Our Great Hair Debate
How is it that, in our western society, the concept of a good body doesn't just come from a well-toned physique, good skin, and maybe a suntan? Oh, no! Particularly if you're a woman, it all means absolutely nothing if you're not fuzz free.
Remember the lovely Julia Roberts at the premier of "Notting Hill"? Everyone thought she looked just stunning in that sexy scarlet dress! But, when she lifted her hand to wave to the crowd the world was shocked! Could that really be hair under her arm? Men groaned in disappointment and disgust. Women gasped in horror and disbelief. And the media went into a flash frenzy.
Oddly, we seem to have an ambivalent attitude toward our hair, pampering and preening the stuff on top of our heads while shaving, waxing, zapping, and plucking it from every other part of our bodies.
I was at the spa the other day, yep—you guessed it, having my legs waxed. The therapist told me waxing is the most popular of all the treatments they offer. Even more interesting, she also told me, many men are now succumbing to body depilation. But wait, before you determine to bravely de-fuzz your entire body, how is it that we find hair on certain parts of the body so unattractive? Is it because we perceive our bodies to be more attractive and desirable in a hairless and innocent state? Ok, but then, how many of us have partners who are actually sexually attracted to a prepubescent? Since body hair is a product of testosterone, maybe that's why it's often considered masculine? So, when a woman removes her body hair maybe it serves to exaggerate the differences between the sexes? But then, bearing that in mind, surely a beard is the ultimate symbol of masculinity. So, why do so many men shave their faces? Of course facial hair on women is the biggest no-no of them all. We all know that. Yet, Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo's husband, Diego, loved her moustache. In fact once, after one of their many fierce and fiery arguments, she shaved it off just to spite him!
More women have excessive facial hair, or think they do, than you might think. Approximately 20 million American women remove facial hair at least once a week, according to research done by Bristol-Myers, a manufacturer of health and grooming products.
What about when a man removes hair from his body? Why does he do it? Is he perhaps, subliminally, trying to distance himself from his ape ancestors? (I tell, you I see a few missing links down at the beach each summer.) Ok, but then, why is hair on a man's chest considered sexy, and hair on his back and neck not?
I guess body hair has its roots (honestly, no pun intended) from the days when a club was something to hit dinosaurs over the head with, rather than somewhere to spent a Saturday night, and men used a woman's hair to drag her off the to nearest cave. Though we no longer need it for warmth and protection, it's going to be a while before we evolve to be hairless—at least a few millions years. So, maybe all these oddities are something we just need to learn to live with?I leave you to ponder.
Footnote: Ok, and if any of you men out there have ever had back, crack and sack wax, I would love to hear all about it—in detail, please.
2 comments:
I think it may be simpler than that, Alex. In the case of men viewing women's hair, it's just like any other secondary sex characteristic -- it's a "vive la difference" thing.
Men are turned on by women at their most feminine. Plump breasts, curvy hips, and lack of body hair (compared to men!) are all likely to tug on that part of the male lizard brain that can't be denied. Anything a woman does to emphasize these will tug just that little bit harder.
So shaving body hair makes women look less like men and therefore more like women, is all.
Now you'll answer that of course women DO have body hair in their armpits, etc. Well, yes, they do. But much less of it than men do. So men whose brains are wired to "vive la difference" will see those with less of it to be more feminine. And those with none at all, by extension, will be really good for those men.
Why then do women get shocked seeing Julia's hairy pits? That's not a sexual anthropology thing any more, that's plain old cultural. It's fashion, plain and simple, and will differ in different countries and times. But I think you'd find that any grooming technique that makes men and women look more different will recur over and over throughout history as "sexy".
Paradoxically, the opposite is also true. Some people are turned on by androgyny for whatever reason (because everything you can think of is someone's turn-on). So I think that explains the lesser but vocal groups who like moustaches on women, or shaved body hair on men.
Wow this went on longer than I expected. But it's my theory, it's mine, and I invented it myself.
Best,
Clevernick.
P.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn26VBFMKt0
Post a Comment