Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBuzzworthy: The naked truth on taking care of the hair down there
By Michael Lopardi
Posted: 10/27/05, 12:42 AM EST Section: Pulp
Wax it. Shave it. Trim it. Comb it. Dare to pluck it or just leave it. Lots of women do it, and these days, men do too.
Whether it's done with a pair of scissors in the bathroom or with the help of specialists at state-of-the-art salons, getting a haircut below the belt is becoming as routine as any other trim work.
"It's one thing to have good clothes, but if you don't take care of grooming, it doesn't matter what you're wearing," said Candice Rainey, an assistant editor at GQ Magazine. "The whole grooming situation with guys is booming."
Men and women are spending more time parting with their pubes through grooming than ever before, but the trend is newer for men because women have generally been expected to groom themselves, whereas it was long considered optional for men, Rainey said.
"Guys are starting to take care of themselves," Rainey said. "It's definitely a trend out there."
Today's grooming trend for men doesn't mean the male population is ready to shave all, or even trim a lot of their pubic hair, but have exited the '70s trend of hairy chests, gold chains and "happy trails" from the navel to the crotch, Rainey said.
Men don't seem to have any particular styles when it comes to self-grooming, but the basic male attitude toward almost any body hair is that men don't necessarily want the newest hair; they want it easy and to look good, Rainy said.
A girl thing
Despite this new trend of guy-grooming, most of Penny Sawyer's 150-plus students at Phillips Hairstyling Institute in Syracuse are learning how to primp, pluck and pamper primarily female clients.
Sawyer, who serves as the instructor coordinator at the cosmetology and skincare school, says men may be grooming their pubic hair, but they aren't coming to spas and salons to get the work done. And she doesn't foresee them as potential customers anytime in the near future, either.
"I don't think there's much of a calling for that (kind of all-male salons)," Sawyer said. "Guys are a lot more shy, and you have to find a stylist who is willing to do that."
Whether it's done with a pair of scissors in the bathroom or with the help of specialists at state-of-the-art salons, getting a haircut below the belt is becoming as routine as any other trim work.
"It's one thing to have good clothes, but if you don't take care of grooming, it doesn't matter what you're wearing," said Candice Rainey, an assistant editor at GQ Magazine. "The whole grooming situation with guys is booming."
Men and women are spending more time parting with their pubes through grooming than ever before, but the trend is newer for men because women have generally been expected to groom themselves, whereas it was long considered optional for men, Rainey said.
"Guys are starting to take care of themselves," Rainey said. "It's definitely a trend out there."
Today's grooming trend for men doesn't mean the male population is ready to shave all, or even trim a lot of their pubic hair, but have exited the '70s trend of hairy chests, gold chains and "happy trails" from the navel to the crotch, Rainey said.
Men don't seem to have any particular styles when it comes to self-grooming, but the basic male attitude toward almost any body hair is that men don't necessarily want the newest hair; they want it easy and to look good, Rainy said.
A girl thing
Despite this new trend of guy-grooming, most of Penny Sawyer's 150-plus students at Phillips Hairstyling Institute in Syracuse are learning how to primp, pluck and pamper primarily female clients.
Sawyer, who serves as the instructor coordinator at the cosmetology and skincare school, says men may be grooming their pubic hair, but they aren't coming to spas and salons to get the work done. And she doesn't foresee them as potential customers anytime in the near future, either.
"I don't think there's much of a calling for that (kind of all-male salons)," Sawyer said. "Guys are a lot more shy, and you have to find a stylist who is willing to do that."
