For decades, women have been jealous of men who don’t need to endure the pain of plucking, shaving, and plucking to maintain a smooth appearance, aside from dealing with stubble.
But now men are increasingly opting for a more groomed appearance, and that goes beyond trimming unruly chest hair.
English soccer star Jude Bellingham showed off his extremely smooth body this month in his campaign with Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand SKIMS, with not a single hair in sight down to the waistband of his boxers.
Meanwhile, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Chris Hemsworth have long been sporting a fuzz-free look on their back, legs and chest.
As a result, men are paying more attention to hair removal on all areas of the body, including the nether regions, which is all the better for gym freaks to show off their rippling muscles.
But the question remains whether women find manscaping attractive. To give your opinion on whether the trend is attractive, participate in the following survey.
Jude Bellingham showed off his hairless torso in his latest Skims campaign… but do you find manscaping attractive?
All it takes is a quick look at ITV1’s Love Island to see the growing popularity of male hair removal in the UK.
Contestants Will Anderson and Omar Nyame have displayed their hairless chests around the Spanish village as they try to woo their female counterparts.
Joey Essex joins them, although the reality TV star revealed her manicured chest to the public a long time ago, when she coined ‘reem’ in The Only Way Is Essex.
TOWIE was famous for razor-wielding men, and the likes of Mark Wright also sported the hairless look.
Across the pond, Hollywood A-listers Jake Gyllenhaal and Matthew McConaughey paved the way for the Brentwood group, and the actors showed off the hairless look in multiple A-list films.
More recently, in March of last year, Gyllenhaal, 43, attracted attention after flaunting his ripped physique when filming a shirtless scene for the Road House remake.
But it wasn’t just their washboard abs and bulging muscles that stole the show, it was also the fact that they were hairless.
Meanwhile, sports stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, and Australian cricketer Michael Clarke, 43, have revealed their love for smooth, shaved legs.
Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo frequently shows off his clean-shaven legs to his 632 million Instagram followers.
Dallas Buyers Club actor Matthew McConaughey has revealed his love for a well-maintained chest off set.
Chris Hemsworth doesn’t care about hair on his face, but when it comes to his chest, he wants it all gone.
Sports stars could opt for the look to enhance performance when competing.
Shaving hair can improve the aerodynamics of an athlete’s body, thus helping the body move faster.
While some men choose to remove leg hair simply for aesthetic reasons, many athletes also shave their legs to prevent hair root infections and improve the skin’s healing process.
But one can’t help but think whether Ronaldo would choose the hairless athlete look or not, thanks to his love of looking well-groomed and photoshoot-ready at all times.
This comes after Dr Matthew Hall, a research associate in social psychology at Lancaster University, who has carried out several studies on metrosexuality, believes there is more pressure than ever on male appearance.
He previously told MailOnline that the men’s grooming trend has evolved since the 1980s with factors such as the rise of men’s magazines, equality and feminism and pressure from the gay movement all playing a role.
The change has made it more acceptable for men to take an interest in their personal appearance, although, he added, it is often given a “masculine” spin to make it more acceptable.
“Men are now under a lot of pressure to look after themselves and present themselves better,” he told MailOnline.
‘You just have to look at the supermarket aisles to see the amount of products for me. Men prefer to go shopping now than ever.
‘It’s not that men haven’t done things to themselves in the past, as they have.
“I think what’s different about the current climate is that it’s very consumerist and capitalist, which puts more pressure on men to do something.”
Reality TV star Joey Essex, 33, flaunts his hairless chest on ITV1’s hit show Love Island this summer.
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal attracted attention with his well-groomed appearance while filming a remake of the 1989 film – Road House
Dr Hall investigated why more and more men are paying close attention to their pubic hair to improve their self-image, and his research is published in the journal Sexualities.
He studied responses to a Gillette ad that carried the catchy slogan “when there are no bushes, the tree seems taller.”
The YouTube video has been viewed more than 6.5 million times and sparked hundreds of comments on the topic.
But interestingly, no men admitted to having done it to increase the size of their penis, despite a previous study finding that almost two-thirds of men were unhappy with their genitals.
Instead, the most popular reasons, such as “better sex” and “good hygiene,” were the most popular, according to the study.
Dr Hall said this suggested men were giving deliberately “masculine” responses to avoid being associated with a traditionally feminine pastime.
The doctor said there was no doubt the number of men taking part in groin care was increasing and added it was likely to continue.
‘I think the trend will continue. The trend has been growing, even in more extreme forms, such as appearance-related cosmetics,” she stated.
‘I think it’s much more popular and also much more widespread. It covers different socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities and age groups.’