Men love their hair. Period. From styling their hair to sticking with the same barber for years, men are obsessed with their body hair. But when something matters to you this much, insecurities are inevitable. Men do care about their body hair so much that it pushes them to the edge where they have several insecurities. What should the beard be? Should they have chest hair? Much, much more. Men often don’t realise this, but subconsciously their insecurities tend to come forward.
Bollywood is a trend setter. Unlike the early 90’s, it is hard to find any superstar with chest hair on the screen today. It makes it very obvious for young boys to feel insecure about their body hair when they see a fixed pattern on the big screen.
Body hair is very natural. We all have it. But the insecurities that may come along with it can disturb one’s mental peace and cause serious stress. A lot of men even feel embarrassed about their body hair. Some don’t know if their partner will be okay with it or not. But at the end of the day, every person has the right to keep their bodies as they want. Let’s learn more about men and their insecurities about body hair.
Various types of insecurities
Men can be insecure about different things in different ways. A lot of men keep shaving their entire body because they just can’t stand that much growth. Of course, it’s a choice. But if being embarrassed is the reason behind it, then it needs to be acknowledged. One should keep their body as they wish, but out of embarrassment. Here are some very common yet tangled insecurities that men may have when it comes to body hair.
Chest hair
Should I trim it? Should I not tuck it away? “Should I not…” Men can play this petal-plucking choice game for days without having to decide what to do. A lot of men don’t know what to do with their chest hair. Unrealistic cinema is portraying “heroes” with no chest hair nowadays. Though the situation is different today than it was two decades ago, when it was considered “manly” to have chest hair. It is very normal for men to be insecure about it. But the thing to remember here is that it is natural to have chest hair. Don’t let cinema and social media fool you. You see what they want you to see. If you have problems with immense growth, you can choose trimming or waxing as an option. But before that, ask yourself why you are doing that.
Hair fall
Hair fall can have a bad impact on a man’s self-esteem. This is because people often relate hair fall to ageing and, hence, men feel very embarrassed. There are many reasons why men lose their hair. It could be a hormonal imbalance, a damaging environmental condition, an autoimmune disease, or anything else. Stress can result in hair loss too. Now, stressing about this fact is going to worsen the situation even more. STOP!!!
A lot of men lose their hair due to a condition known as Androgenetic Alopecia. In this condition, the scalp becomes more sensitive to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and depreciates the life cycle of hair. This results in less hair growth on some parts of your head, like the topmost area. Some men believe that wearing helmets can cause hair fall. Though helmets are not medically proven to be a major reason for hair loss, wearing a helmet for too long can have consequences due to hygiene purposes. It can lead to dandruff and weaken your hair strands, which might result in minimal hair fall. But of course, safety comes first. In this case, men can use preventive measures such as daily hair washing and limit their use of artificial products with high levels of chemicals.
Beard insecurity
No doubt, a well-groomed beard is very attractive. But there are many instances when men don’t know what their beard should be or what suits their face. Hair growth is genetic. It depends from person to person. Your genes determine not only hair growth but also the thickness of your hair strands. Hence, it is not in your control. During the early teenage years, many teen boys feel insecure about their lack of beard growth. It’s very common as they can see boys of their age getting beards.
Insecurity comes in different ways and for different reasons. Many young boys may get worried about having intense beard growth. They may feel threatened by the clean shave squad.
To trim a beard, wash it. Make sure you use clean blades for shaving. You can use the right beard care tools.
Having a beard or not is a complete choice. And your hair growth is natural. Don’t overthink it.
Pubic hair
Due to their pubic hair growth, men often feel self-conscious. Every man has pubic hair. And if you thought about trimming it, don’t worry. You are not alone. Some guys trim it before indulging in any sexual activity, and some just do it for hygiene purposes. Some may feel uncomfortable and shave it off so that it doesn’t stick to the cloth.
Grooming your pubic hair is entirely optional. You can choose to not groom it at all too. But if you do, make sure you know all the safety measures while getting rid of it.
You can get rid of pubic hair in a variety of ways
Shaving: It is the most common way, but try to be very careful. While shaving, you are more likely to peel off a bit of your skin, which can expose you to infection and bacteria.
Waxing and threading: Waxing is done by putting wax on and removing the hair with the help of strips. Threading is done with the help of a thread. Both ways root out the hair. Make sure you get it done by a professional. Otherwise, you may face side-effects like redness, irritation, and ingrown hair.
After a certain amount of time, pubic hair stops growing. So, if you don’t want to cut your pubic hair, it’s completely fine. Also, if you want a minor cut, use scissors cautiously.
Conclusion-
Body hair is important and natural on each and every body. And you should not be ashamed of something that occurred naturally. It is not in your hands. But maintaining your body hair is a choice and it should be that only. Don’t do it just because you feel you won’t look good with it. Acceptance helps in normalising things. Accept your body hair as it is, take good care of it, groom it, but don’t give insecurity any space.