MANSCAPING ; Popular makeover shows help convince men to tackle hairy problem areas

Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME) March 28, 2004 | RAY ROUTHIER Staff Writer RAY ROUTHIER Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (Maine) 03-28-2004 MANSCAPING ; Popular makeover shows help convince men to tackle hairy problem areas Byline: RAY ROUTHIER Staff Writer Edition: FINAL Section: Maine Life Column: Trends Memo: ‘MANSCAPING’ “Manscaping” is a term made popular by makeover experts on the hit TV show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and is defined as “the art and science of keeping your body hair under control.” The term covers trimming and/or shaping hair in the nose, ears, eyebrows and on the chest. For more information on the show, which airs at various times on the Bravo cable channel, go online at www.queereye.com. TAMING TIPS One reason men don’t always trim and tame their body hair is they don’t know how. Here are some tips on how to care for high-growth areas. EYEBROWS To trim, comb the brows straight up until the hair under the comb is the desired thickness. Then, using the comb as a guide, take a good pair of personal grooming sheers and cut off the hair above the comb. For removing hair between the eyebrows, either have a professional waxing done or get a good pair of tweezers from a beauty supply store. EARS Using an electric nose and ear trimmer, a beard trimmer, or scissors, simply lop off the hair that is sticking out of the ear. NOSE Same as for the ears, basically. Remember, the hair is there to act as a filter, so leave some inside the nose or ear. Also remember that nose and ear hair grows faster as men get near or into their 40s, because of hormonal changes in the body. CHEST Hairy chests can be trimmed with an electric hair trimmer, the kind most people use for home haircuts. If you want to leave a decent amount of hair, run the clipper “with the grain” of the hair, or in the direction the hair grows. If you want to get almost down to the skin, trim “against the grain” of the hair. BACKS, ARMS Best left to a professional hair waxer at your local salon or spa. THE MANSCAPER’S TOOLBOX Here are few of the trimmers on the market designed to let men have a little more control over problem areas. Trimmers may be better for nose and ears basically because they are less dangerous than scissors in those sensitive places. Wet/Dry Nose and Ear Trimmer and Hair Groomer by Panasonic – Retail price, about $19.99. This can be used in the shower, and can be used for ears, nose, sideburns, etc. Precision Nose and Ear Trimmer by Remington – Retail price, about $14.99. Smaller trimming head for tight spaces. Precision Deluxe Grooming Travel Kit by Remington – Retail price, about $17.99. Comes with guide combs for eight trimming lengths, neckline and sideburn attachments. web site beard trimmer

Sometimes we just don’t deal with an unseemly problem until there’s a bright and bouncy name for it. Such is the case with “manscaping.”

Sounds like it could be a term for bodybuilding or muscle sculpting, something like that. But its real definition – as devotees of the makeover show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” will tell you – is the maintenance and control of male body hair.

Yuck, most of you will say now.

But if you’ve spent any time with a male over 35, you know this is a very real issue. All of a sudden, it seems, hair is sprouting from his nose, from his ears, from between his eyebrows. What used to be a fairly innocuous patch of chest hair brims from his shirt.

Men for the longest time simply lived with these, uh, growth areas. Especially here in Maine, home of the plaid flannel shirt and work boots augmented with duct tape. Men chalked up the surplus hair to “manly maturity,” even though hormonal changes are the scientific cause of all that extra hair. (It’s supposed to peak in a man’s fifties, then taper off. Whew.)

Lately, the popularity of “Queer Eye” and other makeover/style shows have been slowly helping to convince men in Maine of the need for a little manscaping. If they have a woman in their life, men become aware of the need a lot quicker.

“I think it’s just good grooming. Men are just feeling more like they want to be aesthetically pleasing for their wives or girlfriends. Women have been doing this all along. Now they’re getting us back and saying ‘You do the same thing,’ ” said Jean- Claude Poulin of Jean-Claude Hair and Skin Care in Portland.

“I had one guy come in because his 5-year-old daughter saw him mowing the lawn without a shirt, saw his hairy back, and said ‘That’s gross.’ “

The growth of manscaping can be seen in the host of “nose trimmers” and “ear trimmers” on shelves at Best Buy and other stores. There are also a wide range of clippers with attachments that can be used for the neck, the chest, or between the eyes.

For men who want that impeccably clean look, there are salons and spas around Maine that will do male waxing. Women have waxed for years, but now men who want completely hairless backs, chests, arms or legs have places to go for the painful process as well.

Talk about gender equity.

“We’re just living in a different age and men care more about how they look,” said Alanna York, owner of Head Games Salon for Hair and Body in Portland. “Ten years ago a guy might not have cared about (body hair), but now guys care.”

One guy who cares is Jerry Shaw, a 33-year-old commercial lender from Portland.

“As you get older, you get hairier,” said Shaw. “It’s not like I’m a man-beast, but I have patches (on his back). I just like to look clean. I’ve always been big on grooming.”

Shaw takes care of nose and ear and facial hair at home with “a good pair of clippers and good tweezers, which make all the difference.”

But for his back, where he says he has unruly patches, he gets periodic waxings from wax specialist Amy Loose at Head Games. Loose applies warm wax with a sort of roll-on deodorant container. Then she applies a strip of material, like felt, and pulls the wax and hair off.

“It’s so painful, men don’t have a reference point for how much it will hurt, but women do,” said Loose, who has been waxing for about seven years. “Men are stoic, so they don’t say anything.”

The process lasts about 15 minutes and costs about $50 for an entire chest or back, depending on how hairy a guy we’re talking about. To keep the back, or chest, clean for a whole summer, a man would probably have to repeat the process every month or six weeks, depending again on hairiness.

A lot of the waxing customers at Head Games are younger men, under 25, but men of all ages can be found manscaping.

Rich Lawler of Falmouth, who describes himself as “over 55,” is a former teacher who has been getting his back waxed for about 10 years. He said he likes to feel clean in the summer when swimming or working in the yard.

“I just like the smooth, clean feel,” said Lawler.

Poulin, at Jean-Claude Hair and Skin Care, is a pioneer of sorts in male waxing. He’s been doing it in Portland since 1983, when he read about it in an Australian men’s magazine.

It wasn’t really a booming business for him until the mid-1990s, when young men started baring chests and backs as a favored look. The business has been steadily climbing ever since.

He has a cross-section of people, from bodybuilder-types to business people. Poulin charges $40 to $45 to wax an entire back. “I have a retired Irish cop from Boston who drives up here (for waxing).”

Besides waxing, Poulin will also “sculpt” chest hair at his salon. He’ll design a chest hair pattern that’s flattering to the man’s body type, and then trim it into reality.

“Most men have a fuller waist line, so I’ll leave enough chest hair to create a line and make the belly look thinner,” said Poulin.

York, at Head Games, says many of her haircut customers ask for tips about taking care of other hairy areas, including the back of the neck and eyebrows. But while York is cutting a man’s hair, she’ll often trim areas the man isn’t expecting.

“If I see hair from the ear, I’ll trim it right off and the man will say ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ ” said York. “A lot of times they have no idea it’s there.” web site beard trimmer

York said many of her customers are more comfortable asking for manscaping-type advice now than they were several years ago. She says that’s partly because of all the media attention on men’s style, fashion and grooming.

The trendy idea of the “metrosexual” – an urban straight man who enjoys spending money on fashion and grooming – has helped to lend a playful tone to the idea.

But nobody has been bigger cheerleaders for men’s grooming than the five gay lifestyle experts who star on the Bravo cable channel’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” The show debuted last summer and became an instant hit, adding new words to the popular lexicon every week.

In each show, the five descend upon some straight guy in need of fashion and style help, and give him a new wardrobe, new home furnishings, and hopefully, an educated sense of style.

The “Fab 5,” as they’re called, introduced the concept of manscaping by helping some of the more hairy guys tame their body hair.

The show has even spawned a book, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab 5’s Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better and Living Better.” There’s an entire section in the book dedicated to manscaping.

Still the concept of male body hair grooming got here to Maine a little late. But right now, local salons say, it’s growing. (Just like that nose hair, right?)

“It took a little longer to get to Maine, but there’s definitely a market for it here,” said York, of Head Games. “It makes sense. Every man with a unibrow should wax it. Every man should have a good pair of personal grooming sheers.”

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com

Illustrations/Photos:

Caption: Staff photos by Shawn Patrick Ouellette Above: Wax specialist Amy Loose waxes hair from a client’s back at Head Games Salon for Hair and Body in Portland. Left: A manscaping tool – clippers. Aesthetician Amy Loose waxes hair from the back of a client at Head Games Salon for Hair and Body in Portland. Salons and spas around Maine do male waxing. Women have waxed for years, but now men who want hairless backs, chests, arms or legs seek out the process as well.

RAY ROUTHIER Staff Writer

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY: LOWERING IDAHO’S CORPORATE TAX RATE.

States News Service September 19, 2011 CHICAGO, IL — The following information was released by the Heartland Institute:

Many business and civic groups, including the Idaho Chamber Alliance, have recommended reducing the state’s 7.6 percent corporate income tax rate. Currently, Idaho’s corporate tax rate is the 23rd highest in the nation and one of the highest in the region. Neighboring Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming have no corporate income tax, and rates in border states Utah and Montana are considerably more competitive, at 5 and 6.75 percent, respectively.

Reform advocates contend the state’s corporate tax rate has precluded it from consideration for economic development projects. Opponents of a tax cut are calling instead for greater spending on government services such as education.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) cites the corporate income tax as the most economically harmful of all taxes. A report from the Tax Foundation notes, “the taxes paid by businesses should be a concern to everyone because they are ultimately borne by individuals through lower wages, increased prices, and decreased shareholder value.” A Tax Foundation study found that in 2007 the average household was burdened by $3,190 in corporate income taxes. The corporate income tax often accounts for a larger share of the total tax burden for the poorest 20 percent of households than the individual income tax.

Corporate tax revenues are highly unstable because corporate profits are strongly influenced by economic booms and busts. The Rockefeller Institute for Government estimates corporate taxes constitute only about 7 percent of all state tax collections-revenue that could be replaced fairly easily with spending cuts and increased economic activity as a result of a more attractive business climate. corporatetaxratenow.com corporate tax rate

A phased decrease beginning in tax year 2012 could help bring business and growth to Idaho, and a $179 million budget surplus forecast for next July makes this a prime opportunity for such a tax cut. One plan for lowering corporate tax rates in Idaho involves scaling back the $1.7 billion Idaho issues annually in sales tax exemptions. The measure would make for a more competitive business environment, promoting innovation and growth instead of subsidizing certain industries and individual businesses. A reduction in Idaho’s corporate tax rate is a necessary precursor to increased economic growth for the state.

The following documents offer insight into Idaho tax reform and the detrimental effects of high corporate tax rates.

Ten Principles of State Fiscal Policy This booklet provides policymakers and civic and business leaders with a highly condensed yet easy-to-read guide to state fiscal policy matters. It presents the ten most important principles of sound fiscal policy, from “Above all else: Keep taxes low” to “Protect state employees from politics.” 2011 State Business Tax Climate Index This comprehensive report from the Tax Foundation offers state-by-state comparisons of tax policy and their implications for state competitiveness and business climates. in our site corporate tax rate

What Do Corporate Income Taxes Cost American Families?

A Tax Foundation “Tax Watch” document provides surprising statistics about the burden of corporate taxes on American households-the poorest 20 percent in particular.

Idaho Chamber Alliance The Idaho Chamber Alliance details individual chamber policy positions, including those on corporate income tax reduction.

Why the U.S. Should Cut its Corporate Tax Rate John Nothdurft of The Heartland Institute outlines the negative effects of high federal corporate tax rates and cites the merits of reduction.

The Right Way to Cut Corporate Tax Rates The Idaho Statesman advocates cutting sales tax exemptions to pay for reductions in the corporate sales tax rate.

Corporations Don’t Pay Taxes, People Do The Tax Foundation’s Stephen Slivinski explains why the corporate income tax is “one of the most burdensome and economically inefficient taxes in the federal/state tax code.” Business Tax Cuts Pass in Michigan but Falter Elsewhere This Stateline article describes provisions of Michigan’s recent corporate tax cuts, and notes successes and failures of similar measures across the United States.

Movie review sites.(Link-Up @ Home: Your Personal Guide to the Web)

Information Today September 1, 2006 | Pack, Thomas “Critics’ clout has gone down,” according to movie reviewer Harry Kloman in an article in USA TODAY (May 31, 2006). “With the advent of new media and the Internet, studios know they can reach the audience they want to reach. They don’t need us for big movies.” The article (“A Teflon summer season?” by Scott Bowles) pointed out that even though critics panned several summer movies, the flicks were doing quite well at the box office.

A large segment of the movie-going audience seems to blithely accept whatever summer fare Hollywood produces. To get those patrons into theater seats, the studios only have to put out the word through the Internet and other marketing channels that their movie is the next big, noisy, star-studded blockbuster.

The USA TODAY article said that critics still matter “for smaller movies.” Of course, some moviegoers prefer smaller, quieter, more thoughtful films, but they also like thrillers, action-adventure potboilers, romantic comedies, and even the occasional horror flick, as long as the movies have interesting characters and don’t insult our intelligence too much. We simply don’t have the time or money to spend on fluff, unless it’s high-quality fluff.

For us, the advent of the Internet is more of a boon than it is to the studios. As they flex their marketing muscles to reach uncritical audiences, we can avoid their grasp by visiting a few of the hundreds of Web sites that offer to guide us to movies worth our time and our box-office bucks.

Your Friend, the Critic Reviewing the book American Movie Critic for The New York Times, Clive James said that “since all of us are deeply learned experts on the movies even when we don’t know much about anything else, people wishing to make their mark as movie critics must either be able to express opinions like ours better than we can, or else they must be in charge of a big idea, preferably one that can be dignified by being called a theory.” James also noted that the critics “without theories write better. You already knew that your friend who’s so funny about the Star Wars tradition of frightful hairstyles for women (in the corrected sequence of sequel and prequel, Natalie Portman must have passed the bad-hair gene down to Carrie Fisher) is much less boring than your other friend who can tell you how science fiction movies mirror the dynamics of American imperialism.” The friend/reviewer who doesn’t bore me is Roger Ebert. He’s plainspoken, but he expresses opinions (such as mine) better than I can, and I almost always agree with the direction in which he points his thumb. He’s like a friend who has promised to be ever vigilant about getting me the most bang for my box-office buck. this web site hairstyles for women

But Ebert does inject just enough theory–just the right amount of observation on the ways in which movies reflect and explore big issues–to bring a bit of weight to even the fluffiest of flicks.

For instance, after pointing out that actor Cameron Bright has “large dark eyes and ominously sober features that make you think he might grow up to become chairman of the Federal Reserve, or a serial killer,” Ebert’s review of X-Men: The Last Stand, noted that the film (when it isn’t “distracted by the need to be an action movie”) raises questions about numerous political and social issues, including “abortion, gun control, stem cell research, the ‘gay gene,’ and the Minutemen.” Ebert added that “‘curing’ mutants is obviously a form of genetic engineering, and stirs thoughts of ‘cures’ for many other conditions humans are born with, which could be loosely defined as anything that prevents you from being just like George or Georgette Clooney. The fact is, most people grow accustomed to the hands they’ve been dealt and rather resent the opportunity to become ‘normal.’ (Normal in this context is whatever makes you more like them and less like yourself.)” All the Reviews Fit to Print And, of course, you get The Times’ insightful, often witty reviews of recent releases. In a review of The Da Vinci Code, A. O. Scott pointed out that actress Audrey Tautou, “determined to ensure that her name will never again come up in an Internet search for the word ‘gamine,’ affects a look of worried fatigue.” He also noted that “not even a glimmer of eroticism flickers” between the stars of the film–Tautou and Tom Hanks–but “perhaps it’s just as well. When a cryptographer and a symbologist get together, it usually ends in tears.” Besides the printed reviews, The New York Times site also offers Movie Minutes–short, video-based reviews that include scenes from movie trailers. here hairstyles for women

How to Avoid Rotten Fruit A movie must have a minimum of five ratings from Approved Tomatometer Critics to be listed on the Tomatometer, which means that many older movies aren’t reviewed on the site. “We’re working on fixing this,” according to the site’s editors.

A good example of the tone and tenor of the site is found in Teddy Blanks’ review of the film Husbands. According to Blanks, director John Cassavetes “worked hard to make his pictures as frustrating to their audiences as they are” and the director “would mock, confuse, and torment his actors until their faces settled into an expression he was interested in filming.” Not Coming to a Theater Near You also offers A Guide to Twin Peaks, which asserts that the show “single-handedly enabled the television drama to branch out of the temporary mainstream and into the arena of art.” by THOMAS PACK Pack, Thomas