Half of All Men Shave Their Legs, According to New Poll

By Mikelle Street

Manscaping can be a contentious topic — masculinity is very fragile, after all. But a new trend may indicate that things are changing.

In a Facebook poll conducted by Men’s Health, 48 percent of total respondents admitted to some sort of leg-hair trimming or shaving, including 15 percent who completely shave their legs, and 33 percent who do just a little trimming, as opposed to a full hack. A majority of those who weighed in, though, don’t shave at all: 52 percent of the group was in the “That’s weird. I would never touch my leg hair” camp.

Yet while the results are very unofficial (it is a Facebook poll, after all), they seem to point toward a growing trend — men who are incorporating grooming more than just their faces into their beauty routines.

On Oct. 17, a new platform for Generation Z men called Very Good Light launched. It focuses on expanded views of masculinity and how that influences male beauty and grooming. Then there’s the fact that CoverGirl just named its very first cover boy, James Charles, who boasts more than 70,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. There are also the Brant brothers, who recently came out with a unisex MAC line, and Tom Ford, who is expanding his grooming range.

Commenters were split too. “I’m torn on this one. If you’re muscular to the point of it being noticeable, I don’t see a problem with it,” Mark Simmons wrote. “Hair doesn’t make you a man BUT shaving it or not shaving it can affect your appearance depending on how muscular you are. If I was ripped, ain’t no way I’m gonna be hairy!” Abrahan Santiago shared, “Once you trim, you’re never going back. Legs look strong, athletic and feel cleaner. Wife loves them!”

Yunus Umar said, “That’s what is wrong with men today.” Heather Johnson agreed, writing, “If you’re a swimmer, or a cyclist, definitely shave your legs. Shaving just to shave though? Seems kinda weird to me. Not creepy, just pointless.”

To get another perspective, Women’s Health asked what its readers thought about the issue. The results reflected the men’s predilections: Half the women thought men shouldn’t touch their leg hair, while the other half were in favor. Of the latter, 22 percent of the poll responders said they actually “love a man with clean-shaven legs.”

Maybe male Nair is next.

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