Why do most men shave?

[beenherebeforeagain]

When I was growing up...in the late 1960s and 1970s...My parents initially insisted that we three boys keep our hair cut...and because we couldn't afford it, Dad handled the electric clippers...about 1970 we convinced our parents to let our hair grow a bit more...my eldest brother kept his trim, but it was over the ears and collar for a time...next eldest had a magnificent mane by the time he graduated high school. My hair never grow to such a length, but it was definitely over the ears and collar...by 17, I had a beard and long hair...and since I was living in a red-neck small city in Central Illannoying, I was regularly subject to taunts by adults...couldn't go into a bar without almost getting into a fight, and not my doing...I was regularly followed by police, although was only stopped a couple of times...

By the 1980s, I started wearing my hair shorter, and sometimes grew a mustache and sometimes shaved it off...But I noticed that as the years passed, whether people had short or long hair, whether bearded or not, and so on, seemed to count less and less, and indeed, today it seems like it's pretty much individual choice and I don't see a lot of social pressure to conform.

Oh, I'm sure there are some church communities, for example, that might have a standard...but no one outside that group cares...So I don't see much of an issue here, and least in my neck of the woods...

 

[LuisDantas]

I don't always shave. Often, particularly when I am dating, I keep a reasonably well-grommed beard.

However, I have found that it is not very confortable for me to let my beard grown too much. Clean-shaven I have an easier time washing my face and generally feeling clean.

It helps that I don't particularly like the texture nor the smell of my own beard. On average I shave about once every four days or so. It varies.

I have learned to be confortable with a double-edge safety razor - which is incredibly cheap to use, too, when compared to three-blade disposables or even single-blade Bic Sensitives, which are my favored disposable razor (handy in travels).

But when I am home, there is no beating a safety razor. I routinely use a Rockwell 6C with the "3" skin distance setting; it is slightly closer to the skin than the standard razor would be, making for a cleaner end result. When I feel fancy, I use one of the two quality shavettes that I own. But a plain cheap safety razor is just fine for me as well.

 

[Quagmire]

I usually have a beard, but I'll shave it off at rare, random intervals over the course of a typical year

When I shave it off it's usually because its started to get itchy (usually in the summer), or because I just feel like looking younger.

 

[John53]

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

That's an interesting point

Yet traditionally God and Jesus are depicted with beards and they are both on top of the social hierarchy as traditionally imagined

Its because a beard is traditionally associated with masculinity, virility, wisdom and authority. For most of Western history, it was the norm for men to have facial hair. It's only in the last century that clean-shavenness has been promoted as a trend in Western culture. Most likely as a ploy from razor companies, just like they had a big ad campaign around a century ago to convince women to shave their body hair and that became reinforced by social pressure. It reached it's height in the '50s but then the '60s brought facial hair back and it's had resurgences since then. Almost every millennial guy has a beard, it seems.

 

[Secret Chief]

I don't

There is not much to cut

And people don't cut their hair everyday so it's not the same

You don't have your hair cut? Ever?

I don't shave every day. (I have a goatee)

I used to have a full beard but would still trim it occasionally. I don't want to look like I live under a hedge, or have fun getting food and drink into my mouth and my wife certainly wouldn't want to kiss a face full of fur

 

[Altfish]

Why do most men shave?

Aerodynamic .... and ...

... Mrs. Altfish prefers it shaved.

 

[ChristineM]

Aerodynamic .... and ...

... Mrs. Altfish prefers it shaved.

When i lived in the UK the town mayor was a competitive cyclist, he shaved his legs because it was more aerodynamic.

A lot of french cyclists to too.

 

[PureX]

I've gone both ways over the years. I now prefer clean shaven. I don't want a gray beard. I also still have plenty of hair on my head. And that's enough to deal with.

 

[Quintessence]

Cultural norms. That accounts for pretty much ever cultural phenomenon in humans, whether its beards, styles of glasses, length of pants, etc, etc.

 

[Altfish]

When i lived in the UK the town mayor was a competitive cyclist, he shaved his legs because it was more aerodynamic.

A lot of french cyclists to too.

I always said I was ahead of the game

 

[Revoltingest]

I gave up shaving this year.
One less task.
One less appliance to take on trips.
Beard happened.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I gave up shaving this year.
One less task.
One less appliance to take on trips.
Beard happened.

Same theory on my end. Own the beard or the beard owns you.

 

[Revoltingest]

Same theory on my end. Own the beard or the beard owns you.

My beard tells me to burn things.
I tell it to shut up.

 

[Jedster]

I once knew someone called Victor who was unshaven for weeks and sprouted a sort-of beard. I wanted to be diplomatic in telling him how ridiculous he looked, so I said "Victor, you look like an upside down broom".
He got the message.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Why do most men shave?

I'm a man and I don't

I have had a beard for years

I don't see why other men shave apart from it being a convention....

But why has it become a convention????

What advantages could it possibly confer?

If you are a man who shaves please explain yourself!!!

I shave for 3 reasons:

- My wife likes it better

- I don't have a mega full beard, so it looks kinda stupid if I let it grow

- I don't like it in terms of overall comfort.

It's never "clean" shaven though. It's always a bit on the "roughy rough" style.

"convention".... I couldn't care less about "convention" when it comes to such things. I do my own thing, always.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

You don't have your hair cut? Ever?

My record is a little less then 10 years without a haircut.
By then it almost reached my butt.

The ends started to really split so I started having it cut again, primarily to keep it healthy.
Since then it's about once or twice a year. I keep it at a length now that reaches about nipple height, give or take.