Research indicates that “light” chest hair is considered the most attractive, at least according to women. And this walks hand-in-hand with the research that points to light stubble being the most attractive form of facial hair.
Case in point: When Australian researchers surveyed women about their body hair preferences on men, they found that women deemed men with "light" body hair—or guys with just a little bit of hair around their chest and belly button—as more attractive than guys with lots of body hair.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many women appreciate men who trim their pubic areas or shave them smooth entirely. According to some, it helps men and women think of a guy's package as larger. But women appreciate body hair on a guy's arms and legs, and even some on his chest if it's not super thick or like a carpet.
Overall, 40 percent of the women agree. However, 43 percent of the total women surveyed prefer men keep all their chest hair, considering it a sign of masculinity. And 17 percent want a smooth chest without a single hair.
Researchers have found that a majority of women really do prefer a man with a smooth chest. Researchers compared the attractiveness of men before and after shaving their chest,and found only 20 percent of women preferred the more hirsute version,the Daily Mail reported.
The development of chest hair begins normally during late puberty, usually between the ages of 12 and 18. It can also start later, between the age of 20 and 30, so that many men in their twenties have not yet reached their full chest hair development. The growth continues subsequently.
17% of women surveyed said they prefer a man to be cleanly shaven with no chest hair. So our takeaway from this survey is that overall, women like chest hair and even find it masculine, but they want you to keep it trimmed and maintained.
If you're getting around a bit, you'll inevitably come across a woman who says shave it or miss out. Unfortunately, you'll be pleasing that minority while losing favor with the majority. It turns out that a third of women in the survey like chest hair. They think it's manly, and they want a little fuzz on their dudes.
Muscularity is sexy.
In a separate study, women reported that their short-term sexual partners were more muscular than their other partners. The researchers suggest women have fewer requirements for muscular men.
Here's a good—if not obvious—rule of thumb: Depending on the extent you trim your chest, your stomach should be shorn to at least the same level, probably even shorter. It's a visual thing, really. As for below the belly button, don't hesitate to simply pick up a trimmer and go to town.
A general observation across experiments was that straight hair was perceived as younger, healthier, and more attractive than wavy hair and darker shades (medium copper and brown) were perceived more positively than blonde hair.
Contrary to popular opinion, women seem to much more concerned with the body below the neck than men are. Only 2% preferring the face above all else. Taking the lead is the chest at 24%, closely followed by hair at 22% and arms at 19%. These preferences suggest the importance of muscles in making a man more attractive.
Men develop more androgenic hair than women because we have more androgens. Androgens (sometimes referred to as male sex hormones because we more of them than women) are sexual hormones such as testosterone, androstenedione and DHT, which create male characteristics. This, of course, includes being hairier.
Is body hair a sign of high testosterone? Testosterone can cause hair growth but it's not always a sign of high testosterone levels. Testosterone and oestrogen are sex hormones, and they help determine how your hair grows. This means not only where, but also the texture, thickness and colour of that hair.
Uneven Chest Hair Is Normal
The most common chest hair pattern was the pecto-sterno-infraclavicular pattern, in which the breast, sternum, and end of the clavicle are hairy. This early research established that it was common for men to have asymmetrical chest hair that followed different patterns on each side.
Like so many things, it comes down to a mixture of genetics and hormones. We know that at least some of the genes for hairiness are carried on the X chromosome – and the way these genes are expressed varies between different men and ethnic groups – but hairiness also correlates with high testosterone levels.
Muscular forearms are also among the most important muscles women like the most in men. Strong arms come with an all-around package of good back and shoulder muscles that women love. In fact, many females like men flaunt their forearm veins and stuff.
Overall, the most attractive male body type is one that's strong, athletic, and healthy. Even better if that body also has nice arms and a muscular chest.
Women (60%) are slightly more likely than men (54%) to say that they think it is unattractive for women to have armpit hair. They're also a little bit more likely to say that women should get rid of armpit hair (56% of women and 50% of men).
Keeping chest hair is a matter of choice. While some men prefer keeping it, others prefer a clean look. A lot of men also opt for permanent chest hair removal for varied reasons. While some remove it for hygiene purposes, reducing sweat and body odour, others do it to flaunt their body.
Women's Health asked: should men shave their legs? 22% of women said YES. 30% said NO but we should trim it. That's 52% of women in favor of male legscaping.
Shaving nipple hair is generally not recommended since the skin surrounding nipples is highly sensitive and shaving it can easily result in nicks and cuts. In addition, removing nipple hair by shaving can also lead to ingrown hairs or infection, which can be quite painful.
It has its fads, folks have their preferences. But according to science, no matter what's trending in fashion magazines, excessive body hair is linked to higher levels of testosterone production—so technically, harrier men are more traditionally “manly” men.
Chest hair also increases our skin sensitivity, which for our ancestors, meant a chance to notice and swat unwelcome critters before they had a chance to feast. Then, as now, a bug-free mate was a good mate. The theory as to why men still have their chest hair while women don't is based on sexual selection.