Do Women Like My Body Hair?

Men have been confused about what exactly attracts women since the dawn of time. So it’s no surprise that there’s a lot of confusion from us guys surrounding whether women appreciate our natural body hair or would prefer that we look like babies. Let’s answer this question and more as we examine the issue more thoroughly.

Cultural Beauty

The first thing you have to remember is that beauty standards for men and women change with the times. There hasn’t been a single century in human history where the ideal man or woman has looked the same throughout every decade. These things fade and grow into the limelight as culture changes and different images capture the public imagination.

You can see this if you just think back to famous artwork from ancient and classical periods. Consider the appearance of the ideal woman. If you were to look at a painting of a beautiful woman in the time of the Renaissance, chances are she would be significantly curvier than many guys’ ideal women of today, which are usually slimmer by comparison.

By the same token, the ideal man has changed significantly over time. One need only look at Michelangelo’s David to see what the Renaissance folks fought the perfect man should look like: hugely muscular, tall but stocky in build, and (surprisingly!) with a small, er… lance!

So asking whether women like your body hair is approaching the question from the wrong angle. What you have to ask is whether modern women appreciate body hair on men they find attractive.

Modern Tastes

To answer that, you have to consider what male icons have dominated popular culture over the past few decades. This will give you an idea about what modern masculine beauty is like for heterosexual women. So let’s do that. Since the 1980s, male aesthetic perfection has been largely dominated by Hollywood stars and the proliferation of consumer magazines. The 80s were the time when popular male action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone dominated the silver screen. We all know exactly what the Terminator looks like!

But muscles are only part of the equation, and not a particularly mysterious one. After all, women have always liked muscles on their men. What about body hair?

Actually, the 80s and the rise of bodybuilder popularity has contributed significantly to the way that body hair tastes have slanted over the years. Bodybuilders and movie action stars, whether they’re Arnold Schwarzenegger or the more recent Chris Evans (from Marvel’s Captain America movies), are ripped: no surprise. But you’ll also notice, when you think about it, that the majority of male action stars have shaved chests.

Why is this? It’s the same reason that bodybuilders often shave almost all of their body hair, and especially body hair over the main parts they’re showing off to the audience. Body hair gets in the way of noticing muscle contours and all the work the man did to make himself look particularly ripped and cut.

These days, all of the most attractive male celebrities and pop stars have shaved bodies much more completely than their forefathers would have done. In fact, you can think back to action stars from the 70s and see this distinction. Tom Selleck, who was most popular in the 60s and 70s, had a hairy chest that movies love to show off with low-cut shirts. Even Harrison Ford’s body hair was put on display for the women in the audience of his movies.

But after the 80s, it became much more popular to shave your body hair and show off all the work you did to obtain a sculpted body that the ancient Greeks could’ve been proud of. These days, the trend has continued. Modern action stars like Henry Cavill and Chris Pratt will only ever be seen with their shirts off if they’ve shaved away their body hair.

Does This Mean Women Don’t Like Body Hair?

Not at all! Examining the most popular male physiques of our time will also reveal some detail within these preferences. While chests and abdomens are usually shaped mostly or completely smooth, the vast majority of men don’t bother shaving way all of their body hair on their legs or arms.

This makes sense since the hair there tends to be thinner and lighter than the stuff we men grow on our chests and backs. So it's harder for the camera and any observer to see arm or leg hair unless your body hair is particularly dark already.

You also have to consider the sexual angle of things. For a lot of men and women, what attracts them about the opposite sex are physical characteristics that are the opposite of what they already have. As an example, women like guys with broad shoulders: a physical feature they tend to not have. On the flip side, men like women with wide hips: another thing that they themselves do not possess.

Women naturally grow less body hair than men, and what they do grow is lighter and thinner overall, with the possible exception of the pubic region. So it’s no surprise that, when asked, women prefer some body hair on men, just not a lot.

There have been several informal studies on this point, across many websites and publications. Men’s Journal, as an example, asked women whether they liked body hair. While the majority said they appreciate body hair, most of them also had qualifications, detailing that the body hair couldn’t be overwhelming.

The New York Times also asked women if they preferred their men clean-shaven or with a little bit of scruff on their bodies. Once again, the results showed that women prefer some body hair instead of none or too much.

Where Do Women Like Body Hair?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many women appreciate men who trim their pubic areas or shave them smooth entirely. According to some, it helps men and women think of a guy’s package as larger. But women appreciate body hair on a guy’s arms and legs, and even some on his chest if it’s not super thick or like a carpet.

Ultimately, it seems that the area in which you have body hair doesn’t matter nearly as much as what that body hair looks and feels like. A little body hair, properly maintained, shows maturity and can look attractive even if it’s on the chest. But the most muscular chest covered by jungle-like body hair will likely not earn you any favors in the bedroom.

Clean Body Hair Above All

Above all, women tend to stress that any body hair that isn't properly cleaned is a big issue and is an immediate turnoff. Whether it’s hair on your face, chest, or in your pubic region, your body hair needs to be as immaculately and thoroughly cleaned and trimmed just like the hair on your head.

This often involves using the best hair cleaning products you can find, including the Chassis Shower Primer. This 5-in-1 hair and skin solution is an ideal formula that deep cleans and eliminates odor from your pubic region and across the lower regions of your legs and waist. It’ll also help to moisturize your hair and reduce any chafing, which can be helpful if you’re a runner or do lots of leg exercises.

A good shower primer, combined with anti-sweat solutions like deodorant and high-quality powder, will help you look and smell your best, both during the day and in the event you get lucky with a lady friend. It’s a good idea to make thoroughly cleaning your body hair all across your body a regular part of your routine if you haven’t already.

You should also give some thought to trimming, especially around the pubic region. Many women in the above-referenced studies said that they didn't appreciate wild bushes down there. Do yourself and her a favor and keep things controlled. If you don’t want to shave all the way (we don’t blame you – that’s a sensitive area to take a blade!), use scissors and carefully trim away your pubic hair so it’s not completely wild.

Shaving your chest is a lot easier than you might think if you decide to give it a try. You can use the same razor you utilize for your facial shaving routine and it doesn’t take too long after your first try. Who knows? Maybe you’ll appreciate being able to see your pectoral muscles more clearly and your significant other will get a nice surprise the next time she’s over!

Conclusion

All in all, the truth about body hair lies in the details, like with many things about female preferences. Some body hair can be extremely attractive to women, provided that it’s clean and trimmed to perfection. When in doubt, it’s a good idea in this day and age to shave away excess body hair, as it’s simply not in style to look like Tom Selleck at the moment.

But who knows? Maybe that will change in the next few decades.