Smooth = Sexy (fact)
A recent study in New Scientist magazine suggests that humans shed their body hair to be more attractive to the opposite sex.
According to the report, the hairier our ancestors, the more likely they were to have fur-loving parasites, which were unhealthy and unattractive to potential suitors.
Natural selection meant that all-over fur, as sported by our ape cousins, seemed dirty and undesirable to the opposite sex, and was eventually bred out.
Humans are, in fact, something of an anomaly in the mammal world, with only such animals as elephants, walruses, pigs, whales and the wholly unattractive bald mole-rat sharing our nakedness.
We actually have around 5 million hair follicles, we look bald because over most of our body the hair is very fine.
Previously, it was thought that we lost our hair when early humans discovered fire and found shelter, reducing the need for the protection of a fur coat. This new theory offers an alternative spin, and could explain our ongoing love affair with remaining hair-free.
Back to the roots
Just why are we so obsessed with shaving, waxing, plucking or zapping the final few strands of hair we have left on our comparatively bald bodies?
The thought of dating a man with a freakishly hairy back or a woman who proudly displays her hairy armpits is about as appealing to us as getting it on with a caveman crawling with lice was thousands of years ago.
It seems that sexual attractiveness is, and has always been, inextricably linked to a hair-free body.
Archaeologists have found evidence that early man used sharpened rocks and shells to scrape off hair 20,000 years ago.
People were concocting depilatories (incidentally, the name is derived from the Latin for 'to deprive of hair') as far back as BC 3,000 to 4,000 from ingredients like asses' fat, nanny-goats' gall, bats' blood and powdered viper.
An ancient Middle Eastern bridal ritual required all the bride's hair to be removed before the wedding, apart from that on her head and eyebrows, as a mark of cleanliness and respect for her husband.
Shaved high foreheads became fashionable in early mediaeval times. This trend continued into the 16th century, with women plucking the hair from their forehead, and even wrapping bandages soaked in vinegar and cats' excrement around their children's heads to prevent hair growth. Hair removal is by no means new or exclusive to the modern western world. It spans the centuries and reaches all corners of the globe.
Ancient Egyptians were entombed with their razors; Mesopotamians were using tweezers as early as 3,500 BC; a 1990 survey by razor manufacturer Gillette revealed that over 90% of American women over 13 shaved their legs and armpits.
Today Brazilian mothers start taking their daughters to see depiladoras ('wax women') as soon as they hit 15.
Wax works
Our current appetite for increasingly daring styles of intimate waxing is an excellent indication of the enduring craving for smooth skin and sex appeal.
But most hair has a legitimate function. For instance, armpit and pubic hair is nature's solution to friction; pubic hair cushioning the hair during intercourse and underarm hair reducing chafing between joints.
Kirsty Watson from Dublin wax bar Bare Wax has witnessed the recent growth in male waxing. .
"More and more men are having their underarms waxed. It's so much more hygienic, and reduces that ghastly deodorant residue. Nipple-hair (hardly one of life's turn-ons!) and chest waxes are very popular too," says Kirsty.
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Medical cosmetic expert Dr Patrick Treacy from the Ailesbury Clinic in Dublin is a pioneer in state-of-the-art laser and IPL technology such as Polaris, which can be used to treat unwanted hair.
He's not entirely convinced by the complexity of the cleanliness argument. "Despite the obvious lack of body hair, from a dermatological point of view, modern man has evolved with only the loss of his sensory whiskers, while all other body hair has actually only reduced in thickness and length," he comments.
"At first glance, this theory appears suspect, as it doesn't explain why humans retained their facial and pubic hair, what with all the lice that grow there.
"A cynic would ask, if we were so interested in mating with disease-free partners, why would we leave ourselves bare, and consequentially open to other parasites, such as mosquitoes and poisonous plants."
Dr Treacy believes that our hair loss is linked simply and solely to sexual attractiveness, rather than wanting a scratch-free night of passion. And so the quest goes on. People today are just as interested in removing body hair, despite the fact that most parasites have long forgotten what it was like to get up close to a human body in the quiet of the night."
Amy Ellingham is the founding editor of Irish Beauty magazine, a trade publication for Ireland's beauty and health professionals, email amy.ellingham@btinternet.com
