Why is commonly considered civilized for a man to to be clean shaven or at least well groomed and trimmed? Wouldn't the more wild hairy look be more masculine? The opposite of gentle is wild so a gentleman must tame his hair? It makes no sense. I hate shaving. It itches too much.

Maybe because it costs more effort to be clean-shaven? If you have (ungroomed) facial hair it may look as though you can't be bothered or can't afford a razor (in other words, it makes you look like a bit of a bum )

I always liked facial hair on a man . As long as it's trimmed, and kept up, off the neck, I find it attractive. An unkempt beard tends to give off that "Charles Manson" look...

I think the key words are "the more wild, hairy look". I also like facial hair when it's kept reasonably groomed, but as far as the Grizzly Adams or ZZ Top look, no thank you!

lol, in truth I like it best when my boyfriend is a bit "scruffy". But he doesn't have much facial hair so it looks kind of cute and all over the place (not wispy, mind) rather than downright shabby or psychopath-ish.

But anyway he is lazy, so no problem there

Hubby keeps his facial hair well trimmed.

So do I.

I prefer a man with facial hair, as long as it's not wild and wooly.

Since facial hair is natural shaving is an unnatural act.

I only shave every other day, the main reason is, it seems a waste of my valuable time.
I work with the public a lot, and when anyone asks me, "Why didn't you shave today?" my reply shuts them up. I tell them,
"This way I satisfy all the ladies, some like it smooth, some like it rough."

I have not shaved since 1980- my grown-up children have never seen my chin or my top lip!

I get my hair cut every six weeks or so, and just get a beard and mo trim at the same time. I cannot see any point in scraping a lump of sharp metal across my face every day.

While I realize it is the norm and accepted in some countries/cultures, I have to wonder what all the males on here would say if the females all stated that we don't shave our legs or underarms because it is an unnatural act?

Umm, hairy pits on a woman. Ooh la la. Merci que je l'aime aime cela!

Double standards! Guys want women to have silky smooth legs and underarms but don't want to shave themselves. We could get more into this topic but I'm afraid it would be too much for the boards.

Body hair is considered rugged, especially facial hair, which is a quality all men I know don't want to see in a woman.

Rugged is a quality that I know of that can attract some women.

How about men who shave their underarms and chest/back hair?

If there is a reason behind it, like the person being a swimmer, bodybuilder or another reason why no hair there would be useful.

Personally I would never go to that length.

If only for the fact that after you shave the hair just comes back quicker and thicker.

There is also that period of time right after shaving that the shaved areas can be rather itchy.

I like a beard on a man, find it very masculine. Some trimming is good but not too fussily or he starts to look like the 'evil vizier' but not too scruffy either. Stubble can be actually quite fetching, has that 'Harrison Ford' appeal. As for shaving in general for men and women, it's a personal thing and I'm not going to go 'ewww!' at any woman who has any hair where fashion considers it a negative thing.

I couldn't care less if a guy has back hair, what difference does it make? I'd also prefer he leave his chest hair alone, waxing it off seems a form of testosterone denial, but that's just me.

Alas, I've never liked facial hair on men. Had I met my husband when he wore the "wild and wooly" look in college, we might not be married today, which is a measure of just how much facial hair turns me off. I have no explanation or excuse to offer.

On the other hand, my husband has plenty of chest hair and some back hair, and I find this attractive. Go figure.

Since I want him to shave his face, I can't complain about the fact that he wants me to shave my legs and underarms. I'd do it anyway, but if I ever felt an urge to go "natural," I'd have trouble justifying it.

Just read about a study on this: most women preferred the 'scruffy' look - shaved yesterday. At least, it's the look they found sexiest, not necessarily the one they chose for the men in their lives.

Personally, I like facial hair on men. It's masculine, it's sexy. If I wanted to rub up against soft smooth skin, I'd be kissing women....

Beards, it seems to me, are generally grown to cover some form of insecurity, such as, "Hey - I'm hairy so I'm a real manly man 'cos I am sooo hairy. See and admire as I drag my knuckles along the ground." Or the beard is there to disguise some facial weakness, such as a weak chin, loose fleshy lips, narrow or jutting jaw bones, or the 'small head, scrawny neck, big beard' type, or just general ugliness. Or, and most understandable, to cover some form of facial scarring such as eczema, facial impetigo, accident scars, etc . If you observe the bearded ones, when they think that nobody is watching, you will notice that they scratch at the flesh beneath their beards in a most ferocious manner.
All the above, is no doubt why Santa Clause has a false beard.

Actually, trojan, I've known some men with quite nice faces, skin, and bone structure who have chosen to grow beards and moustaches. However, I've noticed that many balding men seem to try to compensate with facial hair. Since receding hairlines and flat-out baldness are very sexy if sported with confidence, the compensatory facial hair isn't necessary, in my opinion.

The best man at our wedding, someone who had started balding in college, wore a moustache for years. A few months after he started dating his wife, who prefers clean-shaven faces, she suggested that he would look better if he got rid of the moustache. I knew it was true love when he did. (Unfortunately, he's the only guy I've ever met whom I thought looked better WITH facial hair than without it, but then, I wasn't contemplating marrying him.)

I will say -- and I hate to say it, but it's one of my problems with facial hair -- that beards and moustaches worn together DO emphasize loose, fleshy lips in an odd way, or even make normal lips look loose and fleshy. There's something weirdly unattractive about this, in my view, but that's merely a mysterious, personal neurosis.

I can see where you were going to begin with there Trojan. But past the first part of the first sentence I don't see those as major contributing factors, especially the knuckle dragging line.

No, BX, I wouldn't expect you to, but each to their own. Nevertheless, the factors that I raised have proven valid over the years, albeit from purely personal observation. There are folk that I know, who would never trust a man with full facial hair; others, that think differently. As for the 'knuckle dragging line'? When you meet one you shall most certainly know what I mean.

I am usually more wary of the ones who after a night of drinking shave their heads.