The grooming or removal of men's body hair by trimming, shaving, waxing or tweezing is known as manscaping. This is a term that became popular when it was mentioned on the now defunct television show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” It has been frequently associated with metrosexual men, or men who put a great deal effort and money towards improving and maintaining their appearance through clothing and grooming. Certain athletes and non-metrosexual professionals are also known to manscape.
Manscaping is often done to remove unsightly and excessive body hair from the chest and back. For some men, grooming these areas is a matter of vanity. For other men it is done to attract the opposite sex, particularly when going shirtless in public. Overheating is another common reason for manscaping. Reducing excess body hair can help some men remain cooler, particularly men who wear heavy uniforms, work in high heat conditions or those who suffer from medical conditions that may cause overheating.
Eyebrows are one of the most visible areas of the body, which makes them a popular area for manscaping. Grooming this area may involve trimming overly bushy brows or removing stray hairs to make the brows more uniform. Another popular reason for eyebrow grooming is to completely remove a patch of hair that connects the two brows and creates what is called a unibrow, or a single brow.
Other areas where manscaping may occur include the armpits and the pubic area. In addition, athletes may remove hair from their legs and arms as well. This can be beneficial depending on the sport that they are playing. Swimmers, bicyclist and even professional body builders frequently remove their hair for better performance or for a more sculpted appearance.
There are several methods that can be employed for the purpose of manscaping. Waxing is often used for removing hair from the face, back and chest. It gives a smooth appearance and, because it removes patches of hair at a time, it can be faster than other methods. It is a technique that involves spreading warm wax over a small area of hair. The wax and hair are then covered with a strip of cloth and pulled from the skin.
Tweezing is another method of manscaping that is useful for hair removal. This is usually for the brow area or wherever there is only a few hairs to remove. Razors and electric shavers are used to eliminate facial hair while body shavers are made for grooming larger areas on the body.