SPEAKING OF BODY HAIR

But why stop there? Fans of the truly hirsute abound, lavishing attention on hairy legs, fuzzy butts, luxuriant armpits, and -- for the truly hardcore -- hairy shoulders and backs. Not to mention, at ground zero, the pubic bush.

Conversely, there are men who really love smooth. Though some guys score naturally low on the hirsute-o-meter, others denude themselves by shaving, using depilatories, or spending hours at the electrolysist. "I find body hair coarse and icky," says a gay guy who doesn't hunt bears. "I like my men perfectly smooth...all that lovely, hairless skin. And when I shave my own body, I love the way it feels."

The no-hair camp seems to be gaining ground. In the old days, way back in the Jurassic 1970s, many a porn star sported a sizable patch of fur, but these days, hairy sex-gods are rare. It's a little paradoxical that, as gay men in droves are hitting the gym to develop more "masculine" physiques, they're also shedding their very male body hair. But, as competition bodybuilders have always known, body hair can hide the contours of a finely wrought physique. After Cybex, can Schick be far behind?

In the late 20th century, several factors, including the rise of youth culture and the explosion of HIV, made being young (and presumably healthy) even more highly valued. Body hair, a signifier of maturity, was no longer ho t; now the silky-smooth torso was Officially Sexy. It wasn't till the rise of the bear movement, a backlash against the image of the highly primped, perfectly arranged urban gay male, that hair has made a comeback, valued as a symbol of a down-to-earth butch that lets whatever's sprouting grow.

Of course, hairiness doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing matter. Many a queer eye has hungrily followed the "treasure trail," that tempting line of hair that leads from belly button down to dick. And many a guy has at least trimmed his pubes, thereby making his cock look longer. There are hair fetishes that are really specialized. "I love that little patch of hair that some men have in the small of the back," says a man who... er... loves guys with hair in the small of the back. Strange? Maybe, but not any weirder, when you think about it, than craving men for the colour of their hair. Speaking of which: "Thick blond fur on a man's forearms," drools one guy, "is the most beautiful thing in the world." So take that, Taj Mahal!

Hairy or fur-free? The debate rages on. Ever since the days of hairy Esau and smooth Jacob, body hair - or the lack thereof - has been a bone of contention; we gay men have, as usual, turned a bone into a boner.

Perhaps one gay peacemaker should have the last word. "I don't care if he's hairy or smooth," says he. "Just give me a man who's good in bed!"

Simon Sheppard

San Francisco artist and activist Simon Sheppard is best known for his contributions to the erotic literary scene. He wrote hundreds of stories that appeared in S/M magazines; erotic anthologies; and over twenty editions of Best Gay Erotica and Best American Erotica. His Sextalk column has appeared on OutUK for more than 20 years. You can find out more about Simon Sheppard in this OutUK feature and tribute, or take a look at some of his many books that are still available:

       

Looking for something very sexy and just as smart? Man on Man collects the best and hottest gay sex writing by Simon, who is also co-editor of Rough Stuff: Tales of Gay Men, Sex, and Power as well as a collection of gay erotica called Hotter Than Hell.

In KINKORAMA : Dispatches from the Front Lines of Perversion he takes readers behind the unmarked doors and black vinyl curtains that lead to the sometimes shocking, often hilarious, relentlessly arousing scenarios of extreme sex. There are also stories of bears in Tales from the Bear Cult: Beat Bear Stories from the Best Magazines.