My friend (18M) and I (also 18M) have been talking about taking a trip down to the beach in the next few days. I have some chest hair that I trim and some armpit hair like a lot of guys. My friend is saying that I should shave my body completely before going because it’s “disgusting” to have body hair if you’re not a dad or a husband. He thinks that every young guy should completely shave all of their body hair (minus legs and arms) until they either get married or have a kid. This is absurd to me. Am I in the wrong here?
AITAH for telling my friend I won’t shave my body hair to go to the beach with him?
r/AITAH
Comments
I never know whether to be amused or depressed when body standards that used to only apply to women start being expected of men…
He’s absolutely right. Have you not seen the you have to Shave Your Balls Act of 1972? How dare you live your life without someone else controlling you!
I mean both of them are simply different opinions. According to the right to one’s body you don’t have to shave it, tell your friend that you won’t shave (if you don’t want to) and they have to deal with that.
No. No one should be pressured to remove body hair to go to the beach, simple as that.
What’s that now?
Sounds like he has issues.
Weird
You’re not wrong. It’s your body, your choice. Your friend’s opinion is weird and not your problem.
I honestly can’t tell if this is supposed too be a joke or not? Who cares what someone else thinks. I’m 21 with a carpet on my chest and belly and back and could care less what people think.
NTA. Your buddy has weird hangups.
….. I just don’t even understand… NTA. Body hair is normal.
I think your friend having preferences about your body is a lil odd….. be prepared for a drunken kiss attempt
Wtf did I just read. No.. What your friend said is not normal. I wouldn’t go to the beach with him. He has some very weird ideas.
Your “friend” is weird. NTA.
Tell him women love guys with chest hair. He’s missing out. If his disgust is so strong, don’t go with him. Go on your own and have a good time.
If he’s that obsessed over your body hair…keep it.
Not saying that he’s eyeing you…but if he is it might be the only thing keeping him from going in for a friendly (to him) grope.
But seriously…your body, your rules. Cut! Print! Check the gate! Moving on.
Your friend is a whackadoodle and obviously he doesn’t understand puberty.
He’s jealous you look more manly than him
NTA. Your body, your choice. His “rule” is weird and controlling. You don’t need to change yourself to hang out at the beach.
You’re 18. Set the boundary right now that you don’t give a fuck what your friends bodies look like. Tell your friend he’s gross for paying so much attention to your body and that he should mind his own. Make him feel gross for trying to make you feel gross. Body hair is normal dude, trust me. Bald, bushy, scraggly, grey, blonde, it’s all normal. Don’t get me wrong, as a fully committed woman I still like to have an “everything shower” and take care of my image for my partner to keep things sexy, but we’ve been together long enough now neither of us cares if the other person didn’t “prepare” for a situation and besides, you can’t plan your entire life.
NTA. I would just laugh him off and tell him it’s his problem and not to look. Don’t let him bully you.
eww.
This is weird as f.
Well, as a woman, i can say i’ve got no problem with hairy men.
This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever read
Thus is a pretty silly thing for him to get worked up about.
https://www.reddit.com/r/razorfree/s/u1ZS83Cq2V
What kind of movies is he seeing?! I never heard that before…
NTA and you do you.
Your friend has some body image issues that he needs to work through. Go to the beach however you feel comfortable doing so.
Also, body hair is legit attractive to a lot of women. They want a man and not a boy.
Is he Amish?
So does he have to shave his head? That’s body hair.
Your friend’s comment should be in one of those “what’s something your family did that you believed was completely normal until you went out into the world” threads. NTA.
Is your buddy Saxton Ratliff?
If you identify as a straight white man its fucking ” Gay” to shave off your body hair for appearance. you were born with what yea got. embrace it
Sounds like your “friend” wants some dolphin fun with you. Heh heh. NTA.
That’s just weird!!!
Has your friend been watching too much porn or something? rofl
You do you. No one cares if you have body hair or not.
Definitely not the a**hole. Your body, your choice. Body hair is natural, and you don’t need to change for someone else’s hang-up. Go enjoy the beach your way.
He’s a dickhead. You shouldn’t even be trimming. Just be natural. He’s got a very weird idea of masculinity
Have we not brought back natural body hair for men? Can we, please. Not a manscaping kinda girl here.
NTA. He can be a lil naked mole rat, you can be an adult male human, you can both be on the beach. “Why do you have such strong feelings about my body dude?” should be asked of him.
Only young guys i know who do a full body shabe are gay. Not knock8ng fau people. Just an observations
It is incredibly fucked up for 18 year olds to have access to so much opinions about body hair and perceptions about it. I cant imagine being 18 and my friend being fed fucked up body image content and then regurgitation it into the world, or being able to ask strangers about it. Yes the internet existed when I was that age, but it was not as prevalent. To have grown up in this environment must be beyond exhausting and miserable
Tell him to go eat rocks. I had a full beard at 15 with shoulder hair to match. Did wrestling and everyone hated going up against “the hairy kid”. Whatever you have or don’t have, just rock with it. Don’t let other people tell you what to do with your body.
Only god remembers how many times I was told by people that I should shave. Ended up just shaving emoticons into my chest hair. Tectonically, I did shave. Haha
Tell him that hair is natural. I had a hairy chest by the time I was fifteen. I was very proud of it, Don’t let anyone tell you to change the way yo look just to fit in with the way they think you should look.
NTA.
How can anyone be in the wrong for having body hair? That’s a natural part of life, especially given your age as well – that’s puberty for you.
Embrace the hair my dude!
The patriarchy really said body hair is gross unless you’ve unlocked the husband achievement. What kind of Sims logic is that?
NTA
Why does this change when you are married or have a kid? Why is it disgusting before and not after?
NTA, that’s weird, go with someone else nobody should be made to feel uncomfortable in their body. Does your friend not have body hair maybe he feels intimidated you look more like a man than he does.
Your body, your choice. HIS body, HIS choice. Very simple.
If it bothers him so much, don’t let him touch.
Seriously, I’d be creeped out.
NTA I am a woman. A shaved man is a prickly man, and that is far far worse and less attractive than body hair. Also it makes me wonder about your personality if you have that sort of drive to shave your body. Like really, you don’t have enough self confidence to be yourself? or you don’t have anything better to do than be obsessive?
Tell your smoothboy creep friend to go soap himself up and slide down a sewer drain.
You have a weird little friend because why does he care so much about your body hair?
Tell your friend he fucking sucks
NTA unless you’re far more hairy than you say and look like a werewolf.
Yea, because who doesn’t want to pretend to be a pre-pubescent male at the beach frolicking with a bunch of single men pretending they don’t have body hair. Not weird at all.
When you have a wife and kids is not when your hair is let out, it’s when that hair turns grey.
As long as nobody tosses you in the back of an animal control van your golden!!😆😆
Maybe your friend is afraid he will be the only shaved man at the beach. Why else would he have such a harebrained notion?
People need to get over it. Body hair is normal. On men AND WOMEN. You do you, Boo. NTA.
He sounds insecure about his lack of hair, why should he care unless he’s trying to sleep with you?
Get a back, sack, and crack wax, including all pubes. No one likes to floss where they eat.
Bro out here acting like you’re entering a beach beauty pageant. It’s sand and water, not the Met Gala.
What an odd standard to have. I’d love to know how he developed that belief.
NTA, tell him fine, you’ll shave and agree to the beach date, then show up in a bigfoot costume.
Like Amish men grow beards after marriage, marking a transition into adulthood and family life?
NTA. Hair, whether head or body is all about personal preference. Everyone has a different opinion on what they like on their body and what they find attractive in others. You are right and he is wrong. Plenty of people are very into chest hair…plus…if you’ve never shaved…you might not want to deal with the possibility of skin irritation on vacation.
NTAH, sure he’s not jealous that he’s unable to grow any body hair?
Hahahaha. This is one of the dumbest things I’ve heard in quite a while
Sounds like your friend is worried that people will think he’s your twink.
Bro I want to meet your friend, I feel like this isn’t the only thing he has going on lmao
Your friend is being weird and controlling. Unless he’s trying to get with you, why does he care about your body hair? Also, chicks dig body hair
I shave me bung piece
NTA. Your friend has a very unique view about personal appearence.
To be fair, maybe on OPs friends planet, that’s totally normal.
I had a friend in college who shaved all of his hair except on his head. He was on the swim team. The body hair creates drag in the water; in a sport where hundredths of a second matter, everything must be considered.
Yeh it’s absurd.
Being all natural is normal. NTA
Your friend wants to have sex with you. But first he wants you to be hairless like the guys he fantasizes about.
He’s saying that you need to look like a prepubescent boy or it’s disgusting? You’re NTAH!
Don’t shave anything your not comfortable with shaving.
Let your “friend” find his own twink./s
Maybe your friend is into you…
You are too manly for friends like that. He is afraid he’ll be mistaken for your girlfriend.
That’s a very strange belief to have on his part. Very, very strange. Where the heck do you learn stuff like that?
A little bit of manscaping below the belt for the ladies (or dudes) is appropriate. Keeping your facial hair from getting unkempt is good hygiene in my eyes. Everything else? Let it fly.
I think your friend might be gay for you..
Your friend is a nut case and he needs to mind his own business. I also think he doesn’t want you to attract all the women.