Beard and body hair, in or out?

Once again the media has gone into overdrive over a male celebrity doing something fishy. Only this time it's not another mistress saga coming to the fore. Instead it's the case of the missing body hair, of English comedian Russell Brand to be exact. One minute he's sporting a hirsute chest of burgeoning, curling, carpet-like chest hair, and the next he's as smooth as a baby's butt as he frolics about shirtless on the beach.

While girlfriend Katy Perry has described his usually hairy look to the UK Metro newspaper as "like Jim Morrison meets Charles Manson meets Jesus meets a little bit of Elvis", it seems he's shunned it in favour of something a little more well kept.

I may have missed the memo, but since when did hairy chests on men become a dirty word? ...

While attending a dinner party the other night, I noticed a bunch of blokes in buttoned-down shirts lacking any bits of fluff on their chests. When I asked what the situation was (Were they born that way? Was it a conscious decision?), one claimed that he regularly "trimmed" his chest hair while the other said he was a perpetual chest waxer.

"It's a sign of cleanliness," claimed the trimmer. "I feel that if men don't keep their chest hair in check, what's going to be going on below?"

When I asked the other, his answer was a little simpler. "My girlfriend hates hairy chests," said the waxer. "I wax everything."

While many women seem to be lampooning men with chest or back hair, (one friend claims it's the ultimate deal-breaker and will always check out a man's back before agreeing to a second date), I personally don't see the big deal. In fact, when it comes to hair, I often wonder exactly why women would want to date a man whose legs are smoother than hers, who has the chest of a 12-year-old boy and who gets prickly in bed midweek because he's forgotten to shave.

But it seems I'm alone in my sentiment. Many women I've spoken to admit that the sight of too much man-fluff on a man's chest, back, thighs or nether regions, is enough to send them running for the hills, or at least to get the nearest set of clippers.

And then there are the beards. Are they in or are they out? Are they hot or are they not? A quick poll of Ask Sam readers found that it all depends on the type of facial hair the man in question is sporting. A little bit of growth or some stubble around the chin area seems to get the nod, while the "wolfman" beard or a face filled with full-grown scraggly facial follicles is deemed a turn-off. (Except of course if it's Brad Pitt sporting it.)

"It means they have something to hide," quipped one. "It means they're shady," concurred another.

Another reader, Michael Cox, claims that despite the fact he's well past puberty, he's never been able to grow a beard. "I think this is good news for the follicle-ly challenged. Plus I save loads on razors."

But marketing gurus aren't so sure.

According to the findings published in The Journal of Marketing Communications, men with neat, medium-length beards were considered more credible and knowledgeable that those who were clean-shaven. The study asked a group of people to look at photos of bearded and non-bearded men endorsing products, and found that the audience were more inclined to believe that the bearded blokes held more expertise than the others.

The study stretched the outcome to other professions too. Politicians with beards were dubbed more trustworthy, since the "presence of a beard on the face of candidates could boost their charisma, reliability, and above all their expertise as perceived by voters, with positive effects on voting intention". Who would have thought?

When talking about hair, we can't leave off the issue that plagues the other half of the population: to shave or not to shave for the women?

While being hairy has always been seen as a political statement, when celebrities do it, the media pounce to discover the reason behind their statement against modern beauty trends.

Julia Roberts once stopped shaving her underarms, Alicia Silverstone once didn't shave her leg hair, and most recently at the 2010 Golden Globes, actress Mo'Nique caused a media flurry when she lifted her dress to reveal - gasp - unshaven pins. And the media were relentless. Was she making a feminist statement? Was she telling womankind not to bother with such things? Apparently not.

Mo'Nique later told Barbara Walters in an interview that "a woman should be as she is meant to be" and that her husband loves her hairy legs, so why should she bother?

Hence the question remains for both men and women: to shave, wax and trim, or not to do any of the above?

Perhaps if we follow the sentiment proffered by Mo'Nique, then it all depends on your partner's preferences. Just don't forget to put on deodorant if you're going to leave your armpits au natural.