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As a new masculinity emerges, it seems hair removal is no longer confined to woman and gays – just look at the rise of the straight guy’s ‘Brazilian’.
If you’re getting your anus waxed, you need to be in cow pose; shoulders lower than the buttocks with knees tucked underneath.
In a sparsely decorated room save for a burning candle on the mantelpiece, that’s precisely Jonathan Tatt’s position atop a fold-out massage table. Naked from the waist down, his pert arse salutes the lowered ceiling lamp above as John Gianno dips a spatula into a ceramic pot of pink wax. There is the glow of the candle – sandalwood, perhaps – but still the room reeks of alcohol wipes.
Then, Gianno gives the order: “I’ve painted some of your butt and put a cotton strip on it, and now I’m just going to rip it off, OK?”
This is Tatt’s first wax. Hair removal is no new phenomenon, but it is one that has often been associated with women and gay men.
As a straight, single, 26-year-old male, Tatt is conscious about his body hair – primarily in the pubic region – and it is this concern that led him to Men Zone and Gianno’s expertise.
“I always get people that ask, ‘Do you wax straight guys, too?’ and I say, ‘I mostly wax straight guys,’” says Gianno. “The preconception is that it’s just young, gay bottoms,” he shakes his head, mouthing ‘no’. “It’s guys who want to look clean, hygienic and appeal to, often, younger women.”
Masculinity has transformed in the last decade, with men becoming more focused on body image. As Elena Frank’s 2014 study on representation of men and male body hair in men’s magazines reveals, hairlessness has emerged as the norm and made ‘manscaping’ and other forms of hair removal a vital part of this new cultural trend.
It’s no surprise then that body hair and its removal has become an active and growing sector in the cosmetic and beauty industry.
Formerly known for dermal filler injections, anti-wrinkle treatments and Botox, it is the industry’s non-surgical procedures like laser hair removal and waxing that are proving most popular, according to the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia (CPCA).
Since 2008, the CPCA has recorded growth in the amount Australians outlay on non-surgical treatments and over a five year period spending more than doubled, up from an estimated $300 million in 2008 to $644.7 million in 2012.
The figures are not confined to hair removal alone, but at Men Zone, the number of clients has more than doubled in the last two years according to Gianno.
For the past eight years, Gianno has been operating Men Zone from his private residence in Chatswood. There is no signposting on the street or logo on the building façade; Men Zone operates under the utmost discretion. Gianno’s service specialises in intimate waxing and has become known as the home of the men’s Brazilian or, as it is more commonly referred to, the “butt, crack, and sack” with men from 17-years-old to 80 making bookings.
“Oh yeah. Older guys are tramps,” asserts Gianno.
As an alternative to laser, waxing is popular amongst males looking to reduce their body hair. But like other beauty treatments, it is a repetitive and expensive procedure that is both messy and painful.
A 2008 study based on American women found that over the course of a lifetime, those who shave will spend, on average, more than $10,000 and nearly two entire months of their lives simply managing unwanted hair. For the woman who waxes, this figure becomes more than $23,000.
Research is lacking for males, but from a sample of eight male waxing salons across Sydney, the average cost of waxing the chest is $30, the butt $45 and a Brazilian $100. Gianno sees the majority of his clients every six weeks for the "back, bum and balls" waxing package, costing $130. On average then, his clients will spend $1,127 a year on waxing alone.
Gianno claims to have seen a significant increase in straight males getting waxed in recent years, but clinical psychologist Dr. Vivienne Lewis traces this shift in male grooming to 20 to 25 years ago. She points the finger at advertising and the media to suggest that hairlessness for males is now in vogue. Magazines like Men's Health and Sports Illustrated have made image consciousness more acceptable.
As Dr. Lewis points out, these male-oriented magazines depict a man who is shirtless, has a massive package and is hairless. Whereas in the past hair was seen as a flagrant sign of masculinity, these hairless bodies have become the favoured archetype of many and the despair of the body-conscious bloke.
In her private work, Dr. Lewis is no stranger to the hair concerns of male patients which range from issues of self-confidence when being naked, in an intimate relationship, change-rooms in the gym and even going to the beach. Speaking from her Canberra office, Dr. Lewis grows exasperated as she rattles off the various anxieties of her male patients. "I see guys who, as they start to get stubble growing back, are really self-conscious about that," she says. "You get that real hyper-vigilance.”
Such is the case for 28-year-old Rocco Leonne who has been waxing since the age of seventeen. A regular at the Ella Bache waxing salon, he knows the staff by name and upon entrance, receives a greeting one would reserve for a celebrity. There are smiles, waves and, as he takes his seat in the waiting area, the salon owner leaves a room (and her client) just to greet him. Under all pretenses, Leonne seems to be Ella Bache royalty.
Leonne describes his waxing routine as "rinse and repeat," booking into the salon every fortnight for his usual facial wax and every five to six weeks for back and chest. Although he doesn't socialise with his waxer outside of the salon, he describes their relationship as one of "friends".
When pressed about the scrutiny he subjects some unwanted body hairs to, Leonne is jovial in his response. But underlying this is an intensity one perceives Leonne extends to all areas of his appearance. He jokes that, despite the evolution of homo sapiens from chimpanzees to functioning human, the extent of his body hair suggests that he is perhaps "de-evolving". The laughter stops, and he says with sincerity, "if I don't keep it under control, I turn into a little gorilla." It may be faint, but there in his voice is an expression of concern.
For Leonne, the motivations for waxing are simple and he relays them with a fixed intensity. "It's cleaner. If you're sweating a lot, you feel cleaner. But also, when you wax and you go to the gym, you've got muscles and those muscles will be more apparent. You look more sculpted when you've waxed the hair off."
What Rocco Leonne describes as a pursuit of muscular definition echoes Kristen Barber's 2008 study of men's body hair. In her analysis of male trends, Barber dates the increase of hair removal to the bodybuilding and fitness craze of the 1980s, a time where "gay aesthetics" entered into the mainstream. These motivations of muscle culture and physical perfection support Michael Boroughs' 2009 study of men's hair removal behaviours. Boroughs observed that the main reasons for removal in males were to look better, look younger, feel cleaner and to make muscles appear larger; a concern shared by both gay and straight men.
This may justify the removal of hair on the back, chest and shoulders but it seems to ignore the current trend that has seen the number of straight males having their pubic area waxed increase, as waxing and beauty salon owners across Australia confirm.
The most recent study of men's body hair removal by Marika Tiggemann and Yolanda Martins compared the practices of heterosexual men with gay men in Australia. The results found that 33 percent of heterosexual and 63 percent of gay men engaged in hair removal on the back and buttocks. But an even higher percentage of heterosexuals engaged in the removal of hair in the pubic area with 66 percent, compared to 82 percent of gay men. This 2007 study pinned gays as the driving force behind hair removal but according to Peter Laburn from Darlinghurst's Millk Media Spa, these statistics are out-dated and don't reflect the current demographic.
"My clients are probably 60 percent straight and 40 percent gay now, the straight guys are taking over," says Laburn. "The gay guys are holding back a bit now and the straight guys are getting everything done," there's a chuckle before he adds, "they're doing everything."
Much like Men Zone, Millk Media Spa established itself as a place catering specifically to men's grooming. Laburn describes it as a neutral space that is open to anyone which is reflected in the minimalist décor. Despite the various procedures Millk offers its clients, it is the "manzilian" – as Laburn calls it – that is the most popular, particularly with his straight clients. Five years ago, this kind of intimate waxing was rarely discussed but in the past few years, Laburn has noticed a shift in men's attitudes which he believes corresponds to the increase in his client base. "Back in the day, no one admitted it," he reflects. "But in the last five years, straight guys feel comfortable just out at the pub, having a chat about getting their Brazilian done."
Both Laburn and Gianno suggest that the removal of pubic hair is also closely associated with sexual pleasure, a factor that has made the subject of intimate waxing a rather comfortable topic amongst heterosexual circles. What was seen as the practice of gays has now become synonymous with sex, that key driver of man's ego and sense of masculinity, due to a prevailing attitude that to be waxed is often at the request of a female partner.
"Guys get their balls waxed because girls tell them to," says Gianno.
As he describes, his clientele is motivated by comments and opinions from sexual partners. Although he knows all of his clients by name, for newcomers it is always the same introduction from Gianno, "So, how long have you two been dating?"
Tiggemann and Martins both found this to be true of their 2007 study. Of the 66 percent of straight males that removed their pubic hair, many identified sexual reasons and the enlargement of the appearance of their genitals as primary reasons for hair removal. As Gianno asserts with an unnerving matter-of-factness, "smooth balls are what counts at the end of the day."
The waxing of body hair, particularly in the pubic area, is a trend that straight males have taken up with great tenacity. It's no longer the province of females and gay men but instead has become part of the grooming routine of the hyper-masculine male. That it should be a practice solely associated with sexual pleasure ignores the fact that men today share the same body-image concerns and vigilance over appearance that were once considered a construct of women. As Laburn says, it may be sex that gets them through the doors but the concept of masculinity has changed for today's males to one that embraces hygiene, cleanliness, physical activity and a high sense of grooming.
"The classic line is ‘my girlfriend or partner sent me here to get waxing done,' and I think, ‘oh yeah, heard that before'," he laughs. "Now, waxing isn't associated with being gay; it's just part of being groomed."
After twenty minutes and a bin now overflowing with pink clumps of coiled hairs, Jonathan Tatt waddles to the mirror to observe Gianno's work. Everything about his posture – the slump of his shoulders, the sweat-soaked t-shirt and pungent body odour – is suggestive of a man who has participated in a test of physical endurance. In the full-length mirror, he sees the translucent sheen of his smooth butt cheeks and the skin that had been hidden since adolescence. His eyes widen and there, for the first time this evening, is a smile. "Wow," he murmurs.
WAXING
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