Saturday, January 26, 2008

Confessions of a Smoothie


When I was in my early twenties I shaved off all my pubes.

I spent the next few months avoiding any sort of nudity in front of others. Nobody shaved their pubic hair in the 1970s.

Why made me do it back then? Part of it was a sexual thrill, I must admit, another part was to just want to see what it all looked like down there without any dressing.

Another time in my mid-thirties I shaved my entire body, arm hair, pits and all. Total smoothie. I did this when my wife was away for two weeks visiting family across the country. I really liked the feeling, but I let it grow back naturally, aside from a little trim now and then. My wife never noticed, or if she did, she never said anything. I was not really all that hairy back then, anyway.

So, two years ago I came out of the closet as a nudist, and suddenly my skin, hair and all, was out in the open. As I would pass by a mirror, I began to notice my hair, which had gotten a bit out of control. The hair which used to be on the top of my head had relocated to my back, and my buttocks.

I've been buzzing and shaving my head for a few years now, so it was not a great leap to begin working on the rest of the body. Armed with only a Mach III razor and a beard trimmer, I began hacking away at the forest that had covered my back. That led to shaving the buttocks and parts of the upper thighs. I shaved the pubes except for a manly landing strip.

So I once again looked in the mirror. The back was fine, but all that chest and belly hair now looked out of place. So that all came off, too.
I stayed like that for a couple of weeks, but I kept looking at my leg hair and eventually decided that had to go, too, And the armpit hair. The forearm hair remains, although trimmed.

Now I want to stress that I have always been straight sexually, and am very secure with my own "manliness" (not that there's anything wrong with the alternative). Shaving armpits and legs is socially a very feminine thing to do, but it does not feel that way to me. I just like it.

Shaving is not going to be for everyone. All I'm saying is that if you have any inclination to shave, you should at least try it once. Hair does grow back. Be sure to do a lot of research on the Internet to find the right tools based upon your own hair and skin types. Never, ever dry shave, or use a disposable razor.

You need to be able to set aside all the social and cultural stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Women should be able to let their armpit and leg hair grow if they wish, and men should be able to shave wherever they please. With nudists, the skin is what you see, so you might as well groom it to your own satisfaction.

Here's a link to a positive article on being a "smoothie".

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have thought about going smooth a time or two while shaving, but I generally want to crawl away and take a nap when I think about the amount of time effort that I would have to invest in maintaining the whole operation.

Nudiarist said...

Hey DF,

You know, once the initial deforestation takes place, the maintenance is not that bad. Generally I shave my head and face every other day, and the rest once a week or whenever the spirit moves. I bought a body shave and it works good for me on the back, shoulders, chest and belly. I use a Mach III for the rest.

Anonymous said...

My particular genetic apple doesn't fall far from an especially hairy tree. I'm afraid that letting things slide for more than a day or two would turn me into a walking sanding block.

Anonymous said...

I go back and forth between hairy and smooth, or I should say, nearly smooth.

In the winter, I allow my hair to grow, but keep my back, chest, abs and armpits trimmed somewhat with a Philips Bodygroom, but leaving everything else natural.

I remove all of my pubic hair before hitting the nude beach in the summer, keeping my pubic area and back shaved bare until the autumn, and tapering the hair shorter on my chest and abs so the absence of my pubic bush doesn't stand out so much. I find this very comfortable for the warmer weather.

You're right, the maintenance isn't too bad. I shave my pubic mound, genitals and perineum every morning in the shower with a Mach3 Power Razor and Noxema shaving cream. Probably takes 2 miniutes, and I use the Bodygroom once every two weeks.

Anonymous said...

I am curious to know what reaction you may have had to the absence of your pubic hair by those who may have seen you nude in a non-nudist setting, e.g. physician, locker room, etc.

Although I am usually shaved during the summer only, one year I remained shaved through the winter months, which is when I have my annual physical exam. My doctor (female, mid 40's)did a double take when she saw that I had no pubic hair, although she made no comment. A few months later I had to see a dermatologist (male, 60's) who didn't seem surprised at all, and even remarked as he examined the hairless area above my penis that the shaved skin there looked very healthy.

I've gotten a few double-takes in shower rooms, etc., but no comments other than one or two as to how I shave or whether it is uncomfortable.

Nudiarist said...

Since I went completely smooth over this winter I have not been in any situations where someone would take notice. Certainly nobody at nudist events cares. When I shaved my back, chest and belly my wife didn't even notice until I asked her if I looked any different. As for pubic hair, I've always kept it trimmed, and often shaved my scrotum and anal area for cleanliness, so getting rid of it all doesn't seem so radical. I might let the leg hair grow back for the summer shorts season just so nobody does a double take on the bike paths as I whizz by.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering (1) whether you've had any problem with ingrown hairs on your chest or abs and (20 how often and how close you shave the hairs that grow there?

I have a moderate to heavy amount of chest and ab hair, but would like to experience what it would look and feel like to be smooth there. I would like to use a MachIII razor for a real close shave, but I wonder whether that might cause more ingrowns. I never liked electric shavers I used one to shave my face as a teenager--it seemed to cause more irritation and would not give a close shave.

I've been shaving my pubic hair, penis and scrotum with a MachIII for several years without any problems, but somehow I think the chest might be more difficult.

Nudiarist said...

I have not had a problem with ingrowns using a Mach III shaver on my chest and stomach, but that does not mean that you won't have problems. Everyone is different. My hairs are somewhat light, so I generally don't do an all over shave more than once a week. It all depends on how I feel, if I'm going to a nudist event, etc. There's no set rule.