Hygiene

Well after last weeks little sidebar I'm finally getting around to a topic I find actually absolutely hilarious:  male hygiene.  This is a topic that will interest both men and women alike. Popular belief is that men typically are not the cleanliest people in the world when it comes to our bodies. And for the most part this is correct. In the US we tend not to shave as many things as women, nor do we have to deal with the hair troubles that women do. Theoretically a man could just role out of bed and head straight to class or work and most of the time no one would be able to tell.  However this isn't the case with most men. At least its not the case with me... most of the time.
         The thing that sets apart men and women is the fact that men sweat... a lot. Men tend to sweat more than women simply because men tend to be involved in activities that re more labor intensive than women. Not saying that women don't do heavy labor but statistically speaking there are more men involved in jobs such as construction that require heavy physical lifting than women. Also when we work out our bodies tend to heat up faster due to the amount of testasterone in our bodies. Another reason behind man's unnecessary sweating, is that women can handle a higher body temperature then men. At the Polish Academy in Warsaw, researchers concluded that even if men and women do the same amount of physical exercise women will sweat less but have a higher overall body temperature. (http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/men/sweating-odor/men-sweat-more-than-women.htm)
          Why am I saying this? Because it has to do with men's cleaning habits compared to women. Men and women tend to take the same amount of showers perday (Men sometimes more than women), however men's showers are much short as any man can attest to. But again this makes sense. In our society men typically have a hairier body with less hair on our head. This means that it takes less time for men because we don't have to spend a long time washing our hair or shaving other parts of our bodies. Still I have to admit I am guilty of spending o much time in the shower. And why not! Its comfy and a good place to think. Everyone knows your best thoughts come in the shower. And I know its not just me. Many guys on my floor take long showers. At the same time my own room mate take his in under 5 min every time and another one of my friends only takes them every 3 days.  The latter is not typical of most men from what I've observed. We all consider it disgusting when someone doesn't shower daily on my floor and I'm guessing most guys would agree. Just spraying yourself with axe isn't gonna cut it. So to you ladies reading this out there don't think we're all nasty pigs who cover up our stank with perfume. Because many of us clean more than you.

NO!

          That being said I want to stress the fact that as men we don't pretty up ourselves as much as women. Or at least you shouldn't. The common rule of thumb is that the only time it should take you longer than 45 to get ready is for your wedding or your funeral.  other than that your putting too much into it. Being clean is one thing but their comes a point. For example, I don't care how good it feel no man should ever get a mani/pedi if he still has those 2 jewels hanging between his legs.  Take care of yourself obviously but don't go overboard. I personally find it stupid when guys shave their chests. It's something that is purely masculine... why would you want to get rid of that? A perfect example of guys that go overboard are the guidos of Jersey Shore. They take to much time and money feminizing themselves.  All that tanning, waxing, an shaping takes away their manhood in my opinion.
            I will give them a break when it comes to working out. I have no problem whatsoever with guys getting ripped. That is a sign of health as well as masculinity. Therefore in my mind it is the one thing that isn't too bad if you go slightly overboard. Keeping yourself in shape is not something that we should ever assign to any gender, nor should we consider it bad in anyway. However this is one of the times I am going to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Unlike men, women become less attractive the more muscle they have. So while both sexes should be healthy bodybuilding is something that looks much better on men than women.

AGAIN NO!

OK not bad

            The last thing I want to discuss is hair. For most men they don't spend time on their hair because its short. That is just the current style. However if you are going to keep your hair short here are some things to remember: 1) Wash it every time you take a shower. Remember we sweat more so while women might not have to wash their hair every shower you do. 2) Don't do crazy things with it. No buns or pig tails or braids. Maybe a ponytail if your doing something where it could catch fine but the rule of thumb usually is that if your hair is that long you should rethink your life choices. the other thing i want to talk about with hair style is that this is the one place a man shouldn't want much time. Their aren't many styles that look good on a guy. You can put of the front, leave it as is or slick it back. That's about it. Anything else just makes you look dumb. Don't dye it, spend thousands of dollars on treatments or get those stupid edges done. You just look dumb.
           So just to summarize everything for everyone. Guys its ok to take more showers than our girl as long as they're short and all your doing is washing of the grim of life. We tend to sweat more so its only natural to wash more. Wash everyday and don't use colones to cover it up if you don't; everyone knows and it's just nasty. On the other hand don't over do it on the prettying yourself up. Stay clean and well groomed but don't spend lots of money making yourself up. You can have long hair to a point and If you style it keep it simple. The one thing I didn't cover was shaving, one's face.  That's simple; you can do whatever you want however if you can't grow a beard then don't try. With all these tips you should be good.
O and one last thing... NO MAKE UP!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!

Next Week...
Drinking