In this thread, I mentioned that I shave my chest (and underarms). As I explained there, it’s not a hygiene issue; I just happen to think it looks more aesthetically pleasing to have a bare torso. Looking at the cover of any fitness magazines seems to bear this out: you just never encounter a cover model with a really thick patch of chest hair.
So, what say you? I’m certain there are many women (and, in the interest of inclusiveness, gay men) who like the “natural” look. But what would you think of a guy who, in the midst of a romantic interlude, removed his shirt to reveal a smooth upper body?
(FWIW, I do not shave my legs or forearms. While I have in the past (it was college…we were all experimenting), and I like a hairless body, it’s also a completely annoying pain in the ass. I don’t know how women put up with shaving their legs, as much as I like it when I get to pet a pair of smooth, sexy stems. Plus, I’m not exactly “Robin Williams” hairy, so it’s not too bad the way it is.)
Hairless is best if you have muscles to show off that you don’t want to leave unseen.
As far as magazine covers, if a lot of the visuals are of black athletes they seem to less frequently have noticeable chest hair anyway in my experience.
The chest isn’t so weird to me, because some guys don’t have much chest hair anyway…but a guy with no underarm hair I think looks a little strange, to be honest.
I prefer natural, whether the guy is naturally hairy or naturally hairless. I wouldn’t dictate what he does with his body hair any more than I would let someone dictate what I do with mine, though. If a guy wants to shave, fine with me. I might gently suggest that I prefer he doesn’t, but I’m not going to be a pest about it.
It depends on what the guy looks like with and without, though I prefer a little fluff to stubble. If he seriously doesn’t care for it, go the whole hog and wax it, I say. A little fur never killed anyone.
Stubble is really, really uncomfortable. It’s scratchy and like sandpaper! I’d prefer if he didn’t shave his chest; I don’t need to exfoliate that badly. I don’t mind a little bit of chest hair, but if he really doesn’t like it, I’d suggest waxing.
When we were together I wished my last boyfriend had possessed somewhat more hair. He didn’t remove his, he just didn’t have much to begin with. A hairy chest can be way sexy, within reason…if it’s creeping over your shoulders, it’s a bit much, though it’s not like it’s your fault.
If you must remove it completely, please wax or something that doesn’t leave stubble. But I’d rather you leave it alone (though I can see where sometimes some trimming would be a usefu idea), really.
Trimming should be encouraged, of course, but the smooth chest itself is, at best, unappealing to me, and few things are as unpleasant as a chest full of stubble. Yick!
I’m relatively hairy, and an ex-boyfriend tried to get me to shave once. No siree. I don’t even like shaving my face.