Manscaping The Land Down Under

Modern men (some of 'em) are embracing their feminine side as modern women (some of 'em) are becoming more masculine. (Pretty soon we'll start going to the doctor before an injury is life-threatening.) As this Yin-Yang convergence occurs, interest in his looks, clothing and grooming is surging. Nowadays nearly a one-hundredth* of the shelf space for personal care items in pharmacies is now dedicated to men. Things like shave butter, hair "product" and David Beckham have colored how [some] men now comport themselves. 

So it was pretty much inevitable that the era of women being bare "down there" would migrate (you know, down south) to the fellas. Per the touch cookies at Jezebel, a smooth sack is becoming de rigeur (if not exactly de rigeur, at least a la mode**).  The ladies outline a handful of advertisements hinting at, alluding to and outright insisting that the ball bag is best sans pubic hair. The era of manscaping is in full-effect. Check out what the ad wizards at Gillette have to say about it:

Subtle, much?

In addition to the idea that body hair is unattractive (except chest hair, of course), men have been indoctrinated into the [entirely accurate] belief that pruning the hedges makes the trees look taller (if only we could ditch our tummies by the same logic). Since the first time average dude caveman spied Ron Jeremy caveman in the cave shower, we've spent large chunks of coin and clock trying to bridge the babies' arms gap. Advertisers (many of whom are men, the bastards) do their best to exploit this inadequacy. Read: Size, Apparently, Matters More To Guys

Other rationales for the smooth operator fad included: homage to Dr. Evil's belief that a "perfectly shorn scrotum" is "quite breathtaking," curiosity and some tiny amount of quid pro quo chivalry. While our love for Austin Powers needs no explanation (yeah baby!), the curiosity factor can't be overlooked. It's like a guy who's had a beard since he was 14 might be curious to see what his face looks like now. And finally, according to Diddy, it's a matter of courtesy to stay nice and neat especially if you ask your partner to do likewise (not sure that many guys shave for this reason, I could be mistaken).

For most guys, shaving is the absolute best option for ball hair removal. Though a razor is involved, the idea of letting a tiny woman with strong hands cover our gennies with hot wax and rip is entirely out of the question (the back, crack and sack wax may only be a thing of legend). And only a lunatic would cover his bits in the stinky, burning napalm that is depilatory cream (Nair, Epil Stop, etc) twice. Read: Waxing Poetic About Waxing My Back

Whatever the case, this trend, whether it's real or marketing mirage, needs to be carefully considered. Before letting your guy give in to Diddy*** and the beauty industry's pressure, tell him your preference and just hope that he has a newfound appreciation for what you go through. I'm no expert on evolutionary hygiene but this seems like the first step down a path that we may one day regret.

*Note: That number is not entirely accurate, to my knowledge. ?
**Note: Please, please no double scoop of vanilla, chocolate or mocha jokes, OK??
***Note: Caught Notorious last night, it was good and Derek Luke was a pretty solid young Sean Combs. It's got to be hard to do play a still-young, living person without falling into impression territory.