Body grooming is the act of
hair removal
Hair removal, also known as epilation or depilation, is the deliberate removal of body hair or head hair.
Hair typically grows all over the human body and can vary in thickness and length across human populations. Hair can become more visible ...
from the body. For men, this is a part of
male grooming
Male grooming refers to men paying attention to fashion and enhancing their own appearance. This interest has become increasingly apparent in popular culture.
Background and history
By location
According to Statista, by 2024 the global male g ...
.
Grooming today
Today, men and women around the world embrace body grooming as an essential part of their everyday routines. Once an activity limited to the daily morning shave of the face, grooming is now about the whole body from head to toe.
20% of men aged 15 to 90 in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and 50% of men in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
of the same age shave,
wax
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to giv ...
, sugar or trim hair below the neck. For men between 24 and 34 in the U.S., the number jumps to 30% and in Germany, the number reaches 40% among men between 20 and 34 years of age, with numbers still rising.
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
s that cater to the grooming needs of men have opened up all over the world and offer services in a masculine environment that fights the age-old
stigma that waxing and shaving below the neck is just for women.
Grooming through the ages
Historically, body hair has been associated with
virility
Virility (from the Latin ''virilitas'', manhood or virility, derived from Latin ''vir'', man) refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. Virile means "marked by strength or force". Virility is commonly associ ...
, power and attractiveness but the removal of body hair by men is not just a modern-day fad. In fact,
hair removal
Hair removal, also known as epilation or depilation, is the deliberate removal of body hair or head hair.
Hair typically grows all over the human body and can vary in thickness and length across human populations. Hair can become more visible ...
has a traceable history that stretches as far back as
ancient Egypt, where men and women would shave their bodies, heads and faces and
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s ritualistically shaved their bodies every three days.
Back in the 5th century BC, the
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
heralded the young, hairless, athletic man as beautiful while hairy bodies were considered hideous and associated with
satyr
In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, :wikt:σάτυρος, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, :wikt:Σειληνός, σειληνός ), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears ...
s,
barbarian
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...
s and the cult of
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
.
The same ideal male image is found in the
statue of David during the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
, when
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
explored classical imagery. The statue of David caused quite a stir because he signified power and beauty and had both
genitals
A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...
and
pubic hair
Pubic hair is terminal body hair that is found in the genital area of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs and sometimes at the top of the inside of the thighs. In the pubic region around the pubis bon ...
, which had not been seen before.
Between these periods, which favored Greek idealism, were more
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
and hairier times. and the nude male body was seldom depicted.
For much of the late 19th century, long beards were en vogue and hair removal was frowned upon. The 1960s were also a major ‘hair milestone’ as
hippies
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
let hair of all kinds grow wild in contrast to the clean-cut military style during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Hair and hairy chests were signs of
eroticism
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...
and
free love
Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues were the concern ...
.
Women's Liberation
The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism that emerged in the late 1960s and continued into the 1980s primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which effected great ...
was also a factor that influenced contemporary male grooming trends. As
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
led to the objectification of men in the 1960s and 1970s, women began to ogle men, buy ''
Playgirl
''Playgirl'' was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although i ...
'' magazine and attend male
strip show
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exo ...
s for the first time.
During the 1990s, the idea of the perfect man as plucked, amply moisturized,
clean-shaven
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 or otherwise. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove the ...
and devoid of most body hair went mainstream and dominated major media from
fashion magazine
Fashion journalism is a component of fashion media, with a focus on writing and photojournalism. Fashion journalists write about fashion events, trends and have to cultivate and maintain a relationship with stylists and designers. A fashion jour ...
s to
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
. The
metrosexual
''Metrosexual'' is a portmanteau of '' metropolitan'' and ''sexual'' coined in 1994, describing a man of ambiguous sexuality, (especially one living in an urban, post-industrial, capitalist culture) who is especially meticulous about his groomin ...
period also made it socially acceptable for men to shave parts of their body that lay due south of their face and neck.
Reasons for body grooming
Grooming is a matter of personal preference and men have numerous reasons for trimming or removing their body hair. For most men, being well-groomed means being more attractive to possible partners. In addition, men choose to remove body hair for
hygiene
Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
purposes, sporting reasons, to show off their
muscle
Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...
s, enhance the appearance of their body shape, for religious reasons, to express their personal style or to be up to date with the trends.
Body odor
Body odor or body odour (BO) is present in all animals and its intensity can be influenced by many factors (behavioral patterns, survival strategies). Body odor has a strong genetic basis, but can also be strongly influenced by various diseases ...
is also a potentially embarrassing grooming issue and a common reason for trimming or removing body hair. While it’s not the hair itself that smells, body odor is caused by
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
that grow in wet conditions when air is standing still. Hair reduces the amount of air exchange and traps sweat so it can support the growth of odor-causing bacteria.
Trimming or removing body hair, because it can provide a slight competitive edge, has long been popular among competitors in several sports. For
swimmers
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
cyclists
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of Bicycle, cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", ...
, and
track athletes, body hair can slow them down by causing drag or wind resistance.
Wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...
s remove hair so their opponents will have less to grab onto.
Methods of body grooming
When it comes to hair on the face and body, there now exists much variation in how and what a man will groom. It's a personal choice and very individual.
Shaving
Shaving is the most commonly used hair removal technique. However, shaving is also the most temporary hair removal method since shaving cuts hair at the surface of the skin instead of removing hair by its
follicles.
Trimming
Electric trimmer
A hair clipper, often individually called the apparent plurale tantum hair clippers (in a similar way to ''scissors''), is a specialised tool used to cut human head hair. Hair clippers work on the same principle as scissors, but are distinct f ...
s involve shortening hair in certain body areas instead of getting rid of all of it.
Waxing
Waxing involves heated wax that is applied in the direction of
hair growth
The growth of human hair occurs everywhere on the body except for the soles of the feet, the inside of the mouth, the lips, the backs of the ears, the palms of the hands, some external genital areas, the navel, scar tissue, and, apart from eyela ...
over the skin. Hair becomes embedded in the wax as it cools and then quickly pulled off by a cloth or paper strip.
Sugaring
Sugaring is similar to waxing, except that sugaring does not always require strips and it's applied against the hair and removed with the hair for less breakage and damage to hair follicles. Sugar is not hot and there is no need to ever let it cool. By removing the hair in the earliest growth stage (anagen) sugar will help diminish regrowth by letting the follicles naturally shrink.
Tweezing
Plucking hair with
tweezer
Tweezers are small hand tools used for grasping objects too small to be easily handled with the human fingers. Tweezers are thumb-driven forceps most likely derived from tongs used to grab or hold hot objects since the dawn of recorded history. ...
s is an effective way to remove hair but can be very time-consuming. The hair shaft must be long enough to grasp with tweezers.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis
In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...
involves inserting a fine needle into the
hair follicle
The hair follicle is an organ found in mammalian skin. It resides in the dermal layer of the skin and is made up of 20 different cell types, each with distinct functions. The hair follicle regulates hair growth via a complex interaction between h ...
and applying an
electric current
An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is measured as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface or into a control volume. The moving pa ...
to the follicle root. This procedure burns the hair root, theoretically preventing it from producing more hair.
Laser treatment
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...
approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
involves a
laser beam
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...
basically killing the hair follicles. Results depend on
skin pigmentation
Human skin color ranges from the darkest brown to the lightest hues. Differences in skin color among individuals is caused by variation in pigmentation, which is the result of genetics (inherited from one's biological parents and or individu ...
and color of hair.
Depilatories
Depilatories use a chemical called
thioglycolate
Thioglycolic acid (TGA) is the organic compound HSCH2CO2H. TGA is often called mercaptoacetic acid (MAA). It contains both a thiol (mercaptan) and carboxylic acid functional groups. It is a colorless liquid with a strongly unpleasant odor. TGA is ...
mixed with
sodium hydroxide
Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions .
Sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and alkali ...
or
calcium hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca( OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime (calcium oxide) is mixed or slaked with water. It has m ...
to literally melt the hair away.
References
External links
about.com(hair removal methods)
malehair-removal.com(details numerous male body grooming methods)
malehairremoval.net(overview of body grooming methods and products)
simplyhairremoval.com(details on different methods of body hair removal)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Body Grooming
Hygiene
Hairdressing