Do Women Find Chest Hair Attractive?

• Body hair and attraction is highly subjective, but polls show that plenty of women are drawn to moderate amounts of chest hair.
• Polls also show that plenty of women find either extreme—very hairy chests, or no hair at all—attractive.
• Always embrace your natural body, but feel free to trim (but not shave) your chest hair if you’re looking to generally appeal to more women.

Do women like a hairy chest on men?

Yes, plenty of women like chest hair! According to polls, 31% women say men look better with moderate to thick chest hair, while only 14% say men look better with no hair at all. Burly bros out there, rejoice! And if you’re one of the smooth ones—14% of women is still a whole lot of women. Crucially, most women seem to prefer moderate amounts of chest hair, according to polls, rather than no hair or thick hair. Ultimately, it’s important to remember that it’s all subjective. Everyone likes different things, and there will always be someone out there who’ll go absolutely wild for you, no matter your appearance.

Why Women Like (or Don’t Like) Chest Hair

Body hair is seen as “manly.” Ever heard the saying, “That’ll put some hair on your chest?” It means that drinking or eating something will make you more manly. Of course, it’s just a figure of speech, but it demonstrates pretty clearly that we often equate chest hair to masculinity (for better or worse). And masculinity itself is often a factor of attraction. It also has to do with perceived levels of testosterone, which many people find desirable.

Body hair comes in and out of style. Body hair is just another bit of fashion, and fashion is cyclical. The hairy chests of Tom Selleck & co. were all the rage in the ‘80s (and even before, in the ‘70s). Then the ‘90s and ‘00s happened and sleek was the new sexy. Just like pectoral fuzz on an English heartthrob, though, trends come back, and it could be that chest hair is having one of its many encores.

Some women see body hair as overly masculine. Studies show that many women like a sort of in-between level of masculinity; not too masculine, but not lacking masculinity. And abundance of body hair may fall into the “too masculine” range, and be seen as threatening or intimidating. Now, whether that’s fair or realistic is another question. Some women may also see chest hair as unhygienic, but so long as you’re showering each day with soap and warm water, and getting all the nooks and crannies, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Where Women Stand on Other Body Hair

Women are generally less enthusiastic about hairy backs. The numbers tend to decrease in polls when women are asked if they find hairy backs attractive on men—64% say it’s unattractive, while the rest are in favor, ambivalent, or just don’t know. Again, though, polls aren’t everything, and there’s always plenty of people out there who dig it. That said, younger demographics (ages 16-24) are far more accepting and even enthusiastic, with the number of naysayers dropping to a minority 47%. Interestingly (though it may not pertain to you), gay men are more on-board, with entire subcultures dedicated to appreciating body hair. Different strokes!

Women appear to be on-board with men’s armpit hair. Polls show that 33% of women who were asked think men should leave their pit hair be, while only 13% think they should shave it. That’s good news for those of us who don’t love that just-shaved prickly pit feeling. A whopping 49% of women don’t care either way about armpit hair. We say don’t sweat this one.

Arm and leg hair are A-okay, according to women. A solid 34% of women find leg hair attractive, while only 8% say it’s unattractive. Interestingly, 53% don’t seem to care either way. And arm hair probably isn’t much different, given that it’s far more visible and normalized.

Women are split on pubic hair. Pubic hair comes down to more personal preference. Polls say that 41% of women prefer that men trim their pubic hair, 14% want a man to have no pubic hair, and 36% prefer an all-natural look.

Chest Hair Dos and Don’ts

Trim, but don’t shave, your chest hair for broad appeal. If you’re looking to cast a wide net, then it seems most women like moderate amounts of tidy chest hair. Once a week (and in the shower, for a softer finish), trim it down with clippers to a short length, keeping at least 0.75 in (1.9 cm) to make it look controlled but natural. Use a moisturizing cream afterward to ensure your skin remains soft and avoids irritation. You might also match your chest hair to your facial or other body hair for a natural look. If you have a beard or hairy arms, more chest hair can look more “right,” and vice versa. Also, separate your chest hair from your beard by shaving your neck. Continuous hair from your chest to your chin can make you look hairier than you actually are.

Embrace your natural body, especially with a hairless chest. Of course, take everything in this article with a grain of salt. If you’re trying to constantly fit in to some theoretical ideal of what a theoretical partner wants, you’ll run yourself ragged. The truth is, there’s always someone out there who won’t be able to keep their hands off you, whether you’re hairy as a bear, bare as a newborn, or somewhere in between. Note that that apart from balancing your testosterone, or over-the-counter hair growth formulas for your scalp, which may not work on other parts of your body, there’s currently no proven way to boost body hair growth.