Let's hope Hugh Jackman bings back the chest fro. After all, he is the sexiest man "alive".

I, too, have always been a chest hair fan (but only on men). A man with no hair on his chest is like a prepubescent boy, as far as I'm concerned (however, I'm not so crazy about a thick hair coat on a man's back). Unless you're a pedophile, who can get aroused over a smooth chest, especially if you suspect that it's been waxed off? Despite his Republican status, I found (still find) Selleck hot, and it's mostly because of his luxuriant, toasty pelt.

Here here! I'm excited to see that the trend may be reversing (though I think the age of the mustache can probably continue its haitus). I've met many women who initially balked at the torfro, but they were always push overs, and were relatively quick to admit that they secretly liked it. This article should be required reading for any single woman who is crazy enough to still thinking that a waxing beau is more manly

You're atypical limited-minded White American when talking about the body, Ms. Klein.
You could really move along with the New Day, the future. You had a chance. You were actually writing about something that is a sign of self-acceptance and naturalness. Which is something the African-American community has been struggling with for a couple of centuries.
Being a Rennaisance single African-American female, I looove White men with chest hair-NICE! And Jon Hamm is so hot it's crazy!
What about African-American men, Ms. Klein? You mentioned Barack Obama. Well, maybe they're the only men that can pull off the hairless bit! Or maybe, their little curls and kinks-are NOT attractive! Or just plain funny! I go with both.
But it good to see the White man's hairy chest back. Hope it's for many, many, many generations to come.

You have good taste--hirsute Hugh Jackman and Clive Owen in, slick Brad Pitt and all those Peter Pan types out. I would only add that the return of the he-man look does not mean we're abandoning the metrosexual. I still like a guy who is interested in dressing nicely, taking care of himself (but not waxing!), and looking good. A guy who can appreciate a strong woman. Think dominant, not domineering.

You left out Tom Ford, the fashion icon. He has propelled the coolness of the torso fro to new heights.

I think this is part of a natural trend cycle and the inevitable backlash against "metrosexual" men. I have quite the hairy chest and have never shaved it and I have not ever had a single complaint from any girlfriend my entire life. Quite the opposite, they all loved it, loved to touch it, play with it, rub it, etc. And I've heard variations on the comment "you're so manly" from girls for years, which I definitely take as a compliment. Sure all the dudes on TV lately have had perfectly moussed hair, highlights, six pack abs and shaved chests, but I've always been able to sneer at that knowing that in the real world, ladies love a real man.

And what of the footfro? Does it not deserve its place among the hip and hispid?

most women seem to freak when men talk, positively or negatively, about a feature of womens' bodies, but i found if they see anything but boyishly bare men's bodies they screech with disgust. electric razor companies are exploiting this. it's not equality to say men have to primp like women. women who love male body hair should feel free to say so without fear!

i should add that the gay market has a growing bearchasing niche. and the business world knows that promotion of male images must consider gay consumers.

Hear, hear! I've been trying to tell my boyfriend for years that I LIKE his torfro (love that word, too :) and he was always self-conscious about it. I forwarded him this article!

Hooray for manly men! Now if back hair rallies, I'll have to keep an eye on my husband...

But Jessie....David Gergen: hirsute or not hirsute. That is the question.

I'm never sure what people mean by dressing 'nicely' and looking 'good'. What I find odd is, when I ask people what they mean, they say: 'You should know'. Well, I don't...I mean, in general, I think being clean-shaven and wearing suits is freaky. I suppose this means I really DON'T get it...I know I wouldn't date a man who did either (well, in the case of the latter, outside of work). As to looking 'good' - I've horrified people by saying who I think looks 'good', so I'll refrain here...

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Making a comback? ARFKM? Did it ever leave? REAL MEN have ALWAYS had chest hair. The men who shave their chests are the ones that have the problem.

I like a nice hairy chest. I like hair on the back, too. I do not like men shaving and removing this hair. That is what is unmanly. Before marriage, I dated men of other races and each had varying amounts of hair, as did men of my own race. Each man looked like a man, not a boy. I married my husband for reasons other than his chest hair, but I probably would not have married him if he had removed it.

No denying the appropriateness of this article to The Beast.

Hi Jessi--I'm with you girrrrl. LOVE chest hair. I love mine and I love my Boo's wooly suit. It's the best thing about a man. Great article!

The idea that gay men are responsible for the last two decades of overgrooming is rubbish, first of all. And the idea that hot masculine men with body hair are all "bears" -- please. Bear culture fetishizes bear bellies, goatees and body hair. Some of just prefer men to be themselves, smooth or hairy, without the fetishizing, and I'm glad that letting men be men is making a little comeback, however briefly.

Oh....forget the whole hair issue. I had to laugh at her saying her straight guy friends wanted to kiss this actor. Honey, no straight guy I know wants to kiss another man. Maybe your friends aren't as straight as they tell you they are.
Ultimately, I like the man....not the hair or body parts.

" REAL MEN have ALWAYS had chest hair"? What about the millions of Africans, Asian and Hispanic men with little or no chest hair/ Are we not " REAL MEN "?

Unmentioned in this piece is the racial angle: in general, African Americans and Asians are not very hairy at all, while Indians, whites, Arabs, and others, are quite hairy. Ever see an NBA player with a lot of chest hair? Ever see an Asian guy with lots of chest hair? Think they're all waxing? Doubt it.

mmennonno: "Bear culture fetishizes bear bellies, goatees and body hair."
my friend, you just don't get bears!

As a culture, we do seem to have lost sight of 'manly' men. We've spent a lot of years and a lot of dollars fantasizing about near-androgynous men, and let's not even get started on the fixation with sexualizing prepubescent girls. I don't think it's the hair, though. I think that it's the confidence, the certainty the self-assurance that sells the package. An confident man is attractive, even if he doesn't meet the standard criteria for sex appeal. If he comes packaged like Sean Connery or Daniel Craig or Harrison Ford or Hugh Jackman, so much the better. To hair or not to hair? I'll never tell...