# The connection between obesity and body hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080 "2003-06-24T17:40:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/21 "2003-06-25T21:10:09Z")
I neglected to point out that **Dr\_Paprika** is quite right about estrogen being converted to testosterone in fat tissue. Yet another reason why obese women may have hirsutism and the like. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/22 "2003-06-25T21:30:27Z")
4 words: [Geoge The Animal Steele](http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/jasonsite/images/anim1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/23 "2003-06-26T06:45:07Z")
Well, gender has nothing to do with hair growth - although gender will influence how one grooms the hair one has! When you say large people, do you mean big folks like Shaq, or people who are seriously obese? If you gain enough weight, your hormones, among other things go haywire, which can cause weird hair growth or hair loss. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/24 "2003-06-26T16:25:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by j.c. \* > \*\*Well, gender has nothing to do with hair growth - although gender will influence how one grooms the hair one has! > > When you say large people, do you mean big folks like Shaq, or people who are seriously obese? If you gain enough weight, your hormones, among other things go haywire, which can cause weird hair growth or hair loss. \*\* Mostly people that are at least double what there optimal weight would be. ---
**Author:** ![Deadly\_Nightlight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Deadly\_Nightlight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deadly_Nightlight)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/25 "2003-06-26T17:14:15Z")
as a real live insulin resistant female, I agree with karl, now I’m off to chave something ---
**Author:** ![Kempis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kempis/32/19248_2.png) [@Kempis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kempis)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/26 "2003-06-26T20:13:21Z")
Maybe there’s a correlation between people who allow themselves to get fat and the likelyhood that they don’t remove excess hair. Makes sense, letting yourself get unattractive by being unhealthily fat probably means you don’t care about something like hair. Another thought is that this may be a case of confirmational bias… you only remember it when it happens, so you assume it happens more often than not. e.g. Fat guy. So what. Fat hairy guy, ew geez. -k ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080/27 "2003-06-26T23:52:54Z")
Kempis, you make a big assumption when you say “letting yourself get unattractive by being unhealthily fat probably means you don’t care about something like hair.” “Unhealthily fat” can be caused by **poor health,** not lack of grooming or lack of caring. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-connection-between-obesity-and-body-hair/184080.md?page=1)