Sarah Millar, co-senior author of the new study and a dermatology professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, explains that scientists are largely at a loss to explain why different hair patterns appear across human bodies. In particular, a recent study in the journal Cell Reports has begun to depilate the mystery at the molecular and genetic level. Did we adapt to semi-aquatic environments? Does bare skin help us sweat to keep cool while hunting during the heat of the day? Did losing our fur allow us to read each other's emotional responses such as fuming or blushing? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but biologists are beginning to understand the physical mechanism that makes humans the naked apes.

For them, the big mystery is why we are so hairless.Įvolutionary theorists have put forth numerous hypotheses for why humans became the naked mole rats of the primate world.

But it turns out we are asking the wrong question-at least according to scientists who study human genetics and evolution.

'And I think it would be more disempowering for me not to shave them just because there's some movement that I feel forced to be a part of.Millions of modern humans ask themselves the same question every morning while looking in the mirror: Why am I so hairy? As a society, we spend millions of dollars per year on lip waxing, eyebrow threading, laser hair removal, and face and leg shaving, not to mention the cash we hand over to Supercuts or the neighborhood salon. 'It just makes me feel good,' she explains. Nicole, for one, chooses to shave her arms. And growing acceptance of body hair doesn't mean everyone is embracing theirs. Arm hair has been discussed far less, but that's not to say it doesn't inspire strong feelings in those who have it, which is to say all of us. Body hair has been censured and policed, giving rise to hair-removal rituals requiring immense time and resources: shaving, waxing, laser hair removal, electrolysis, and more.Īs the body-positivity movement has gathered momentum in recent years, though, body hair, especially on legs and armpits, has begun to enter the mainstream, with celebrities and Instagram influencers applauded for flaunting theirs. The average human body boasts some 5 million hair follicles, and generations of beauty standards across many cultures have dictated that on femme-presenting bodies, some of this hair is acceptable and some of it is not.

Hairy arms flickr