hair right

On September 5, 1698, Peter I established a tax on beards. And yet he failed to eradicate this fashion. Today, the beard is in trend. Why? We found 5 reasons why men value the right of hair so much.

Their attitude to their hairline is ambiguous: they destroy one part of it with a razor, and, on the contrary, carefully protect the other from falling out. But in any case, control over his vegetation allows a man to feel power – over the body … and over the world.

Once upon a time, men paid little attention to their hair, assigning it rather a social function: a mustache symbolically denoted maturity, and a beard symbolized wisdom. Over time, shaving came into fashion, barbers appeared, the prototypes of modern men’s spas, where you could not only part with your stubble, but also tidy your hair, shape your beard or trim your mustache. Then the men for the most part switched to self-service, visiting hairdressers just to get their hair cut. Shaving has become a routine yet highly gendered and intimate daily ritual. With the seeming simplicity of the gesture, it is precisely the parting with the bristles that distinguishes a man from a woman and turns a teenager into a young man. Since childhood, boys have been watching their father shave, realizing that this is precisely what distinguishes him from his mother (all other intimate subtleties will be revealed later). In the mind of a teenager, a razor is a weapon for the struggle for independence and masculinity. That is why few men admit women to this sacred ritual. “For my first wedding anniversary, my wife gave me a set of shaving products,” says 30-year-old Nikita emotionally. – You might think that I had shaved something wrong before that! How does she know what suits me?”

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History of the beard

After many years of fashion for clean-shaven faces, the vegetation on men’s cheeks and chins has regained relevance. The beard has ceased to be the privilege of people of art, prickly cheeks are allowed in offices and are quite combined with a business suit. Stubble makes young faces more masculine and rejuvenates mature men, giving them a relaxed look. But only on the condition that this nascent beard is well looked after. This trend has returned the former popularity of barbers, whose service and tariffs have become much more luxurious than those of the barbers of the past. There are luxury shaving salons in London, New York, and Moscow. And in perfume shops there are more and more novelties. “Every month we receive several unusual mustache and stubble products – I even began to think about growing a beard to experience their effect,” admits Marie Claire beauty editor Ivan Bezugly. “For example: what is the difference between a beard shampoo and its analogue for the head?”

With a mustache?

Until recently, the mustache was one of the signs of male authority … and a patriarchal society – it is not without reason that most dictators (Stalin, Hitler, Franco, Pinochet, Saddam Hussein) were mustachioed. Maybe that’s why mustaches have long been out of fashion in the West. True, in Paris there is a “Mustache Club”, which has taken as its motto the old German proverb: “A kiss without a mustache is like soup without salt.” Mustaches are considered by members of this community to be “an ornament, a horizon line, a lightning bolt that makes you stand out from the dark.” And they are not alone: ​​upper lip hair has become popular among young hipsters. But it should not be just regrown hair: advanced young men tirelessly work on the unusual shape and density of their mustaches, trying to stand out from the crowd. Sociologist Jean-Didier Urbain believes that today the beard and mustache have become an accessory that paradoxically “feminizes” the man who flaunts them. After all, constant care for them in front of the mirror is somewhat similar to the female application of makeup.

Shave who can

He can take risks on the stock exchange, jump with a parachute and walk alone on a bear, but when he sees a few hairs on his pillow in the morning, he feels real panic. The fear of baldness is one of the main male fears. But why? “Thick hair has always been considered an indicator of strength and endurance, not only physical, but also sexual,” says psychologist Gérard Bonnet. – Therefore, the fear of baldness is associated with the fear of loss of potency. Let us remember the misadventures of the biblical Samson, who lost his power when Delilah cut off his hair.” True, endocrinologists have long proved that an excess of male hormones plays a significant role in male pattern baldness. Therefore, the owners of baldness should not have problems with potency (if they are not caused by other reasons). But stereotypes are strong. And in the minds of society, a forty-year-old man with thick hair seems sexier and more dynamic than a bald thirty-year-old who has a harder time both in personal and professional spheres. Early balding young men move up the career ladder more slowly than those who have no problems with hair.

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Surprisingly, shaved bald men instantly part with the reputation of a weakling. The shaved skull brings to mind the harsh world of barracks and colonies. As well as about the inner power of Buddhist monks. Bald people have their heroes: Yul Brynner or Zinedine Zidane, Fedor Bondarchuk or Nikolai Valuev, Jason Statham or Bruce Willis. There is even an international club of bald men Brutalmen, which has branches in Russian cities. Its main goal is “the worldwide development of the idea of ​​​​bald brotherhood”, as well as defending the rights of those who, due to nature or personal choice, have lost their hair.

There is a remedy

For those who are not ready to put up with baldness, there are many ways and means of preserving hair, from shampoos and masks to therapeutic lotions and vitamin complexes that reduce the rate of hair loss. Mesotherapy solves this problem most radically (microinjections of therapeutic cocktails into the scalp). The procedure is unpleasant, but the suffering pays off with interest. A well-composed cocktail can stop even catastrophic hair loss. Men are the main adepts of this technique. Rubbing serums, doing massages and masks seems to them a frivolous-lady’s entertainment. But the syringe, injections and pain are quite brutal. Moreover, the result is obvious. “I noticed that my hair was thinning,” recalls Alexander Malenkov, editor-in-chief of Maxim magazine. – I realized that I did not want to be bald, and went to the specialists. He took prescribed drugs, rubbed something into his head, endured a course of mesotherapy. Finasteride injections gave the best effect. I have been doing this regularly for almost 10 years. The hair was restored and became even thicker. I take the course regularly. But you don’t have to choose: either a comfortable bald head, or painful curls. Alexander believes that in the near future there will be a technique that will solve the problem of baldness once and for all.

Without hair

Getting rid of excess body hair – epi- and depilation – is widespread among gays. But for heterosexuals, these are rather situational procedures. For example, they are resorted to to tame too lush vegetation or, conversely, when it is uneven. “I was always oppressed by several bunches on the sides of the chest, which stood alone away from the general mass of hair,” says 25-year-old Dmitry. – Girls no, no, yes, and they made caustic remarks about this. One of them jokingly advised me to do depilation. I tried. Was pleased with the result. I got used to making it myself with wax strips. Athletes do total body hair removal more often: swimmers, in order to glide better in the water, cyclists, in order to heal abrasions faster, bodybuilders, emphasizing the relief of muscles. Another reason for parting with hair is gray hair, which betrays age. As for methods, men prefer to act thoroughly. They prefer wax and paraffin to a razor and depilatory cream. And some solve this problem once and for all with the help of a course of laser and photoepilation. And thus they add confidence in controlling their body. And that means self-confidence.