Back in the heyday of Burt Reynolds, having a hairy chest was oh-so-sexy. What a departure from the hairless chests of today’s masculine icons. At least it makes some sense to associate chest hair with masculinity, since men on average have more of it than women. It just goes to show that everything’s a social construction. But you knew that. ;)
Found at Cult of the Weird.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 7
robert e — February 22, 2015
Chest hair is far more common in men of European ancestry than other ethnic groups. That chest hair has been deprecated as a media and marketing symbol of male virility is likely a symptom of a more diverse society and a more global market.
robert e — February 22, 2015
p.s. I refer to historically ethnic European societies, as implied in the original post; most of these societies being, and becoming, more ethnically diverse than they used to be.
No tears for chest hair here, but it's too bad that "psychokenisis" has also disappeared from advertising.
Bill R — February 22, 2015
Other than eating/exercising for general fit and tone, and maintaining one's dress and hair in an acceptable manner, all this body-presentation garbage is just that. It falls in the same category as make-up and perfume.
Enough.
Just for Fun: The Social Construction of Chest Hair - Treat Them Better — February 22, 2015
[…] Just for Fun: The Social Construction of Chest Hair […]
Tom Megginson — February 23, 2015
Some of us still rock it.
gogobooty — March 5, 2015
Hawhawhaw As I read the stuff alongside the hairy guy, my eyes thought they read MONKEY BACK GUARANTEE!