Immodest floor decoration

In the course of evolution, man got rid of hair on the body: instead of wool protecting from the cold, we got islands of hair in the so-called intimate zones. This is a quirk of nature – representatives of the animal world in these places have almost no wool.

But we do not perceive this vegetation as a natural decoration of our body and strive to minimize it, like fluffy hair on our legs or arms. The hairy body seems to us unkempt, unkempt, wild, as if we are afraid that evolution might turn back.

Puberty certification

In children’s books, furry fairy tale characters lure innocent princesses into their enchanted castles: think of the characters in Beauty and the Beast or Bluebeard. In the psychoanalytic interpretation, the appearance of these hairy characters symbolizes the onset of puberty; they invite the young being to enter the world of adult relationships and developed sexuality.

Around the age of 13, under the influence of hormones, hair begins to grow in the armpits and on the pubis, in boys, under the influence of testosterone, a mustache and fluff on the chin appear. This is an obvious and unconditional sign of masculinity. For example, in the culture of the Middle East, a beardless young man is not considered a man and can live in the female half of the house, but is immediately expelled from there when the first signs of facial hair appear.

So, hair is a secondary sexual characteristic. “In women, hair indicates the location of the genitals, which, unlike men, are not visible, but hidden inside the body,” explains sexologist Naida Dobaeva.

To be a woman

“Hair on the legs is unaesthetic, unfeminine and unsexy,” says 29-year-old Alla. “I don’t believe there are people who like it.” In fact, “visible body hair indicates a high level of testosterone, which is responsible for sexual potential,” explains Naida Dobaeva. “And such women are more temperamental in bed.” Where is the logic?

Why, instead of demonstrating to the surrounding men “I am sexy!” all their densely pubescent body, women seek to get rid of hair? “Another mechanism is at work here,” Naida Dobaeva replies. – A creature with a high level of testosterone is perceived as dominant, aggressive. Such manifestations scare away a man, they are perceived by him as anti-feminine.

This is the same as the “blonde syndrome”, which, according to the saying, is preferred by gentlemen. Light skin and hair are subconsciously interpreted as signs of recessiveness – and, by the way, they are in the wild. A man perceives this as weakness, defenselessness and readiness to “surrender to the mercy of the winner.”

Femininity in this case implies qualities opposite to those of men. Here is how 50-year-old Urya, Algerian, says about this: “A woman should not look like a man, so she does hair removal on her whole body: on her legs, arms, décolleté, everywhere! Before the wedding, her friends take her to the hammam to prepare her for a meeting with a man. From the first day of her marriage, she will have to epilate herself every week.”

For yourself or for others?

So, a woman gets rid of body hair just to become more attractive to a man? Against the background of smooth skin, a small patch of pubic hair becomes even more noticeable. And its unusual shape or a special haircut, according to sexologists, speaks of a desire to make this zone even more noticeable.

Here is how bikini design specialist Irina Dering comments on this: “Most of my clients came to the first session, wanting to surprise their partner, to add an element of piquancy to the relationship. And many of them come back because they enjoy themselves in this new, “aestheticized” version.

Heart-shaped, tiny triangle or latin stripe, salons have entire catalogs of bikini design sketches. “Once I’ve done curly hair removal, I can’t refuse it anymore,” says 32-year-old Inna. “It’s a completely different feeling.

It’s like expensive lingerie, which inspires a special sense of confidence in its femininity, although others do not see it. Now I do it not for a man, but for myself. And the man … at first he is surprised, of course, but on the third or fourth time he simply stops noticing it.

Useful for sex

Psychologist Yulia Fedotova recommends a bikini design session for women who want to refresh their sex life: “Paying special attention to this part of our body, we show love and acceptance of our feminine essence, we become more open to enjoying sex.” Most of those who have resorted to intimate hair removal agree that it really changes the quality of sex.

George, 38, prefers women who leave a minimum of vegetation in this area: “It is much more pleasant during some sexual games and especially oral sex.” Many men even declare that they like intimate epilation “under zero”.

“Firstly, touching bare skin gives stronger tactile sensations,” comments Naida Dobaeva. “Secondly, it is also a visual stimulus: many men experience additional arousal by examining the female genitals – completely open, accessible to the eye.”

beyond the bounds of decency

In most “civilized” countries, a woman showing virgin underarms will be perceived as something shocking. Why is such a natural phenomenon considered “indecent”? It’s all about the associations that this “pseudo-intimate” zone evokes: “Unshaven armpits remind me of a pubis,” says 30-year-old Pavel.

And 50-year-old Alexander, according to him, jars when he sees this: “It’s like she is showing her genitals. This is not appropriate. It’s another matter for men – they naturally have hair almost all over their bodies.” However, Germans, Spaniards or Portuguese women allow themselves to walk with unshaven armpits, defending their right to “naturalness” and not being afraid of judgmental looks.

“It seems to me that we live in a “disinfected” society, where the natural appearance and smell of the body is considered almost unacceptable,” says Natalia, 42, who left Moscow for Barcelona eight years ago. “I don’t find hairy areas either sexy or obscene, for me it’s just a natural feature of the body. And my friend understands me.”

The reverse side of this phenomenon is the “fashion for hair”, or, more precisely, for curly haircut of the armpits. To sparkle with a neatly shaved armpit, in the center of which an oval island of carefully trimmed fur is left, is recognized as “sexy” in Hollywood.

Can armpit hair really turn men on? “Such a woman seems to make her animal nature feel,” Naida Dobaeva answers this question. “On an instinctive level, a man takes this as a sign that a woman is not afraid of wild, unbridled sex, bold sexual experiments.”

Without complexes

A seductive woman, according to accepted ideas, should have impeccably smooth skin. This aesthetic ideal has become so firmly ingrained in our consciousness that many women feel like they have no hands without an epilator or a razor. After suffering a brief separation from these essentials, such as after a hike, the first thing a woman does is retire to the bathroom in order to finally regain her “normal” appearance.

Even cosmetologists admit that here the aesthetic problem often turns into a psychological one. On the one hand, such high-tech hair removal methods as photoepilation are an expensive, but very effective way to get rid of complexes once and for all.

But sometimes “it’s better to leave a light, gentle fluff than to rush into the fight with hair that is almost invisible,” says Elena Egorova, a dermatologist at the Imago beauty clinic. “For vellus hair, a bleaching cream is enough.”

Cultural program

The culture of the body that was formed in antiquity ordered men to remove their hair as well. The aesthetic ideal was the participants of the Olympiads, the wrestlers who removed their body hair and rubbed it with oil to give themselves an additional chance to slip out of the arms of the enemy.

Approximately the same considerations are guided by modern athletes: swimmers remove their hair to reduce water resistance, cyclists – to make it more comfortable to pedal in tight cycling shorts. Do we find a smooth male body more aesthetic or more sexy?

“I like smooth and bulging torsos, like gladiators in Hollywood movies,” says 29-year-old Irina. Men who have a lot of body hair disgust me. Although not all my friends share such tastes. But a few rare hairs on the chest, on the contrary, look funny. As soon as I hinted at this, my friend immediately began to shave off his hair, including under his arms. It seems to me that in men, such attention to their body is a sign of sophistication. ”

Men’s questions

And among men in the duel between nature and civilization, the latter often wins the championship. It’s not just about shaving. Currently, approximately 5% of clients of beauty salons who want to resort to laser or photoepilation are men.

“I believe that hair on the chest, stomach, legs is a sign of masculinity. But a hairy back looks dirty, ”admits Anton, 32, who regularly visits the beauty institute.

“As a rule, they do not want to get rid of all the hair on the body, but only to remove the excess,” says Ekaterina Smolyaninova, laser technology specialist at the Kraftway clinic. – For example, if the facial hair goes too low on the neck and the collar of the shirt causes discomfort. Some want to remove the hair on the phalanges of the fingers or simply “thin out” the lush vegetation on the hands, not doing the full course, but just one or two sessions of photoepilation.

A man wants to leave just enough hair on his body to emphasize masculinity, but not to create an impression of excess. In a word, to turn from King Kong into a full-fledged macho. A few years ago, these were mostly those whose profession involves publicity: actors or politicians.

A special caste is represented by dancers, strippers and fitness club trainers who devoutly observe the aesthetics of the body. But every year, among the clients of beauty salons, there are more and more mere mortals who seek to get rid of “extra” hair, just to look better and feel more confident.

Sometimes they go to an esthetician to correct too thick eyebrows or remove ear hair, because they believe that magnifying makeup mirror and tweezers are the prerogative of women.