Manscaping: Hair, there and everywhere... not anymore!

After a heavy workout at his Juhu gym, Andheri resident Rajdeep Kanyal (24) generally showers before heading out. But today this model, who is struggling to find work in television industry, is headed to a neighbourhood salon for a session of manscaping, or getting rid of all the body hair. 

"A little fuzz on my face is fine but everything else, including down there, has to go," laughs this Haryanvi son of a farmer, who says it would be considered "unmanly" back home. Willing to do anything to succeed, he explains, "I don't want to go back and help my brother and father run the farm and the dairy. This is too small a price to pay." He tells us how beginners like him can't be picky. "Mostly underwear ads come to beginners like me. The camera stays on your abs, crotch and back. So six packs and body hair removal is a basic elementary to have." 

At the salon, we realise that Kanyal is not the only one. Afsar Ali (27) has just finished his hour-and-a-half session to get his whole body waxed. This Baroda boy is studying to be a manager and moonlights as a stripper and gigolo. "I was approached by a woman in the gym, asking if I'd perform at hen parties. Since the money was good, I said yes. At the parties, I realised that smooth and hairless boys were not only being tipped more but also made extra for the 'after-party services'. I realised that I have to lose hair on my chest, abs and elsewhere, then and there," he says. 

Khan tells us how he invested in a state-of-the-art electric razor "for special delicate needs" on a trip to Singapore with a wealthy partner. "Just like I want women to be all smooth if I have to head down there, I'd imagine women also like it all smooth and clean," he says with a wink. He quickly reminds us how imperative it is to have some special sensitive, soothing, skin-balm handy in case of nicks and cuts. "Specialised products are available in this spectrum as well. And most of these are available online." 

Both Khan and Kanyal have professional needs but there are others such as Gokul Iyer, who do it for sheer joy. "I'm obsessed with cleanliness. The idea of getting rid of all the hair down there seemed like a good thing given the humidity and heat in Mumbai," says this 32-year-old Malad resident, who works as a sales manager with a top water-purifier brand. "It took me a lot of courage to ask my hairdresser about it. He said he didn't do it but told me of a place in Kandivli," says Iyer, who still hasn't told his roommates about it. "I'm not sure how they'll react," he says. Madhu Jhingron (36), who runs the Juhu parlour frequented by many like Kanyal and Khan, says this is becoming a trend. "Many youngsters come to get rid of full body hair. They don't even know that it is called manscaping.

Some of them expect the staff to go where no one has gone before. But I let the boys in my staff take that call." According to him, the increasing display of the male body as an object of desire in Bollywood has fanned this trend. "Whether it was Salman, Akshay or John before Siddharth, Varun or even Tiger Shroff, Bollywood's leading men don't mind dropping shirts on camera these days. A corporate czar, too, doesn't seem to mind wearing ample heavage-displaying clothes when out at an evening do. When their fans see all that well-moisturised, made-up skin with no trace of hair, they too want to look like that." 

He admits that some who are well-off prefer laser hair removal. "It can cost over Rs2 lakh for 5-6 sessions and is very painful. Bikini wax, in a sense, is quicker and doesn't hurt you or your pocket as much," says this salon owner, who charges Rs5,000 for a session. 

When we catch up with Kanyal a few days after his shoot, he says, "My girlfriend likes this new look as much as me. I know, since I have made her very happy several times since yesterday. My buddies can't stop teasing me about it when they're together, but in secret they all text me asking for tips." 

According to cultural historian Mukund Joshi, "While men's hair have always been seen as a sign of virility in India, in other parts of the world, removing male pubic hair has more to do with convenience. Egyptians and Romans did it to keep off fleas and lice. It is still a socio-cultural practice encouraged by communities and sects that came from predominantly water-scarce regions." He further points out, "In the 16th century, Europeans were aghast when Michelangelo's statue of David featured what many called an 'ungodly' sculpted tuft down there." 

Pune-based stylist and designer Sherbanoo M Syed (29) who recommends the procedure to many young guys, says, "The modern manscaped man is a product of today's post-metrosexual world, where even the typical mard doesn't mind indulging in pampering treatments at a high-end spa and expensive, silken, see-through briefs or thongs." 

A 2008 study Down Under, conducted by researchers at Australia's Flinders University, concluded, "Hairlessness is rapidly becoming a component of the ideal male body." Of the 228 heterosexual men who participated in the anonymous survey, 66% said they had removed their pubic hair at least once, in comparison to 82% homosexual men.