Ripping times for slick sportsmen
Date Posted : 18 02 2011 | Posted by : webadmin
IT was once the height of masculinity, but sports stars like Adelaide United’s Daniel Mullen are leading a major cultural change in the way society views body hair.
Now many men believe the only place they should have hair is on their head. And it’s our manliest of men, our athletes, who are leading the charge.
In a move that would have Dennis Lillee and Michael Slater running a concerned hand through their luscious chest hair, AFL, soccer, SANFL and amateur league players are all among the global trend of men heading to the beauty salon for a wax.
Cyclists started the push, swimmers followed, now all codes are getting smooth. Typically, athletes are meant to benefit from waxing by giving them a faster, sleeker advantage over their more hairy competitors - but each man’s reasons for doing it vary.
Reds star Mullen has waxed his legs for about a year.
“I used to shave my legs all the time or clipper them,” he says. “But because I have really thick hair, it was just growing back thicker and thicker. Strapping and massage was a bit of an excuse to get it done, I thought I may as well just do the whole thing.
“My cousin (and fellow soccer player) Matt got his chest waxed, he told me it didn’t hurt. So he lied to my face. He came with me the first time, he just stood in the corner and watched and laughed.”
Daniel once got his chest done, just before a holiday in Thailand, but the humidity and the plane ride gave him terrible ingrown hairs, which meant he kept his shirt on for most of the time anyway.
He was quick to assure there were “no other bits” that he’d had waxed.
After his experience with his chest, you’d tend to believe him.
“I exfoliate every time I’m in the shower,” he says of keeping ingrowns at bay, but says he never does it at training. That would be taking things a bit too far,” he says with a laugh.
In fact, Adelaide United might want to look at getting a club beautician, with many of its players signing up for personal grooming.
“There’s quite a few,” he says of waxing. “Sergio van Dijk gets his back waxed, Mark Birighitti gets his eyebrows waxed.”
Destination For Men owner Troy Gray suggests up to half the AFL players would use hair removal, be it waxing or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light).
Gray himself has had his chest hair banished with IPL.
“When was the last time you saw a picture of a player getting out of the pool or the sea with a chest full of hair?,” he says.
“At least half the AFL guys have either tried it (hair removal), or do it consistently.
“We have Crows, Power, SANFL, or amateur league players coming in.
“It used to just be their legs, but some want to be hairless, they get their chests, their arms some I think get peer group pressured into it.”
And where sports stars lead, the fans will follow, Gray says.
Injured Adelaide United midfielder Fabian Barbiero has been getting his chest and legs waxed for about four years now. With his injury forcing him to wear a “moon boot” he has been unable to get his waxing done and “it’s driving me mad”.
“I hate hair, I can’t stand it,” he says.
“I do obviously get strapping and massages, but I like to look after myself and be hair free - some girls like it, some girls don’t.”
Luckily his girlfriend Stephanie “doesn’t mind it”.
There is a long pause when asked if there has been any other areas waxed, but he says he prefers not to discuss that.
Co-owner of Essential Beauty Rundle Mall Jenna Harris says she’s noticed a sharp increase in men coming in for hair removal.
“We get a lot of backs and chests and a few male bikini waxing”, she says.
“We get quite a few men’s eyebrow waxing now as well - they’re very fussy about them too.”
“I think secretly they do like the feel of it, despite them saying it’s just because they’re athletes.”
These days male waxing occupies 15-20 per cent of their business, five years ago it would have been less than 5 per cent.
“You get all types of men - doctors, businessmen, sports people, we get a few tradies, when you ring to confirm appointments they do tend to try and hide it though,” Ms Harris says.
“It’s definitely becoming a lot more popular for men to get waxing.”
** Source: The Advertiser
Picture: Sarah Reed
Original link: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/a-ripping-time-for-smooth-sportsmen/story-fn6bqpju-1226004681297
