About the project
Body hair is a universal part of the human physique, so why don’t we embrace it? Instead, in modern world, body hair has become a rare sight. The commercial interests of beauty product companies, coupled with the obliteration of leg, pubic, back, torso, and armpit hair in marketing and popular culture, have ensured that hairlessness has grown into the norm – among women and increasingly among men.
Despite being widely regarded as healthy and hygienic, body hair removal carries a risk of various injuries such as cuts, lacerations, and burns. These injuries can cause infections and inflammations, which have been linked to numerous health issues, including vulvodynia and cancer. Nevertheless, no studies have explored body hair removal practices among Norwegians, nor their attitudes towards it.
Using an online-based national probability sample of Norwegian adults, this project will explore one of the most common but understudied beauty practices. The project will build on the preliminary work of the research team and aim to answer the following core questions:
- How often and where on the body do adults remove, trim, or style their body hair; which methods are commonly used and how often do these practices cause medical side effects?
- How content are adults with their “natural” body hair, and how are attitudes towards body hair, pubic hair, and hair removal practices related to gender norms, social class, social media, body image, sexual identity, practices, and well-being?
Project team
Project leader: Nantje Fischer
Co-Principal investigators: Anna Ivanova, Stine Nygård
Financing
Strategic funding grant from the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo.