# Is this a thing? (guys shaving their arms) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268 "2013-11-19T16:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![corvidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@corvidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corvidae)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/1 "2013-11-19T16:51:46Z")
So I’ve run about 4 flu shot clinics in the past month at my pediatric office. When we do the clinics, we also immunize parents, grandparents and caregivers and lately, I’ve notice that a bunch of the dads have their upper arms shaved. Is this a general maintenance thing, or do people do this for some other reason? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/2 "2013-11-19T17:12:43Z")
Several reasons: 1. Grooming - Many modern men groom their entire bodies. I prefer clipping over shaving, but I know some guys that just shave everything 2. Removal of hair shows better definition. If it’s just confined to the upper arm, it may just be a way of showing off biceps or at least minimizing the flabbiness 3. Sometimes men with hairy backs and shoulders shave these areas. It’s kind of hard to know when to stop when shaving shoulders, so some razor users may just drift a bit too far south ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/3 "2013-11-19T17:15:35Z")
I have never noticed this (though, honestly, I haven’t looked). But god, I _hope_ this isn’t a trend that becomes the standard, because that would be an incredibly annoying thing to be expected to do. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/4 "2013-11-19T17:23:59Z")
We apparently live in an “anti-hair” period, and I can’t wait for it to end. Men are butchering their natural hair distribution, and I wish they’d realize how artificial it looks. Especially eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/5 "2013-11-19T17:28:21Z")
I’ve shaved my upper arms a few times for tattoo contests. The creepy part is when a strange guy approaches you in the bathroom at a convention and asks if you’ll shave/oil his back-piece. I do it, but christ couldn’t you have brought along a friend? ---
**Author:** ![SuperAbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SuperAbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperAbe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/6 "2013-11-19T17:32:16Z")
Are you sure they’re actually shaving? I’m a moderately hairy guy, but I just don’t have any hair between my elbow and my shoulder. (May just run in my family - all but one of my near adult male relatives on that side of the family (n=7) are the same way: lots of hair, but none on the upper arm.) ---
**Author:** ![thatguyjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@thatguyjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatguyjeff)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/7 "2013-11-19T17:40:34Z")
> [@SuperAbe](#): > > Are you sure they’re actually shaving? I’m a moderately hairy guy, but I just don’t have any hair between my elbow and my shoulder. > > (May just run in my family - all but one of my near adult male relatives on that side of the family (n=7) are the same way: lots of hair, but none on the upper arm.) Came to add this - I’m of average hairiness I suppose and the darker more noticeable hair on my arms stops just above my elbow. I suspect it has something to do with clothing because it pretty much matches where a standard tee shirt ends on my arms. But that doesn’t explain the hair on my chest. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/8 "2013-11-19T17:51:17Z")
How do you know they are shaving? I have zero hair above my elbow and I don’t shave. My legs have bald spots where my trousers have rubbed it off over the years: My ankles, the back of my calf and areas of my upper thigh. No, I am not shaving random spots on my legs. I wear pants all day long and they rub against those areas. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/9 "2013-11-19T17:58:36Z")
As others have posted, wearing t-shirts can denude your upper arms. I have hairy arms and the hair stops right where the sleeve begins. It’s the hair equivalent of a farmer’s tan. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/10 "2013-11-19T18:01:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Men are butchering their natural hair distribution, and I wish they’d realize how artificial it looks. Especially eyebrows. At this point in my life, my eyebrows naturally look like something that would give even Andy Rooney nightmares. Trust me, in my case you’d prefer non-natural eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/11 "2013-11-19T18:04:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve shaved my upper arms a few times for tattoo contests. The creepy part is when a strange guy approaches you in the bathroom at a convention and asks if you’ll shave/oil his back-piece. I do it, but christ couldn’t you have brought along a friend? I work with a lot of LEOs, and a ton of them shave their arms. A common thread seems to be those LEOs who have tattoos, and/or body build as a hobby. I always giggle (silently… they are armed) because a girl on my college soccer team shaved her arms. She was from Florida, and I guess everyone just shaves everything down there. It was so weird to the rest of us. Her nick name was “shave arms.” Clever, I know. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/12 "2013-11-19T18:04:28Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > We apparently live in an “anti-hair” period, and I can’t wait for it to end. Men are butchering their natural hair distribution, and I wish they’d realize how artificial it looks. Especially eyebrows. ^^^^ +1 And women even more so. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/13 "2013-11-19T18:09:01Z")
Another hairless upper-armed male here. I shave nothing but my face, but have no hair above the elbow. I also have no chest or back hair. Not all of us look like gorillas. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/14 "2013-11-19T18:16:34Z")
When I still cared (read: before I got married), I commonly shaved my shoulder/upper arms only. 1. There is a weird amount of hair there…it’s sparse, but dark and noticeable, and the hairs are thick. It definitely looks better shaved, and the sparse nature of it means there’s an obvious spot to stop shaving without creating a line. 2. It makes arm tattoos look better. I would never, ever shave my forearms, but for me, this was way different. There is way less hair on mu upper arms, and in comparison, it’s way dark/wiry hair that I wasn’t fond of. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/15 "2013-11-19T18:41:39Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > … natural hair distribution… Band name! 😃 > [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve shaved my upper arms a few times for tattoo contests. The creepy part is when a strange guy approaches you in the bathroom at a convention and asks if you’ll shave/oil his back-piece. I do it, but christ couldn’t you have brought along a friend? This … took me a while to understand. I mean, I get it now, and I LOLd when I finally comprehended, but I’ll admit several incorrect and far more disturbing scenarios crossed my mind first. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/16 "2013-11-19T19:09:12Z")
[Obligatory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB2svzX7bwg). The hair that grows in that area is usually uneven, thick, scratchy and easy to access. Shaving it takes all of 30 seconds. Why shouldn’t you; this isn’t equivalent to manscaping as suggested upthread. I shave my upper cheeks (face ones) because these thick hairs come out randomly too. It’s hardly vanity. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/17 "2013-11-19T21:20:55Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > We apparently live in an “anti-hair” period, and I can’t wait for it to end. Men are butchering their natural hair distribution, and I wish they’d realize how artificial it looks. Especially eyebrows. +lots I don’t get it. Men are hot, hairy, not hairy, all of 'em. Stop shaving stuff. Stubble, other than on the chin, is just not nice. Yeuch, how can you cuddle someone with scratchy arms? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/18 "2013-11-19T22:24:59Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > +lots > > I don’t get it. Men are hot, hairy, not hairy, all of 'em. Stop shaving stuff. Stubble, other than on the chin, is just not nice. Yeuch, how can you cuddle someone with scratchy arms? I generally agree except…back hair is vile and should be eradicated… ---
**Author:** ![corvidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@corvidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corvidae)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/19 "2013-11-20T01:08:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As others have posted, wearing t-shirts can denude your upper arms. I have hairy arms and the hair stops right where the sleeve begins. It’s the hair equivalent of a farmer’s tan. Yeah, I assumed it was shaving because they felt all stubbly, but I’m thinking that this must be the reason - unless they were trying to impress a haggy old bag like me with their sexy arms. Thanks everyone!! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268/20 "2013-11-20T01:20:46Z")
I’m hairy all over. If I shaved anywhere except the traditional beard-denial areas, I wouldn’t know where to stop; I’d have to shave all the way down to my ankles, and that’d get expensive. And painful, I’m thinking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-thing-guys-shaving-their-arms/674268.md?page=2)