What she really thinks about your grooming habits
A few years ago you guys could get away with everything. Facial hair wasn’t an issue, neither was a slight paunch, and you could grope and scratch at yourselves and we women couldn’t care less.
Then the metrosexual man came to town, and women everywhere fell in love. And little by little, our guys started sneaking into the salons – into the manicurist’s and facialist’s chairs, visiting the gym, and actually getting styled.
Now, while the discomfort men experience in the name of beauty is hardly on par with women’s, we have to admit that some guys go beyond the call of duty to look good.
Last week we looked at those feminine beauty habits, and what men thought of the effort. This week we take a look at the men – do women really care about all the things you claim to do to get their attention?
Here’s what your girl really thinks about:
1. You grooming your eyebrows.
* “If he has a unibrow, plucking the stray hairs is fine. But if he shaves his eyebrow, or does like some men do and creates lines through it, that’s just sickening.”
* “Leave the eyebrow grooming up to the ladies. Men should have facial hair. Leave the tweezing up to the ladies.”
* “I have to laugh when I see these young men shaving their eyebrows. It’s so gay!”
Our suggestion: Pluck in moderation. But for God’s sakes, don’t look more groomed than your woman does.
2. You working on the beer gut.
* “It’s about time men learned that beer bellies are not attractive. I say to all those men who spend hours at the gym – hats off to you bro!”
* “It really doesn’t matter to me. I don’t want my man looking too much like a model. A little paunch makes him look normal.”
* “I could never date a man with a big gut. Doesn’t it drastically decrease the size of his you-know-what?”
Our suggestion: Dare we say gym membership pronto?
3. Manicures, pedicures, facials.
* “I notice more and more men coming to my salon. I think a manicure now and then is OK. But I think it’s a bit weird when his feet and hands are soaking, and he’s asking the hairdresser how much it costs to cornrow his hair.”
* “My guy can’t have no crusty feet. He has to go and get his mani-pedi on too.”
* “No problem with that. A hardworking man should take care of himself.”
Our suggestion: Book a salon appointment pronto.
4. Down there grooming
* “I once asked my boyfriend to let me shave him, because he was too hairy. He said yes, and I groomed him. It made the experience so much better.”
* “That’s bordering on something that I don’t want to explore. Leave the hair down there, it’s too weird to imagine a guy shaving his privates.”
* Don’t do it, it’s weird on too many levels.
Our suggestion: Unless your girl suggests it, leave your manly parts alone.
5. Braids, curls and texturising.
* “Too many men want to look Indian. You can’t even tell what stock these men come from anymore. I hate that men think they can’t leave their hair natural, and process their hair to try to be something they’re not.”
* Whenever a man uses any kind of straightening product in his hair, I immediately think of the disaster that was the jherri curls. Sure you want to look smooth and groomed, but it’s better to shave off your hair than to talk ’bout texturising just because you want people to think you have ‘good hair’.
* I like when men take care of their hair. Corn rows are fine. But I have a problem with any kind of chemical in men’s hair.”
Our suggestion: It’s an individual thing. Get your woman’s views on hair care before you venture into these waters.
