Should men shave their armpits?

dbelinfante said:

Shaving of armpits (or even entire bodies, which is also becoming fashionable) for men is an attempt to look less masculine, perhaps boyish, perhaps even feminine. It is why the term metrosexual was invented.

Click to expand...

Its birth has little to do with men shaving body hair so much as it has to do with men caring more about how they look and smell and taking pride in they're apearance.

dbelinfante said:

Hygiene has nothing to do with it. You are not more clean, you do not smell less bad with shaven armpits. It is a pretense for wanting to look and feel like a girl.

Click to expand...

I totaly agrea that it doesnt change how one smells though it does lessen it a bit as the bacteria doesnt have the hair to live in and only has the skin and pores to inhabit. What I totaly disagrea with is the idea that it is so that a man can look more like a woman wich is a broad sweeping generalization for a miniscule group of men and women that have a fetish for wanting to look like the opposite sex or to resemble prepubesent teenagers.

I personaly have shaved my arm pits because I have always been a hard worker and sweaty armpit hair iritates my skin and the comfort of not having it is worth the discomfort of shaving. I also shave other area's for the same reason and when your as hairy a guy as I am and work as hard as I do it is not a pleasant feeling to have any body hair get yanked out by the roots when it gets caught up in clothing specialy when its in a sensitive area.

That being said there are pro's and cons to men shaving more than they're faces such as the dirogitory comments made in questioning they're sexuality and masculenity. Theres also the issues of shaving the pits correctly as any woman can atest to what happens when you shave against the grain of the hair. And if you a guy who shaves other non public locations then theres what happens if you shave to fast and not take your time but an added benefit is that most women are turned on by it and it can make for some great pillow talk.

One last thing, in the athletic world there are sports where men have to shave off all body hair as it can mean the diference of a thousanth of a second in a race or how much harder you have to swim or wether your opponant is able to get a grip on you. Besides that to think that its some cry to be girly is silly, theres some awfully big and hairy gay men out there that would disagrea with you as well.

BlackMagicWoman said:

LOL, I am afraid I wasnt even planned by my parents at that time yet.
But, actually, if I wouldnt wear a bra, too many car accidents would happen

EDIT: and no, I am not a feminist It is not needed anymore

Click to expand...

Hehehe, I know this of course, I checked your profile

Hope you took no offence, just my type of humor lol.

BlackMagicWoman said:

I am not a feminist It is not needed anymore

Click to expand...

I resent that comment!

As an active NO MA'AM (National Organisation Against Amazonian Masterhood) supporter and T-shirt owner, I will now put forward our official stance on feminism.

"SUPPORT FEMINISM! HAIRY WOMEN NEED LOVE TOO!".

Thank you.

Dom_sufc said:

Hehehe, I know this of course, I checked your profile

Hope you took no offence, just my type of humor lol.

Click to expand...

Hehe, no offence taken, I am not that rigid.

ViagraFalls said:

I resent that comment!

As an active NO MA'AM (National Organisation Against Amazonian Masterhood) supporter and T-shirt owner, I will now put forward our official stance on feminism.

"SUPPORT FEMINISM! HAIRY WOMEN NEED LOVE TOO!".

Thank you.

Click to expand...

LOL @ Mr. Al Bundy

BlackMagicWoman said:

Personally, I prefer men that shave their armpits and if they shave their too, it's even better.
I have nothing against hair on the chest, arms and legs on men. Actually I do find a guy with a bit of stubble much more attractive than a guy that is freshly shaved.
But, IMO, the smelly areas need shaving because hair usually keeps the dust and bacteria very well hidden, even if you shower, some of it still remains.
Hairy armpits are unesthetical as well.
Both genders have hair in those particular areas and I dont see any reason why it is necessary for women to shave it but if a guy does that it becomes unnatural.

Click to expand...

Magic... yoo hoo ... Please snap out of it For the Love of Lootius.

BTW I think women need to remain aware of their facial hair and shave that also... all fun and games isn't it! (Sorry, I was in Iowa today)

TrinketSoul said:

Magic... yoo hoo ... Please snap out of it For the Love of Lootius.

BTW I think women need to remain aware of their facial hair and shave that also... all fun and games isn't it! (Sorry, I was in Iowa today)

Click to expand...

OMG LMAO Trinket! Facial hair on women...now that is nasty! This particular subject should remain a tabu

So let me get this straight, hair on the legs and chest are ok, but not in these other regions. Are men preparing for surgery sexy to you as well? Perhaps shaven forearms are the next trend.

Trimming has the same benefits and allows a man to stay a man. Of course if you like little boys we may have to start another support thread....

Personally I'm well groomed and have a habit of over showering.

ViagraFalls said:

Ditto. I don't shave my chest either, though. I did for a while, but it itched like heck. And the Nun likes me hairy there

Click to expand...

YES! And I say ... SHAVE IT .. SHAVE IT ALL (NOT the chest still though )...

you guys like US to shave, why shouldn't we like you to do the same? Hair stinks, it itches and sometimes it looks weird too

Lykke said:

YES! And I say ... SHAVE IT .. SHAVE IT ALL (NOT the chest still though )...

you guys like US to shave, why shouldn't we like you to do the same? Hair stinks, it itches and sometimes it looks weird too

Click to expand...

Hair only itches if you shave it and it has partially grown back... shampoo, deodorant, soap, and normal hygiene should keep it from stinking. In the us it is against the grain for a man to shave anything but his head or beard, unless he is an athlete or an actor. Of course that is at least true in the region I reside, the US is large enough to experience culture shock…

Kyl said:

more hair, more bacteria, more stink

off course some like that smell

i dont, so i shave

Click to expand...

I don't agree.

People smell bad becouse they don't have a bath.

TrinketSoul said:

Hair only itches if you shave it and it has partially grown back... shampoo, deodorant, soap, and normal hygiene should keep it from stinking. In the us it is against the grain for a man to shave anything but his head or beard, unless he is an athlete or an actor. Of course that is at least true in the region I reside, the US is large enough to experience culture shock…

Click to expand...

I don't agree. And how many times a day (and when) do you take a bath? The majority takes a bath in the morning before heading to work/school. But the intimate contact will mostly be in the evening before heading bed. If you take a bath before then, I can only say lucky your girlfriend/boyfriend - unfortunately most people doesn't. I will still say it would be great to have that habit (have it myself), but if you don't, shaving can keep most bad air and other stuff from a whole, busy day away - and your partner would probably be happy too!

Hair is a part of your body to keep out/in bacteria and dust/particles away - mostly from your "open" and sensitive/sweaty parts. Hair will automaticly keep the smell etc. from out and inside coming factors - like sweat, secrets etc. in it. It will get stucked in the hair rather than be "wiped" off, etc. Hair is organic and will keep the smell untill you wash - like skin - but more receptive.

You should try and shave for a periode, just to see what I mean. There is a big difference. Also, who likes to get hair in the mouth?

About the itching - I didn't mean that the hair on me is itching me .. but if the priest had hair, I'm quite sure it would itch me ...and not only beard! I won't get into more details though! I still find chest hair cosy though - aswell as it doesn't bother me, that guys have hairy legs/arms.

BUT as you say, cultures are different. Were I think shaving for girls is feminie but shaving at boys are as much maskulin and shows me they care about their hygiene (which in my world is a MUST!!) - it doesn't mean that it goes for all areas in the world. I have heard, that in "some" areas in the world girls are much more hairy than in others and that guys there actually find it sexy ...

Nevertheless - actually I think shaving or not is a trend In the 70's it was trendy not to shave at all - but to be "natural"

Yep I agree... I actually do shower in the evenings, I can’t stand not sleeping in the cleanest sheets I can keep (personal thing). But as far as hair being on a partner, I was under the impression that the more shaving that is done the more coarse and thick it grows back. So if you save for 20 years then of course you will have a cactus that will be uncomfortable to a partner…I am probably dead wrong about that, but it is something I caught along the way. Some parts of the world people don't shave or bathe for months. They still see natural secretions as a way of fending off disease... Didn't the plague teach anyone anything? This conversation is so subjective to what the social norm is for the regions we reside that I think it is extremely difficult to prove any point here, or to even come to a common ground about what may be acceptable. But it is a funny topic, and interesting to me.

And yes Magic some women do have an extraordinary amount of testosterone and the grow beards... and it is even worse when you realize it is trimmed, tidied, and well kept. ... All I can say about that is Boorum blah....

I personally have never given it any thought.

But I guess, if a guy wants to shave his armpits he is quite free to do so. Whether he should or not is up to him I suppose.

I personally don't care.

safara said:

I personally have never given it any thought.

But I guess, if a guy wants to shave his armpits he is quite free to do so. Whether he should or not is up to him I suppose.

I personally don't care.

Click to expand...

It has been proposed that men shave it all. Going back to the state of being a little boy.

I think taking showers more often and at opportune times during the day is more thoughtful than shaving. It is clearly more hygienic as well, when combined with good grooming. Also, I think this thread has stopped focusing on arm pit hair.

All this shaving talk, what about Waxing??

Cleaner, faster, lasts longer.... yea, it hurts like a bitch at first, but hey, thats the price you pay for beauty .

It all depends on How Hairy the guy is ( no offense, I'm not into hairy guys), if your talking about excessive hair, like on your chest, shoulder, back, ass, then waxing can be a good option, shaving is not a good option imo, it can causes rashes once the hair starts rubbing against your clothes, itching, bumps, not to mention the stubble afterwards can be unpleasant, not to mention, unsexy..

I think as long as the guy has daily showers, trims regulary, apply deodorant, shouldn't be much of a problem...

But, a hairless guy also seems too boyish, but I don't agree that a guy should shave their armpit, it gives him a slight masculine look, dont shave your legs either... a guy with a bit of hair is good, but I wouldn't want to date a monkey either, so a bit of balance... a guy that is willing to have a bikini wax, has my respect... from a girls perspective, it can be quite pleasant and encourage certain, erhhmm... activities

Waxing imo, is more hygienic than shaving... not to mention, more long-term.
Plus... if you want to get rid of hair "forever", there is always Laser .

Well I shave it off coz it makes me feel better (no crowd there under ) and cleaner.

I think taking showers more often and at opportune times during the day is more thoughtful than shaving. It is clearly more hygienic as well, when combined with good grooming. Also, I think this thread has stopped focusing on arm pit hair.

Click to expand...

I think taking shower once a day and after doing some sport is just enough. Actually some argue that in modern society we shower even too much and that it washes some protective oils or something...from our skin.

In any case I dont do it because I need more hygiene but because of the feeling

It has been proposed that men shave it all. Going back to the state of being a little boy.

Click to expand...

Think I heard or read somewhere that Egyptian priests shaved it ALL....

Lolipop said:

Well I shave it off coz it makes me feel better (no crowd there under ) and cleaner.



I think taking shower once a day and after doing some sport is just enough. Actually some argue that in modern society we shower even too much and that it washes some protective oils or something...from our skin.

In any case I dont do it because I need more hygiene but because of the feeling



Think I heard or read somewhere that Egyptian priests shaved it ALL....

Click to expand...

Yes we do shower too often. Also, those Egyptian priests were often eunuchs.

nobody should shave, women who shave smell like salt and jelly. Why are women expected to shave anyhow. Upholding some image that males set upon you. (unless your a buddhist nun or monk trying to be a giant baby)

gero geri said:

nobody should shave, women who shave smell like salt and jelly. Why are women expected to shave anyhow. Upholding some image that males set upon you. (unless your a buddhist nun or monk trying to be a giant baby)

Click to expand...

LOL what kind of girls have you been dating that smell like salt and jelly?? Actually.. Im afraid of knowing...

Why? Maybe because feeling soft and fresh, feels good? Sometimes, women dress up, put makeup on, shave and all that "girly" stuff just to feel good about themselves, not to satisfy the other gender...

In my opinion at least..

gero geri said:

nobody should shave, women who shave smell like salt and jelly. Why are women expected to shave anyhow. Upholding some image that males set upon you. (unless your a buddhist nun or monk trying to be a giant baby)

Click to expand...

mmmm jelly

Lykke said:

I don't agree. And how many times a day (and when) do you take a bath? The majority takes a bath in the morning before heading to work/school. But the intimate contact will mostly be in the evening before heading bed. If you take a bath before then, I can only say lucky your girlfriend/boyfriend - unfortunately most people doesn't. I will still say it would be great to have that habit (have it myself), but if you don't, shaving can keep most bad air and other stuff from a whole, busy day away - and your partner would probably be happy too!

Hair is a part of your body to keep out/in bacteria and dust/particles away - mostly from your "open" and sensitive/sweaty parts. Hair will automaticly keep the smell etc. from out and inside coming factors - like sweat, secrets etc. in it. It will get stucked in the hair rather than be "wiped" off, etc. Hair is organic and will keep the smell untill you wash - like skin - but more receptive.

You should try and shave for a periode, just to see what I mean. There is a big difference. Also, who likes to get hair in the mouth?

About the itching - I didn't mean that the hair on me is itching me .. but if the priest had hair, I'm quite sure it would itch me ...and not only beard! I won't get into more details though! I still find chest hair cosy though - aswell as it doesn't bother me, that guys have hairy legs/arms.

BUT as you say, cultures are different. Were I think shaving for girls is feminie but shaving at boys are as much maskulin and shows me they care about their hygiene (which in my world is a MUST!!) - it doesn't mean that it goes for all areas in the world. I have heard, that in "some" areas in the world girls are much more hairy than in others and that guys there actually find it sexy ...

Nevertheless - actually I think shaving or not is a trend In the 70's it was trendy not to shave at all - but to be "natural"

Click to expand...

Lykke, I am just pissed off right now that I cant +rep you here... You said it all as I would have. I like how you think hehe

Cal said:

So let me get this straight, hair on the legs and chest are ok, but not in these other regions. Are men preparing for surgery sexy to you as well? Perhaps shaven forearms are the next trend.

Trimming has the same benefits and allows a man to stay a man. Of course if you like little boys we may have to start another support thread....

Personally I'm well groomed and have a habit of over showering.

Click to expand...

Yes, u got it exactly. Hair on legs, arms, chest is ok, because those are not smelly parts. Hair not only that keeps well hidden the dust and bacteria but it also keeps the smell, like Lykke said it very well. You can wash as many times as you want; it will still be there. And, personally I prefer someone's real, natural odour. (if the guy is my bf) than smelling some artificial deodorants. But there is a difference between natural odour and alterated, full of bacteria and dust excretions.
And we all know (I hope) that those are the areas where the pheromones are excreted. And we also know how important pheromones are for our sexual life
And, really, if a guy is shaving his armpits he doesnt look like a boy to me. I dont measure manhood by the amount of hair he has on his body. There are much more important aspects.
PS: Mikah, you are very much correct when you say that waxing is much better than shaving but I dont think men are prepared for such a painful step
EDIT: my apologies for double posting

gero geri said:

nobody should shave, women who shave smell like salt and jelly. Why are women expected to shave anyhow. Upholding some image that males set upon you. (unless your a buddhist nun or monk trying to be a giant baby)

Click to expand...

I'm a nun ... !


After reading this again ... I get a little bit on the behalf of the female genger. I would believe that we live in a time were women are able to deside for themselves - even when it comes to shaving or not. Shaving is a real neat feeling and I do it for myself and NOT for the priest (though he enjoy it - and that makes me enjoy it even more). I put up standards to my loves hygiene too - in this case, luckily I don't need to! But that is something I expect as much as a guy might expect the same from me! That has nothing to do about being goody-goody to mens wishes! Women have shaved/waxed since ancient times - and actually - so has men!