Keeping clean, tidy with manscaping: No more furry beast

Everyone jokes about it. Merely mention it and people will giggle. But "manscaping," a term used to define the grooming of male body hair, is a reality.

For those who missed the metrosexual wave, guys have caught on to taking care of themselves by having their nails manicured, eyebrows waxed, relaxing facials and even body hair removal.

Movies like "American Wedding" even bring the idea to the big screen when Jason Biggs' character trims himself for his bride-to-be. With Web sites like manscaping-101.com, dedicated to helping guys stay in top condition, the art of "manscaping" has become a household term that's ever more present in today's society.

"I am a very well-kept person," junior Tommy Dennis said. "I believe there is such a thing as having too much [body hair] and if you do it right, there is such a thing as having enough."

Dennis said he comes from a family of hairy men and that, as a teenager, he tried to let his body hair grow. But, it got out of control, becoming a nuisance. Now, Dennis said he shaves his chest and trims his underarm hair to keep things in order.

"In my early teenage years before I started trimming and manscaping; I went to the bathroom and my zipper kind of caught some of the hair," he said. "And it wasn't a very pleasant feeling. It hurt like hell."

"As a personal preference I do trim my private areas. I feel a lot cleaner doing it," Dennis said.

Senior Max Henscheid said he trims his torso hair because it can get grizzly at times.

"I feel that you should trim it much as if it were the hair on your head," Henscheid said.

While some men choose to tidy up their body hair for themselves, others do it to become more attractive to the opposite sex.

Freshman Desarae Valdez said she appreciates well-groomed men and encourages the practice.

"I've come to the conclusion that all men have ass hair," Valdez said. "There's really no getting around that. When I see certain men with excessive amounts of body hair, it makes me believe in the theory of evolution."

Even though she accepted the inevitability of male body hair, she prefers a guy who keeps himself trimmed. Although Valdez claims to have friends who like chest hair on men, she is not one of them.

Valdez also said since women spend time shaving their legs, underarms and other regions, guys should put a little effort into maintaining their body hair, as well.

"I think it should be trimmed at the least," she said. "If there's a lot of hair down there I feel like it's dirty. It would be a huge turnoff if they never trimmed it. If I really liked the guy, I would probably just point it out like a joke and tell him I'll help him shave it or wax it for you, or [tell him] we can go get a wax together."

Freshman Toni Monette said body hair on a man is attractive, but looks are only a small part of what attracts her.

"I would probably still date him, though." Monette said. "And tolerate it if all of the other areas were good. If he shaved all of his hair off, it would be kind of strange."

For those who do "manscape," Dennis feels that only a certain amount of time should be spent on keeping things trimmed.

"There are too many things to worry about rather than 'did I shave properly today?'" Dennis said. "Women like a little ruggedness, and a girl doesn't want to feel like she was touching a baby."

Others feel that not enough time is devoted to "manscaping" for most men.

Valdez said she was at a party when a guy decided to moon the camera as a picture was being taken.

"Everyone was just so mortified by the amount of butt hair that he had that no girl would talk to him for the rest of the night," Valdez said. "It was really unattractive. He was a pretty attractive guy, too."

Whether lots of hair is your thing or a modest trim suits you better, the idea of "manscaping" is a debate for both sexes to compromise on. One thing is for sure: it will be a topic of discussion for years to come.

Jared Spence
http://www.unogateway.com/