole, then you must shave it daily.  (Dicks are sensitive and chafe easily.)

My Experience:

I appreciate a wide variety of men and really like men with a full chest of hair or a furry ass.  If that hair is black, it is even more appealing.  So I am not fur-phobic.  Far from it.  Even back hair on the right dude is super sexy (Greeks come to mind). 

I don’t know why any man would shave their legs, unless they are a drag queen. 

That whole manly men thing?  I get it and appreciate it.

 

But I shave. 

And I hate shaving.  I hate trimming.  But I feel I don’t have a choice.

Why?

Because I was not blessed with uniform hair that all flows in the same direction.  I was blessed with weird body hair that threatens to go off in directions that make it appear feral.

I like body hair – on others.  I even like the kind of body hair I have on certain others.  But I don’t like my own.  It makes me feel old and unkempt.  I don’t shave everything.  I have no desire to look like a prepubescent boy or a 1980’s male porn star.  Neither of those things have ever done anything for me.  If anything, 1970’s male porn stars possessed the look that appeals to me most – and that is probably due to 1970’s porn being the first porn I was exposed to.  But I do not have 1970’s porn star fur.  I have odd, curly, milquetoast-colored, fur that make it appear that I have sprung springs growing from my flesh.  So I shave some and tame the rest by trimming.

I don’t do my forearms, underarms, or legs.  Probably because I have decided I have to draw the line somewhere (forearms and legs) and the fact that my underarms are simply too sensitive (although I will trim it back from time to time – that stuff gets weird).  

I shave my balls and my ass.  I tried the no-pubes thing, but found that my bikini area was constantly breaking out in razor burn, and that it was just not worth it.  I also shave my neck and shoulders.  It’s easier than trying to buzz them.

I have no desire to shave my head.  I buzz it.

I buzz my chest, abs, and back.  I leave a little treasure trail of fur right down my middle. It’s a look I saw in a photo once and it simply appealed to me.

I trim my pubes, nose hair and ear hair.  Ear and nose hair are my least favorite hairs. I believe they instantly age a person and I find them to be a turn-off on others.

This all started two years ago.  I now spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer (no summer theatre).  Since I work out so much, I have become much more comfortable taking my shirt off in public.  In fact, I am becoming something of a nudist – where safe and possible.  I have always tried to change what I can in order to be as attractive as possible (I don’t have a lot to work with), so shaving and trimming, while a total hassle, seemed to be a small price to pay in order to lay out in the sun in public wearing nothing but a Pistol Pete. 

A side benefit to all this?  I think it’s a lot more difficult to get crabs.  I mean, there is almost nowhere for them to hide and populate.

It’s a pain in the ass – the first time.  That’s why you’re wise to buzz first and then shave new areas.  But now I have it down to a kind of science.  It goes rather quickly, as I constantly remind myself to let the razor do the work and not to rush. 

I like the results.  I don’t know what others think.  I know there are those who like men with scruff and fur, but, for now, I can’t be one of those dudes.  Someday my standards will relax enough (or I will) to just let everything go feral again. 

Schick’s stock price will no doubt do a nose dive that day (I go through a lot of razor blades).

My Conclusion:

It’s a matter of preference.  And patience.  It’s a lot of work.

I think men trim and shave for their own satisfaction and in the hopes of appearing more attractive to others.  But… bottom line? 

Hair happens.