Japan’s leg hair harassment debate sends men flocking to grooming clinics

As Japan is battling another scorching summer, the extreme heat is seeing an unexpected surge of men flocking to grooming clinics. Reportedly, at men’s grooming clinics, appointments for body-hair removal have reportedly increased as workers increasingly opt for shorts and lighter clothing during the hot months.

What is the trend of men going to grooming clinics all about?

Many Japanese men shave or wax their legs to stay cool, feel clean, and avoid sunehara—a slang term meaning “leg hair harassment”, when exposing bare legs in public or at the office. Surging summer temperatures have driven government offices to expand "Cool Biz" casual guidelines, making shorts acceptable outside of just the beach.

Also Read: A barefoot sandal! Margaret Qualley steals the spotlight with her unusual fashion statement at The Dog Stars London premiere

The initiative encourages workers to adopt lighter and more casual clothing to cope with extreme temperatures and reduce the need for air conditioning. Shorts have consequently become more visible in office environments where they were traditionally considered too informal. Tokyo Metropolitan Government environmental official Noboru Watanabe told the BBC that "we want to give people more options in the severe heat, not tell them what to wear.” There should be no issue as long as the work attire is not offensive to anyone."

Also Read: Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are really moving back to England?

Netizens' opinion on Japan's new trend amongst men

The debate has divided opinion. Some people argue that employees should be able to dress comfortably during extreme heat without being judged for having natural body hair. Others say workplace attire should take professional expectations into account, particularly when companies are changing long-standing dress codes.

Also Read: Why did Harry and Meghan move to the US? The royal rift and Megxit explained

One user wrote, "Japanese women described the experience of leg hair harassment, or a term coined online as sunehera referring to the discomfort of being forced to see their colleague's leg hair."

"Japanese guys are mostly hairy, unkempt monkey-like slobs who haven't gotten any hair removal, yet they nitpick women's body hair like crazy, huh. They go out of their way like this guy to zoom in on pics just to hunt for stray hairs. Japanese men are way too fussy about women's looks, so women end up getting super neurotic about hair removal too, but outside Japan, people aren't nearly this uptight about body hair."

“Japanese men have started shaving their legs after Japanese women accused them of harassment with their hairy legs. This summer, the country is so hot that many guys have begun wearing shorts to work—previously, they were only acceptable in childhood and for the beach. However, women found it unpleasant to be near the hairy legs of their colleagues. Then some men went to depilation salons to remove hair from their legs, and in other cases, from their bodies too. Thus, it has become easier for Japanese people to endure the heat and more comfortable to be in the office in shorts without embarrassment from their female colleagues,” wrote the third user.

Also Read: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle set to move back to the UK with their children

Meanwhile, the grooming industry reportedly appears to be benefiting from the controversy. Clinics report that some men are choosing laser hair removal not only for aesthetic reasons but also because they feel it is more appropriate when wearing shorts around colleagues.