# Grooming in public - what's acceptable **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729 "2026-02-16T23:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/41 "2026-02-17T04:47:10Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Meanwhile you pride yourself in your “superior standards”… Whoa, that’s reading a lot into my OP. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/42 "2026-02-17T10:57:58Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Bwahahaha! How old is that? > > Unless I go to Supercuts and get a truly shitty haircut I spend a lot more than that. And I am a guy and my haircuts are 20-30 minutes, nothing fancy, no color or anything and about every 6-8 weeks. I can blow past that number with ease (and I have worked diligently to find a less expensive haircut that is not Supercuts). The page tells you how old it is: it’s from 2024. I get my hair trimmed once every 2-3 years, so I’m throwing the average off. My wife gets hers cut 3-4 times a year, so she’s around the average. And you may be making the mistake of assuming that everyone has the same income as you have. There are plenty of folks living in poverty who aren’t paying eighty bucks a pop for a haircut. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/43 "2026-02-17T12:06:44Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Try a day in the office in a thin blouse and a skirt, see how the temperature works for you. > > Your posts read almost like sarcasm. Am I being whooshed? As I already stated, my comments were not in any way intended to diminish the pressures women face to look a certain way. But it’s not a zero sum game: men also face those pressures. My comment was a response to your claim that men just get to wear what’s comfortable. … Returning to the OP, I have to confess that I have a pair of nail clippers in my office desk drawer. I usually notice a need to cut my nails when I’m typing on the computer. Now, when I do cut them, it’s in an office that has some privacy, and I trim them right into the trash can below my desk. So it’s not obvious, and I’d never do it if I was in a meeting. (Admittedly, though, my assistant has seen me do it. But she walks in and out of my office all day long. I don’t _think_ she’s grossed out by it. She wouldn’t be afraid to say something if I was acting badly) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/44 "2026-02-17T14:23:32Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Now, when I do cut them, it’s in an office that has some privacy, and I trim them right into the trash can below my desk. The challenge with fingernail clippers is that there is a very distinctive clipping sound that everyone recognizes. One hangnail? Absolutely! Cut that sucker off before disaster. But the periodic _clip_ _clip_ _clip_ sound might be too much for some. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/45 "2026-02-17T15:57:02Z")
I think discreet nail clipping in the semiprivacy of an office because your nails feel too long to type with comfortably falls somewhere in between “personal grooming routine” and “necessary workplace activity accommodation”. Similarly, I wouldn’t typically re-do/take down/put up my long hair in front of my co-workers as part of ordinary grooming: I do that behind a closed door, as it feels a bit too informal/intimate. But if we’ve got to move some desks or something, I’m quickly stepping aside to twist my hair up into a barrette to keep it out of the way, and I don’t care if they see me. That feels to me similar to the distinction between doing one’s whole nailcare thing, with polish remover and buffing sticks etc., at a company meeting, versus quickly trimming nails in one’s own cubicle to stop them jarring the keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/46 "2026-02-17T16:38:23Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The page tells you how old it is: it’s from 2024. I get my hair trimmed once every 2-3 years, so I’m throwing the average off. My wife gets hers cut 3-4 times a year, so she’s around the average. And you may be making the mistake of assuming that everyone has the same income as you have. There are plenty of folks living in poverty who aren’t paying eighty bucks a pop for a haircut. There are probably a lot of variables in this area, so much so that those numbers might not mean much. While women might pay more per haircut, I’d guess they don’t get it cut as often. I get mine cut at Great Clips, originally because they were cheaper, but they have since raised their prices - with tips I pay about $30 (with senior discount). I get my hair cut about every 3-4 weeks, my wife goes about every 2 months. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/47 "2026-02-17T17:51:58Z")
Well, dropping your sweat pants, hiking up your shorts, stuffing in your shirt tails and pulling the pants back on gets you banned at the grocery store. Guess I have to shop at Walmart from now on. I’ll blend right in. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/48 "2026-02-17T20:47:38Z")
I’m the guy what skewed the hair-cut figures. I think I’ve spent $12 in the last decade plus. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/49 "2026-02-17T20:57:48Z")
That much? 😱 What are you, a hair model? 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/50 "2026-02-17T20:59:53Z")
I’m a hair example. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/51 "2026-02-17T21:01:20Z")
You a hair off, maybe ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/52 "2026-02-17T21:50:22Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > My GF wears almost no makeup…ever. A barely tinted lip balm is about it. Not even sure about that (I mean, she uses lip balm but if there is color in it just barely so). My wife has pale blonde or white hair, so she uses mascara, and lip gloss- normally untinted, but she is okay if it is. Nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/53 "2026-02-17T22:07:07Z")
I think make-up as added decor. Not a lifestyle. I have scars I wear heavy-ish cover up foundation for that. The permanent red swathe across my neck requires lots of touch ups during a day, I care. Some days I don’t. I just hide things reasonably well. Ivy says I’m almost OCD about it. I often pull my hair around my neck if I’m feeling anxiety and seen. But yeah makeup application at a low level, lipstick or powdering the nose, is ok in full view of the public. I draw a thick line about people spraying stuff in public. That’s just rude. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/54 "2026-02-17T23:03:45Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > If I’m going into a restaurant/party/etc to be among people, I will comb my hair in the reflection of a window. Anything else is private. Be sure to keep in mind these lyrics from _Tom’s Diner_: > [@](#): > > There’s a woman on the outside > Looking inside, does she see me? > No, she does not really see me > 'Cause she sees her own reflection > And I’m trying not to notice > That she’s hitching up her skirt > And while she’s straightening her stockings > Her hair has gotten wet ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/55 "2026-02-17T23:08:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Basically, none of the stuff described here except for leaving earwax on shared equipment would bother me. Heheh, yeah, I generally agree. But I am a bit less, umm, refined than a lot of folks. I was once asked to not trim my nails by a co-worker when we were outside discussing a problem. They weren’t bothered by me trimming my nails, they were worried because I was doing it with a knife. As far as the grooming costs and time investment discussion goes: I haven’t had a haircut in eight years, and haven’t touched my beard since at least last September. But it is near the end of February, so the beard’s days are numbered until fall runs around again. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/56 "2026-02-17T23:41:45Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > But I am a bit less, umm, refined than a lot of folks. User name checks out. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/57 "2026-02-17T23:54:45Z")
My thoughts exactly ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/58 "2026-02-18T00:07:20Z")
@Aspenglow post about the butt spelunking reminded me of a little ditty my Granny used to say: _“Scratch where it itches,_ E_ven if it’s in your britches_…” Seriously, made me laugh so loud I upset the cats reverie. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/59 "2026-02-18T00:20:47Z")
Those were unpleasant meetings, I can tell you. All of us attending them had, by necessity of our jobs, seen many horrible things that most people will never have to clap their eyes on. But we couldn’t unsee _that_! We were all so embarrassed for him. And grossed out – but you probably already knew that part. Your granny’s advice is fair enough, but I’m sure she meant in the privacy of a loo, with thoroughly washed hands after. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729/60 "2026-02-18T00:30:00Z")
I had a teacher in school, Civics. Awful class. At least 12 football players in there who had to have an easy credit. This teacher Mr. Temple, he blowed his nose so horribly and pitifully. Always had a checkered edge handkerchief and at least 3 boxes of Kleenex strategically placed around the class room. The thing was he was so overjoyed with his teaching he did a bunch of walking and talking during class. It accentuated his need to blow. By the end of that term we were all giving him allergy and sinus advice. He was good natured about it all and promise he was looking into the tips. I saw him later that year smoking in his car. Yep, he was causing his own problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grooming-in-public-whats-acceptable/1027729.md?page=2)