Body hair removal

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Among body hair removal (including body hair ) are meant all methods with the aim of body hair in parts or in the whole body hair removal to also be completely removed. A distinction is made between the following methods of hair removal:

Motifs

Martin Luther as a monk
Paratroopers with mohawk 1944

In addition to hygienic and religious aspects, aesthetics play an essential role.

In contrast to other primates , in Homo sapiens the body hair (see there for further information on the function), with the exception of the head and, if necessary, the protection against friction in skin folds, no longer has an essential function. However, full or partial body hair removal has an important cultural role.

The (partial) shave is used as an initiation rite as well as a sign of the Esprit de corps and membership of certain groups, from the military to the clergy. From the 6th century to 1973 the tonsure was the outward sign of the priesthood and the promise of celibacy by Christian clerics. It still plays a role in other religions, such as Buddhism , Islam and Hinduism . In many countries and cultures, for example in Islam, hair is removed from women and men for religious reasons or, as in ancient times, is understood as a hygiene measure . In this way, the shave also partly fulfills religious purity requirements .

In Western countries in particular, aesthetic or functional reasons primarily play a role in the decision to remove hair from the body. The removal of body hair and the resulting smooth, hairless skin is also seen by some as erotic . For women in particular, extensive hair removal is increasingly considered a compelling ideal of beauty . Whole-body hair removal has become increasingly popular and is now an ideal of beauty in many places. Many women state that they feel more feminine and attractive without pubic hair .

Originally well-known men with their considerable body hair, such as Burt Reynolds or David Hasselhoff, turned to a hairless style that used to be associated with the gay scene.

Some athletes , such as cyclists or swimmers , remove their body hair to reduce air or water resistance. Cyclists in particular also give the reason that shaved skin after falls (abrasions) can be treated and massaged more easily and that hairs from growing into the wound are avoided. However, it is unclear to what extent these arguments count in individual cases or whether it is merely an aesthetic decision. The muscles become more clearly visible after hair removal and there is often considerable social pressure in cycling groups for hair removal.

history

Early razors were made of cut flint , stone knives, clam shells, and shark's teeth. Archaeological finds of stone shaving scrapers date back to the 6th millennium BC. Known. Hard rocks such as flint or obsidian made it possible to manufacture much sharper blades than the soft metals available at the time. Bronze scrapers have also been found. In South America , however, the indigenous people preferred to pluck their hair instead of shaving.

In ancient Egypt , women removed their pubic hair for aesthetic reasons. They did not have hair on the pubic mound, as this exerted a strong erotic attraction on the men. The Egyptians used copper or gold knives in the 4th century. In Greek vase paintings, people were mostly depicted naked and hairless apart from the hair on their heads. Body hair , pubic hair and beards were considered barbaric by the ancient Greeks, at least in certain epochs . Among the Romans , shaving with pumice stone was also part of civilization .

Even Asians and Indians , endowed by nature anyway with only a small pubic hair, removed the last few remains, because it corresponded to their sense of beauty. With the spread of Islam in the Middle Ages , intimate shaving was also introduced in large parts of North Africa , the Middle East and even southern Europe . In the seraglio of Muslim rulers, there were specially trained eunuchs who shaved the concubines' bodies and especially the pubic area on a daily basis.

In the United States , body hair removal became popular among women, especially between 1915 and 1945, as a sign of their femininity . After 1945, it also spread to Europe . At the same time, udder stinging , the regular removal of udder hair from dairy cows, appeared in the USA before the middle of the 20th century and spread from there to Central Europe after 1945.

Types of body hair removal

Arm hair removal

Arm hair removal refers to the removal of all hair from the arms , especially from the more hairy forearms . The hair can be removed by epilation or arm shaving . An arm shave for women is often considered very aesthetic. Religious motives can also exist. In ancient Egypt and Greece as well as in the Islamic countries, arm hair was part of the understanding of hygiene and aesthetics .

Leg hair removal

Leg shave at the Barber Convention 2018 in the Classic Remise Düsseldorf

In modern society of the 20th and 21st centuries, based on historical predecessors (see history ), it has become an almost universally valid, mandatory part of body care that women depilate their legs (usually as part of a leg shave ) or even epilate . In men, this type of hair removal is only considered desirable in exceptional cases (among special athletes or in the event of injuries ).

Pubic hair removal

In the pubic hair removal is the widespread removal of hair in the bikini area , so the zone of a bikini bottom is not covered. However, since the size and shape of bikini bottoms vary widely, the range is not clearly defined. It essentially comprises the lower abdominal wall above the pubic symphysis and parts of the groin or parts of the thighs . Usually, however, the entire genital area is depilated. This includes

The perineum as well as the area of ​​the anus also belong to the genital area. They are usually hairy in men, but this hairiness is different in women.

Full body hair removal

Whole-body hair removal (also known as full-body hair removal ) is the complete removal of all body hair down the neck; in women, it usually also includes hair removal from the face (upper lip and cheek). It thus subsumes all of the above types of body hair removal. The depilation can, in turn, take place both as depilation (for example with a razor as a full-body shave ) and by epilation, for example with wax or an epilator. Another method is to use a depilatory cream. Full body hair removal has become a widespread beauty ideal.

distribution

In some cultures, full body hair removal, especially women, is taken for granted. These include parts of India, Africa, Brazil and many Islamic countries. In the Amazon region there are some Indian tribes from which women pluck out all of their body hair, such as the Huaorani . In most regions, however, full body hair removal is only practiced by a part of the population, including Europe, where the trend has been increasing for several decades. In the US , full body hair removal is now more common for both women and men than it is in Europe.

Arm shaving is still the least common in the western world. The armpit, leg and intimate shave, on the other hand, is more common.

In Turkey, nose and ear hairs are often removed with a cold flame. In Japan, the removal of facial hair, including on the forehead and neck, is part of a visit to the hairdresser. Plucking and epilation of the eyebrows is also common.

criticism

Some hairy areas of the body, such as the pubic and armpit hair, support the evaporation of the scent gland secretions ( pheromones ). Hair removal on these parts of the body can therefore reduce the sexual attraction to sexual partners who perceive the intimate odor as stimulating.

Complete depilation of the groin and anus can lead to skin irritation during depilation, as the original frictional protection of the body hair in skin folds is no longer given. Soldiers on long marches and runners in particular can be affected by this. However, this problem can be circumvented with adequate epilation.

Despite the social pressure , more and more people are deciding not to have their hair removed, sometimes in protest .

Errors

Influence on hair growth

It is believed by many that hair removal leads to increased overall hair growth . However, this is a mistake resulting from the fact that the fine, lighter ends of the hair are cut off when shaving and the hair may therefore appear bristly and darker. However, it does not increase the number or thickness of hair. With epilation, the opposite effect occurs even when hair grows back, which is always finer and more inconspicuous.

Influence on hygiene

Another mistake is the common opinion that parts of the body with hair removed are more hygienic per se. Other forms of personal hygiene are more important. There is no medical need for pubic hair removal for reasons of hygiene. The same usually applies to other parts of the body. Rather, injuries in the context of a body hair removal that is not carried out optimally or properly can function as a gateway for pathogens.

swell

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  2. ↑ Julius Rosenbaum : History of the lust epidemic in antiquity together with detailed studies of the Venus and phallic cults, brothels, Νούσος ϑήλεια of the Scythians, paederasty and other sexual excesses of the ancients as contributions to the correct explanation of their writings . 7th edition, H. Barsdorf, Berlin 1904, pp. 321–336 ( depilation )
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  9. ↑ The food veterinarian. Volume 2. German Veterinary Weekly, 1951
  10. ↑ Shaving or Waxing? Possible methods of hair removal on the arm (retrieved from paradisi.de)
  11. ↑ Arm shave (retrieved from paradisi.de)
  12. ↑ a b Reasons for removing arm hair (accessed at paradisi.de)
  13. ↑ Manfred Dworschak: Body Culture - The Second Face , Der Spiegel, July 13, 2009.
  14. ↑ Laura Rival: The attachment of the soul to the body among the Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador In: Ethnos, 70 (3), 2005. doi : 10.1080 / 00141840500294300
  15. ^ Dian Hanson, Eric Kroll (Ed.): The New Erotic Photography. Taschen, Hong Kong 2007, p. 68
  16. ↑ unknown Author: Miley Cyrus is also participating: Trend on social media: unshaven young women celebrate their armpit hair on the internet - video. In: Focus Online . June 12, 2015, accessed March 16, 2017 .
  17. ↑ She hasn't shaved her legs for a year - BRAVO. In: bravo.de. June 12, 2015, accessed March 16, 2017 .
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  21. ↑ agossweiler: 13 reasons against shaving your pubic hair. In: agossweiler.wordpress.com. October 19, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016 .