It would seem that nobody likes a hairy bod!

Beauty is relative, of course, but for many Japanese women it seems like there are two somewhat universal standards for attractive men: don’t be fat, and don’t be bald. When it comes to hair, however, it appears that the only place where young Japanese women want their men to have it is on their head, since a recent survey revealed that they’re put off by men with lots of body hair.

The survey was conducted by Purasesu Pharmaceuticals, a cosmetics company that, conveniently, also happens to be selling a hair-removal cream for men. The survey asked 65 women from all across the country between the ages of 15 and 29 the question, “Does your boyfriend’s body hair bother you?”

The answer was a pretty resounding “yes” from 89.2 percent of the respondents. Of that number, 61.5 percent said “It bothers me,” while an additional 27.7 percent said, “It bothers me a little.” Only 10.8 percent said “It doesn’t really bother me”.

The women supplemented their votes with opinions, most of which said something along the lines of, “Even if they have a nice face, a hairy body puts me off!”

“When it’s summer and I see guys at the pool in their swimsuits, it’s a little embarrassing to see their chest hair and happy trails, too.”
“I especially don’t like body hair on really pale men.”
“Leg hair really bothers me.”
“When my boyfriend uses the bath first, there is a lot of hair floating in the tub afterwards.”
“When I see his chest hair when he’s wearing a V-neck…”

▼ Better get shaving, boys…

Though one respondent commented that leg hair in particular bothers her the most, the most disliked place for men to have hair was the chest, followed by the stomach. It seems that Japanese women don’t like quick glimpses of hair, as evidenced by how men’s body hair has alarmed these women in the past:

“The unexpected length of his arm hair when he wore a short-sleeved shirt really took me aback.”
“I felt disillusioned when I saw his stomach hair.”
“When I saw how his leg hairs jutted out of his distressed jeans…”
“When my eyes were drawn to the hair on his fingers, I felt kind of disappointed.”
“We were having a good time at the end of our date but the thick hair all over his body killed my mood lol.”
“I was put off when I saw the hair on his back when he bent over.”
“He had a cute face, but when I saw he had so much hair I was shocked.”

Hair on the legs came in at the third most disliked body hair, followed by arms, hands and fingers, and, lastly and somewhat surprisingly, the back, which is often a complaint for western women.

▼ Interestingly, armpit hair didn’t make the list.

When asked if they wanted their boyfriends to do something about their body hair, 87.7 percent said yes. Many of the women responded that men who took care of at least the stomach and chest hair had a greater sense of cleanliness. One even commented about the hypocrisy of beauty standards for women: “If men are going to be strict with women about their body hair, then they should pay attention to theirs too.” But for the most part, women said that men who groomed their body hair were more attractive, and they appreciated it if a man considered their preferences when self-grooming.

But hairy men of the world, don’t despair! This was only a survey of 65 women out of the approximate 63 million in all of Japan, so it’s certainly not a representative sample. Besides, there’s one surefire way to get a Japanese girlfriend regardless of what you look like: have lots of money.

Source: Atpress
Top image: Pakutaso
Featured Images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3)
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