Men feeling pressure to remove body hair

WHILST once it was the preserve of elite athletes including professional cyclists or swimmers, it seems that more men are plucking up the courage to achieve a hair-free body.

Half of all British men say there is more pressure for men to remove or groom body hair following the example of sports stars.

For today’s modern man, hair removal has extended past a simple shave of the face. Over the last 12 months, some 55 per cenrt of men say they have removed hair from their head, this is followed by the pubic region at 29 per cent, chest at 13 per cent, underarms at 12 per cent, back at 9 per cent, bottom at 6 per cent, arms at 5 per cent, legs at 4 per cent and feet 2 per cent.

Just 30 per cent of men say they have not removed hair from their body in the last year. Additionally, Mintel’s research highlights how Britain’s men are giving Cara a run for her money, with a quarter (25%) admitting to removing hair from their eyebrows.

Charlotte Libby, Senior Beauty Analyst at market research firm Mintel said: “It is becoming increasingly commonplace for men, particularly under-30s, to remove hair from their body as behaviours once described as metrosexual are becoming increasingly mainstream. Major sporting events such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the media attention given to the swimming team and their hair-free bodies in particular, drew focus to male body hair removal.”

Overall, one in five (19 per cent) men claim they feel expected to remove hair from their torso, while around the same number (18 per cent) say they feel the pressure to remove hair from their underarms and 13 per cent from their legs. Furthermore, it is younger men in particular who are feeling the pressure to achieve a hair free body, with some six in 10 (58 per cent) 16-24-year-old men agreeing they feel pressure to remove or groom body hair, compared to 22 per cent of over-65s.

And while 42 per cent of Brits believe it is fashionable for men to have beards, almost the same number (39 per cent) say they feel pressure from others to keep their facial hair neat and tidy. As many as six in 10 (59 per cent) of consumers believe it looks unprofessional for men to have an ungroomed face in the workplace.

“The impact of fashion on the shaving and hair removal market can also not be ignored with celebrities, such as Ryan Gosling, sporting impeccably groomed beards.” Charlotte added.