Should Men Manscape?

This piece is intended to answer the question of whether men should manscape, by compiling responses from as many people as possible. Anyone is welcome to comment on this topic (make a submission here if you have anything to say), and we’ll continue to update this article as new responses come in. We’d like to hear from both men and women, of any and all backgrounds.

Why is this important? It’s clear that many men are confused about how important manscaping actually is, whether women prefer it or not, and whether they’d be considered a slob for not manscaping. Hopefully, we’ll be able to help some men decide whether they should manscape and, if so, what kind of manscaping they should be doing and to what extent.

We also want to be an objective and unbiased source for the overall consensus on manscaping, as some people and companies have an incentive to make it seem like manscaping is super-important in order to sell more product (I reviewed Manscape a while ago, for example, and wasn’t sure about the validity of their study saying ‘80% of women think men should manscape below the belt’).

So far, I’ve received just 11 submissions. Here’s how they stack up so far:

Please note the word overall above, as many (or most) people aren’t flat-out for or against manscaping, and there are usually nuances. I am just trying to loosely categorize the responses into positive/neutral/negative in order to try to give some birds-eye view on the overall consensus.

Should men manscape? Absolutely! It is an absolute necessity for a man to manscape, and it boils down to three reasons. First is hygiene. It's a well known fact that the more hair you have, the more you sweat. The more you sweat, the more you stink.

Secondly, it's a great confidence booster for men. Although it's labelled as feminine to some, manscaping can actually really boost a man's confidence. For very hairy men, it can be embarrassing to flash the world your hairy shoulders and chest when you're at the pool. Keeping it tame makes you feel more in control of your body and the way you want to present yourself.

Third, manscaping gives the chance for a man to become a better version of himself. Not only in terms of vanity, but keeping a regular manscaping schedule can lead to other good habits in life. Perhaps your manscaping routine has led you to take on other important personal hygiene habits, such as flossing regularly.

Manscaping is an art and it takes time to really master it! When I first started manscaping, I had no idea what I was doing! But after some practice, you can really figure out how to make yourself look well groomed, without making it look too unnatural.

--Mark Tatomir, Expert Gentleman

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#mark

A topic that comes up a lot with some of my dating clients is whether or not they should be manscaping before a date when things have the potential to get a little steamy. While my advice is usually to do what makes you feel the most comfortable, I tend to lean fairly heavily towards the 'yes you should' side of the aisle. The main reason is that it demonstrates you care enough to take care of your body to look your best. Even if your potential partner ends up liking the wild look a bit more, it still shows you took the time to try. I always point out, as well, that manscaping isn't just about the front lawn. Eye brows, back hair, and even facial hair can be grouped into the discussion. This means that even if you're planning on keeping things PG, there is value in cleaning up your appearance. Remember, effort is sexy, and what better way to demonstrate that than by spending some time on looking good for your date.

--Jason Lee, Best Online Dating

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#jason

Whether or not a particular man should manscape depends on what he expects of his partner and what his partner expects of him. If a man prefers a woman who is fastidious about the hairs on her body and shaves, waxes, or plucks as needed, then he should be willing to do the same to honour her efforts. However, she may prefer a hairy man, so check in first! Personally I do prefer a manscaped body, but not every woman feels the same - communication is key.

--Patricia Celan, LinkedIn profile

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#patricia

There is a certain risk to manscaping, such as scrotal injuries. The more man groom, the more he is prone to those injuries. Furthermore, many men are grooming for sex, and while doing it, they can disrupt their epithelial barrier, which protects them from STI’s. Overall, I don’t think men should manscape - there’s a reason why hair is there. Instead, they should work on themselves to be more comfortable in their skin and body, as it is.

--Dr. Lina Velikova, Supplements101

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#lina

I am not sure why, but manscaping has always both seemed and looked unnatural to me. There is something abnormal about not just the act of manscaping, but the fact that we refer to it as manscaping and not just shaving-like women do. I'm not necessarily saying that you should never manscape, but, there is a very fine line between too much and too little.

--Gabby Talarico, theblondestblog.com

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#gabby

I don't think men should manscape until their partner expects them to for various reasons. However, this is not because it is seen as a feminine activity. Rather it is because hair growth helps in sweat management (especially in summers). A good alternative of manscaping would be trimming (something that we already do to our face) which can serve all purposes without having to shed everything. Such an opinion stems from the belief that women shouldn't wax either unless they believe it helps in grooming their overall look or appeal.

--Tejas Nair, nair tejas dot com

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#tejas

We have always been bound by society’s norms and standards, from how we should act, dress, and etc. And hair removal on various parts of our bodies is not an exception to this. Although women are the ones who normally do this, men have also been manscaping for decades. In fact, 50-70% of men worldwide do some form of manscaping for grooming and cleanliness.

As to the question of whether they should do it, well it’s really just going to be based on two things:

Preference (What do you want?)

It’s really up to the guy whether he wants to shave or trim his excess body hair or not. If they want to keep their hair then that’s okay as well if it’s what’s comfortable for them. Some women do like their guys with facial and body hair because they think it’s sexy. While others, like me, prefer a guy who always shaves or trims his stubble and hair.

Purpose ( Why do you do it?)

Guys often manscape for various reasons. Some dudes do it for hygienic purposes, as they feel cleaner and neater that way. While some do it for their wives or girlfriends, or the ladies they are courting. And others do it because it’s comfortable for them or it's what their parents taught them.

Whatever their reason or preference is, I honestly respect their decision. Men shouldn’t allow themselves to be bound by what society thinks most of the time, more so by gender stereotypes.

--Norhanie Pangulima, Hernorm

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#norhanie

Around 50 to 70 percent of men get involved in at least some form of manscaping. This means that most men have already reached enlightenment and satisfaction with removing unwanted body hairs aside from those in their heads. So if you are thinking of trimming it up, you are not alone. I find it more hygienic, whether for men or women, to remove excessive body hairs. I just can’t help but imagine how smelly they are when we sweat.

So, I am totally one of those people who would suggest that you partake with manscaping and here are the 2 reasons why men should:

Increased feelings of cleanliness, comfort, and confidence.

The feeling of shaving your man wool can be so liberating. Removing those hairs bothering you from the hidden parts of your body will not only make you feel all clean but will also bring you comfort. When sorted-out, this will soon lead to a higher level of confidence for oneself. You will be able to wear trunks at the beach or have sleeveless outside when the temperature is hot.

It reduces odor.

As I have mentioned above, seeing those excess hairs make me think of how smelly they can be when they sweat. This is true since hairs collect sweats that cause bacterias. These bacterias then release unwanted odors. It is undeniable that it would be easier to wash and clean.

These might not apply to everybody but you cannot hide the fact that manscaping is most of the time beneficial.

--Samantha Moss, Romantific

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#samantha

Should men manscape?

Absolutely, but you don't want to go overboard! There is a big difference between going hairless below your eyebrows and taking a more natural approach to manscaping. You want to remove the less attractive body hair without it being too obvious that you're doing it. Taking the time to shave your unibrow, clean out your nose hairs, trim your pubic hair, and tame bushy eyebrows are great ways to look more attractive naturally without spending more time in front of the mirror than the women you're pursuing.

--Jennifer Greene, Beyond Ages

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#jennifer

When it comes to 'down there' - a little hair is good. I'm not a big fan of a baby smooth man (it's just weird) but that doesn't mean you can live with an untrimmed bush as a grown man!

I think most women don't want to see a hairy back or neck. We understand some men are hairier than others but please, pretty please manscape! A wax is a quick fix and if women have to do it regularly, so should you!

--Christine Ngai, Events Florist

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#christine

It really depends on your own or your partner’s personal preferences, but in general I see it as an increasing trend, especially among younger men. It’s interesting because shaving has historically been a feminine concept that is now more and more taken over by men. Some argue that it's a threat to masculinity but I don't agree with that. In my opinion, it is yet another way how men try to be more aesthetically pleasing for the opposite sex. Shaving your chest will make it more defined, while shaving your groin will make your equipment look larger and more prominent. From a hygiene perspective, it also makes sense as men sweat less which means it increases the effectiveness of a deodorant.

--Robert Thomas, Sextopedia LLC

PERMALINK: https://outwittrade.com/should-men-manscape#robert