Where do you draw the line? photo: stevestenzel.com
It's bandied about quite a bit despite being one of those subjects that no real man would ever discuss. Manscaping, birthed from the era of "Friends," lives on, surviving such trends as Sensitive New Age Guys (SNAGs), Metrosexuals and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Even though we men didn't know it was necessary to trim, tweeze, pluck or wax, you know, places until the mid to late 90s, it certainly seems to be one of those things that just won't go away.
Is all this fussing about with hair and skin just something we do to attract mates or is there something more to it? To manscape or not, really could give men a clue about who we are and where it is we see ourselves fitting in this society where being the tall, dark loner isn't all it once was cracked up to be.
Like a lot of guys, I am seriously on the fence about this activity. I'm a big fuzzy dude so manscaping of any description can be a daunting prospect. Where do I start? - and more importantly - Where do I stop?
Do you consider a haircut a form of manscaping?
How about a trim of the beard or mustache?
Are you a chest shaver? If so, why?
Do you keep your, um, house in order?
How about the mani or pedi or the mani-pedi? What do you think about that?
When we do these things, do we do them for someone else or are we doing them for ourselves or is the answer somewhere in between?
I want to hear from you, dear readership. What is your position on this supposedly unmanly activity?
Comments
I used to trim the fuzz on my belly hoping it would grow back thicker. It did. I dunno if trimming it really CAUSED that, mind you, but that's my context for a lot of this discussion: sometimes a trim is a good thing. Also, when my eyebrows started going crazy in my early forties, dang, I got over my reluctance to groom "too much." I'd rather trim once in a while than have a long eyebrow hair getting into my field of vision, and the little buggers WILL do that.
I'll run the clippers over the bush once in a great while if I feel like it, and I won't if I don't. I'd rather not obsess about grooming or about *not* grooming. ;-)
I've reached the age where my eyebrows and ears require a little maintenance when I get a haircut, but I'm otherwise opposed to any sort of manscaping. My husband is a hairy fellow, but we both like that sort of thing...I mean, we're both men, attracted to men. I don't want him to a plucked, waxed, fussy castro queen who is more feminine than masculine.
I'm a big fuzzy guy myself and the only manscaping I do is trim my beard once and a while. Maybe pluck a out of place eyebrow but that's it. I do however enjoy giving a pedi to my lover. It can get very erotic and I know he enjoys it... When I first met him I noticed he used Nair down there and was really smooth. Some guys like body hair and other like me perfer to floss in the bathroom not the bedroom.
I pluck any hairs growing from my ears (and the occasional one on my nose) 'cause those I find highly unattractive on other men.
I dye my beard because I have an asymmetrical "skunk stripe" and I got tired of being called Cruella. Gay men can be so mean!
I once totally shaved my partner's body as part of an s/m scene, but HATED how itchy he was to cuddle for months afterward as the hair grew back in, before it got long enough to get soft again. I've never done that again.
I'm glad that as I've gotten older I've continued to get hairier, getting hair on my shoulders and a little on my upper back. I wish I was even hairier.
Fish! Ever seen the Philips manscaping video? I think it's the MAIN reason men manscape...the optical inch! Google Optical Inch Philips...hilarious...
I approach manscaping like I do landscaping.
You wouldn't want your lawn to be over run with tall grass and weeds, so you mow it from time to time to keep it tidy. However don't go overboard, no one wants to see a house with a grass-free dirt lot as the front yard.
If I was allowed by employer, I would grow all my facial and head fur to terminal length. I love to see men with an abundance of hair all over. Some men carry off the shaved head look as well, but please at least have some facial fur to play with. If ya got it, flaunt it.
At 26, I have push-brooms for eyebrows, so I trim them monthly, at least. I also keep the shrubbery in-check so that it doesn't grow bigger than the tree. For me, it's not about being vain so much as it's necessity for reasons I will not go into in this forum.
I like to tidy up the loose ends.
But not too much. I think a man should make every effort to look like he didn't make any effort looking tidy.
I am a big furry bear with a huge beard and think that it is a travesty to cut, trim, or otherwise molest any hair below the neck.
I get my hair cut and trim my beard a bit. I also try to keep the hair from growing out of my ears and nose -- other than that I don't trim or cut anything.
I keep my nails very short and I use an emery board every weekend on them. I have gotten pedicures a couple of times, but that was mostly because I was lazy and was wearing out my socks.
The day is coming where a man having hair on his body will be the rage again. When that happens I will laugh at those who used electrolysis to have all their hair removed to look smooth as a baby's butt.
I have trimmed my eyebrows for years. The unibrow that crosses unbroken is not my style.
As to other areas. I remember that when you went to Club Med, they used to say if you didn't show at least an inch of hair when you put on your swimsuit it covered to much. It never was a problem for me to do so; still isn't.
Manscaping is the feminization of the male sex, plain and simple. We're being neutered by a culture that insists that men shouldn't have body hair. Nonsense. Body hair, facial hair, back hair -- it's our franchise. Don't give it up.
Manscaping is such a virulent topic that finally came out of its closet -- There was just never any _public_ talk about what men did with scissors or trimmers below their necks. But it was happening. And all the fear and shame and secrecy got safely lumped (and hidden) in the accepted phrase as simply 'Men's Grooming' - and beyond that Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Some dabbled perhaps once a year, others practiced the Manscape Art in long sessions in private bathroom indulgences. Well, at least we can TALK about it now. IN PUBIC. Er.... I meant Public.
Ok so plain and simple I am a fuzzy cub with many years ahead of maintaining my furry figure. truth is I recently started to shave due to beach standards. Guess what Guys if you are fuzzy all over, flaunting it on a beach is not exactly "hot". So through my experience many more eyes have traveled my way due to my new appearence...what can I say Mack 3 worked for me!!!
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