Why Do Men Shave?

Why Do Men Shave?
Mar 16, 2008 01:34
LEONARDO Points: Join Date: May 21, 2007 Status: offline	Hey guys, have you ever thought about that why you shave every morning. I read a piece of writing on a web blog by a lady. She says she noticed that her boyfriend shaves every moring. “ It’s a ritual — shower, comb hair, shave, brush teeth, dress.” She says that she asked her boyfriend why does he shave? This is one of the answers: “Youthfulness, shaving presents a clean face to the onlooker, conversant” The author insists that showering, combing hairs, brush teeth and dressing are all easy to understand. She says: >>“Showering is easy to understand. If you don’t shower, you start to stink. Combing the hair is easy to understand too, because it would be a mess if you didn’t comb it. If you don’t brush your teeth, they rot and fall out. And dressing, obviously, is a necessity.” << >>“But shaving is the removal of body hair, using a sharp blade known as a razor or with any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down to the level of the skin. Shaving is most commonly used by men to remove their facial hair, and a man is called clean shaven if he has had his removed totally.”<< The author also pointed out that men have been shaving since ancient times. Cavemen shaved with stone knives. The reason for them to shave is probably that beards easily get nasty because they trap food. The author was puzzled that there isn’t any health reason to shave the facial hairs off, why would men spend the time and money to go through the ritual ( shaving) every day. Interestingly, the author also listed some reasons for men in Stone Ages to shave based on her research: - To reduce the breeding grounds for lice, fleas and small rodents. - To eliminate the beard as a place for an enemy to hang on during combat. - To make it easier to eat. - Superstition associated a heavily bearded man with old age and death, in addition to the superstitious belief of spirits which entered the body through hairs on the head. In Chinese, we had an old saying. “身体发肤，受之父母, 不敢毁伤孝之始也” It is the first step of piety that body, hair and skin are not allowed to be self-wounded because they were borne by parents. So ancient Chinese bore this doctrine in their mind. Both men and women wore plaits. Why do you shave? Have you thought about it, fellas?

Mar 16, 2008 01:34

LEONARDO
Points:
Join Date: May 21, 2007
Status: offline

Hey guys, have you ever thought about that why you shave every morning. I read a piece of writing on a web blog by a lady. She says she noticed that her boyfriend shaves every moring. “ It’s a ritual — shower, comb hair, shave, brush teeth, dress.” She says that she asked her boyfriend why does he shave? This is one of the answers: “Youthfulness, shaving presents a clean face to the onlooker, conversant”

The author insists that showering, combing hairs, brush teeth and dressing are all easy to understand. She says:

>>“Showering is easy to understand. If you don’t shower, you start to stink. Combing the hair is easy to understand too, because it would be a mess if you didn’t comb it. If you don’t brush your teeth, they rot and fall out. And dressing, obviously, is a necessity.” <<

>>“But shaving is the removal of body hair, using a sharp blade known as a razor or with any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down to the level of the skin. Shaving is most commonly used by men to remove their facial hair, and a man is called clean shaven if he has had his removed totally.”<<

The author also pointed out that men have been shaving since ancient times. Cavemen shaved with stone knives. The reason for them to shave is probably that beards easily get nasty because they trap food. The author was puzzled that there isn’t any health reason to shave the facial hairs off, why would men spend the time and money to go through the ritual ( shaving) every day.

Interestingly, the author also listed some reasons for men in Stone Ages to shave based on her research:
- To reduce the breeding grounds for lice, fleas and small rodents.
- To eliminate the beard as a place for an enemy to hang on during combat.
- To make it easier to eat.
- Superstition associated a heavily bearded man with old age and death, in addition to the superstitious belief of spirits which entered the body through hairs on the head.

In Chinese, we had an old saying. “身体发肤，受之父母, 不敢毁伤孝之始也” It is the first step of piety that body, hair and skin are not allowed to be self-wounded because they were borne by parents. So ancient Chinese bore this doctrine in their mind. Both men and women wore plaits.

Why do you shave? Have you thought about it, fellas?

Mar 16, 2008 02:30	#1
GARYKINKADE Points: Join Date: Jan 8, 2008 Status: Offline	I shave because my wife tells me to shave. And if I don't shave when she tells me too then breakfast, lunch, and dinner will not be made and I will have to make it myself and that takes longer than to actually shave. Did any of this make any sense at all?

Mar 16, 2008 06:30	#2
GUEST24237	The biggest reason for me to shave is that if I don't, I will appear unshaven.

Mar 17, 2008 02:35

GUESTNEST

"In Chinese, we had an old saying. “身体发肤，受之父母, 不敢毁伤孝之始也”" It is the first step of piety that body, hair and skin are not allowed to be self-wounded because they were borne by parents. "

The lines you quoted are from " the Classic of Filial Piety", also called XiaoJing (孝经）。 The book was written by Zeng Can ( 曾参), a disciple of Confucius. He recorded confucius' lesson on how to behave towards senior people. The book contains feudal ideology. Nevertheless, its advocate of filial piety is of great value.

Today, we understand that being filial or not has nothing to do with your body hair. Cut it, you can still be a filial child.

I shave because my girlfriend tells me to shave. I don't mean that most girls like
clean-shaven guys, but my gal wants me to be clean-shaven.

Mar 17, 2008 14:10

CANADAGUY
Points:
Join Date: Oct 1, 2007
Status: Offline

>>Why do you shave? Have you thought about it, fellas? <<

I don't shave. Actually I do, but certainly not every day. I shave every few days when the very bottom part of my beard starts to look a little scruffy.

Beards look best when they are taken care of and trimmed nicely. It takes a little bit of work but not nearly as much as shaving every day.

Every few years I shave off my beard to remember what my face looks like. :)

Mar 17, 2008 21:51	#5
ICEBLUE Points: Join Date: Aug 30, 2007 Status: Offline	Men do not have to shave everyday. Some guys have very cool beard. Beard makes man look manly.

Mar 19, 2008 21:00	#6
KATRINA Points: Join Date: Nov 29, 2004 Status: Offline	Shaving is a daily ritual for men. It is just like women put face powder on their faces. Cavemen in Stone Ages shaved the facial hair? How can they use stone razor to shave?

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