Samantha Allen: "This year, it's time to fight back... We can turn ourselves into the human Chia Pets of men's nightmares..."

This is about hate. Everything else she says is feeble rationalization.

Even though prostate cancer strikes more men than breast cancer strikes women, we will always be handicapped in two ways: we cannot figure out what color ribbon to use, or where to hang it.

Allen: "...reminding women that they should be shaved clean for the pleasure of the male gaze."

If there was something that simple I could do to myself that would be as pleasurable to the female gaze I would do it immediately.

Alas, though I long to be a pleasure to the female gaze, I am irreversibly unattractive. My only hope lies in reincarnation. I just hope I don't come back as a feminist.

Unfortunately the way it works is that shaving does not make you attractive, it just makes you not repellant. Men generally won't look at you closely enough to know if you are shaven unless they are interested.

Yes, I shave, however I do see the tyranny involved. I think of what I could do with the time spent shaving and primping if I used it productively. I could also use the $200 + I spend per month on mani-pedis and waxing. It doesn't ever seem to be enough though. Hair grows back between waxings and I my arms and abdomen are still virgin areas. I have even waxed my cheeks - both of them - go Vikings! Every year someone has said something to me about my hairy arms but since a typical day involves about two hours of primping I do not want to add to my routine. If peach fuzz on my arms does not make me attractive, oh well.

I shave my face daily for my baby because she likes me clean shaven and not scratchy. I trim whatever else she asks for. And she takes care of herself as well.

Neither of us feels the need to ask which bullshit cause we are supporting by growing hair, because we don't do it.

Samantha Allen strikes me as very passive-aggressive. You're not shaving so neither am I. That'll show you!

Why not just ask your partner to donate some money and shave for fuck's sake. No, winning by showing him you can make your legs bristle too is far more important.

If I may add some perspective: it depends (a) on the woman and (b) on the man.

(a) It depends on the woman, because there are varying degrees of hairiness. Some women could grow Fidel Castro's beard, and yes, they probably need to do something about it.

Being unkempt has a social impact, both for women and for men. However, what is really ironic about her rant is that women's biggest appearance critics are...other women. Guys are less fussed about this stuff.

Which brings us to (b) It depends on the man. Different guys have different tastes. There are plenty of guys who don't see the point of shaving every square inch of your body - I'm one of them. Find a guy who shares your tastes - actually, this is likely to happen pretty automatically.

The worst thing that can happen is "false advertising": a woman who acts one way until she's married, and then changes completely. I've seen that more than once, and it doesn't end happily. Be who you are, and be confident about it.

To add to that, guys understand when reality forces change but you still have to try.

My wife used to workout for a minimum of 2 hours a day. She is just a hyper individual. But 2 babies in and we both feel like super man if we can get a 1-2 mile walk in.

"I wrote about this in Psych Today, a_random:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201010/the-truth-about-beauty

Too many women try to get away with a bait-and-switch approach to appearance upkeep. If you spend three hours a day in the gym while you're dating a guy, don't think that you can walk down the aisle and say "I do...and, guess what...now I don't anymore!" A woman needs to come up with a workable routine for maintaining her looks throughout her lifetime and avoid rationalizing slacking off— while she's seeking a man and after she has one. Yeah, you might have to put five or ten extra minutes into prettying up just to hang around the house. And, sure, you might be more "comfortable" in big sloppy sweats, but how "comfortable" will you be if he leaves you for a woman who cares enough to look hot for him?"

Oh, Amy - it would have been MUCH more entertaining if you had posted the feminist's responses to that article, above, not that it wasn't entertaining enough. The B&S is a constant battle, but it doesn't always happen intentionally. It can happen slowly, over time, when a couple decides, hey - it's raining and let's just stay inside today and make H.C. In our case, BOTH of us got sick, but - neither of us really gives a $hit, because we take care of ourselves still. We stopped the gym regularly, and have put on a few pounds, but we didn't stop showering for chrissake and don't have rude goats under our arms. LOL

I know couples, especially in the "hippy" parts of the bay area, that have since decided to spend all their time in ripped sweats, inside a house that hasn't been cleaned in forever, with hair that looks as if it't not been washed, etc. B&S also occurs on your friends.... LMAO

Ef 'em... if they don't wish to attract, so much the better for avoiding such harpies...

Who knows what mans life will be saved by never getting involved with someone so passive aggressive? No matter how it starts, this one will hate you in the end.

"reminding women that they should be shaved clean for the pleasure of the male gaze."

Unless she's in a bathing suit, I find I am generally unable to see most places a woman would shave. As for my personal preferences, I dislike hair in my teeth, but it's not a deal breaker.

"When we allow facial hair to be seen as the exclusive territory of men, we accept a world of constricted possibilities for women."

A beard is a social construct? WTF?!? I think the internetz are not helping feminists, it's just too easy for these kinds of non-sensical rants to get out there, it's really making them look bad.

Ken R. Alas, though I long to be a pleasure to the female gaze, I am irreversibly unattractive.

I have the same problem, but I would prefer to pleasure the male gaze. But, I feel a kinship with you, nonetheless.

I'm all for this! Why? Its natural selection hard at work. A woman who chooses to be unattractive to men and thereby avert the male gaze vastly reduces, if not entirely eliminates, her potential mating pool and is less likely to have children. As a result, those so foolish as to believe all notions of beauty and gender norms are mere social constructs, or as to believe men won't do what men do and pursue who they prefer, won't reproduce. The gene pool will be much improved.

re: Ken R. and Patrick

"Youse" guys need to channel Danny DeVito (see Taxi or Other People's Money), John Larroquette (Night Court), the Fonz, and/or Ted Danson (Cheers).

Any combination and percentage works because it invokes a thinking woman/man's curiosity (the others are not worth your time/money).

Their unbelief ("You've got to be kidding me.") becomes uncertainty about you ("I wonder? He might be fun."). This leaves an impression due to humanity's curious nature.

Plus it's fun to quietly watch their reactions. (If you are going to go down in flames (Top Gun), why not have some fun on the way.)

I personally find armpit hair on a woman revolting. Sorry, but that's hardwired. And yes, I prefer her legs shaved. She prefers my face clean shaven, so I do it. Why not?

As for the pubes: Shaving certainly puts the goodies on display, and that can be very hot. On the other hand, it's becoming so common now that unshaven seems kind of exotic by comparison. Personally, I'm neutral. But ladies, check me on this: is it more common for women who dye their hair (the hair on their head, that is) to also shave, so they don't have the inconsistency in hair color? All I have to judge by is what I see in the media, so to speak.

Samantha would do well to revisit her Latin classes.

"A scriptoris a keyboard non faciunt."

> A beard is a social construct?

No, she's saying we should accept women with beards. Similar to how men should stop with their fat shaming, youth preferring, breast admiring, butt seeking ways.

As the lyrics for an old song goes, I'm a sensitive new age guy, but I'm not that sensitive.

Samantha Allen probably spent some time and effort reducing her beard, and had a fascinating indiegogo. Quite conceivably she might well contract prostate cancer yet.

As a result, those so foolish as to believe all notions of beauty and gender norms are mere social constructs, or as to believe men won't do what men do and pursue who they prefer, won't reproduce. The gene pool will be much improved.

That would be true if feminism were passed genetically, unfortunately its more like a viral infection.

If I'm already attracted to a woman a soft brush of underarm hair is kind of a +1.

Oddly enough, telling me what I should think has never worked. You'd think they would have given up by now.

If, as someone said, Western European women care about dressing "more like women" than American women do, why were/are they in the habit of not shaving their armpits? Did the men prefer them that way? Quite likely.

It's all cultural, it seems.

Having a hairy girlfriend seems like fair punishment for going out with a feminist.

Who are these desperate men who put up with this, are we that whipped and emasculated now?

Body hair is disgusting. It's disgusting on men too. My wife convinced me (though I initially resisted) to start full body shaving, and it's so much better, I will never look back.

"When we allow facial hair to be seen as the exclusive territory of men, we accept a world of constricted possibilities for women."

My heart bleeds for her. Try being a hairy guy in the past 20 years. "Eww back hair!" Which is about the only area I care to shave besides my face.

Lobster: "Who are these desperate men who put up with this, are we that whipped and emasculated now?"

Well, you're the one full body shaving. :) But yes, far too many are that whipped.