By Kayman Whaley

kwhaley@state.news.com

In my hometown, it wasn’t uncommon to see a man with his eyebrows trimmed. Since I live in Dearborn where the population is mostly of Arab descent, maybe it was due to cultural reasons. Even some of my Puerto Rican friends did it.

None of them were ashamed. Either they got their eyebrows waxed, plucked or simply lined up with some clippers while in the barbershop. Nothing is wrong with that. Maybe some people’s eyebrows were exceptionally more out of control than others.

Males may feel skeptical that they may come off as feminine. In the Puerto Rican culture, it is nothing out the ordinary for males to get their eyebrows done or cleaned every two weeks. Also, when it comes to certain athletic activities, such as volleyball, males may shave their legs. It can be considered a macho ideology.

Haircuts are enjoyable in my opinion. I like when a guy switches their style up. In my culture, a guy getting a line up can change his entire presence – in a favorable way.

As humans, we must take care of ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with men getting pedicures. Many of my male friends do it. Maybe not as frequently as my mother and I would, but often enough to be presentable in flip flops.

For athletes, all the work they do can take a toll on their feet. Of course a man’s feet isn’t the first thing that catches a girl’s eye, but it should be equally preferred for men’s feet to look decent, since I always hear complaints from my male friends about how they wouldn’t date a girl if she didn’t always have her feet done.

Let’s talk about shaving. If men expect a woman to be bald on her legs, under her arms and pubic area, why are they allowed to look like a scruffy bear and have their own little forest in their pants?

Clearly I don’t prefer a man who shaves his armpits and legs, unless you need to for athletic or health reasons. I’m just saying if us women go through all this trouble, you can at least make an effort to tame some of your mane.

For guys, I know clipping their nails isn’t a top priority. But once it gets to the point where you have claws, some shortening needs to happen.

I understand men may not take their appearance as seriously as women, and it is common for males to make fun of their friends who try to. Ingrown hairs and nails are unhealthy and unhygienic for humans in general.

I’m not saying that all men should feel obligated to get pedicures or their eyebrows waxed, but they should be comfortable doing so even if society makes it seem taboo.

At the end of the day, it’s all about self-confidence and being comfortable in your own skin. Remember, real men wear pink.

Kayman Whaley is an intern at The State News. Reach her at kwhaley@statenews.com.