"Hairy Legs" harassment

[AwkwardlySet]

I read an article yesterday that sparked my curiosity. Apparently, due to record temperatures in Japan, officials have relaxed clothing rules for the workplace, which has led to men wearing T-shirts and shorts to work. None of that would be surprising if it weren't for the strong reaction that some co-workers have towards seeing men with hairy legs. A new term was coined: "sunehara," which translates to "hairy legs harassment."

According to some polls, a good deal of co-workers, predominantly women, are repulsed by the sight of hairy legs, and that has sparked reactions and complaints.

Thoughts?

I believe I read something that rules in Japan when it comes to women's clothing in the workplace used to be pretty strict, and maybe they still are, so it feels like men shouldn't complain about being required to cover their legs or shave them. People have always been required to groom themselves into being presentable when at the workplace.

 

[TheLobster]

But, but… James Bond movies taught me Japanese women are fascinated by hairy men. Were they lying?

 

[AwkwardlySet]

But, but… James Bond movies taught me Japanese women are fascinated by hairy men. Were they lying?

Only movies featuring Tom Cruise are authentic. You should know that.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I have to share an experience I recently had. I was at the supermarket, and I noticed a cute girl shopping. She was somewhere between 16 and 20. She had pixie-cut black hair, dark makeup, a top and a short skirt, and All-Stars on her feet. She had this goth vibe, and she was really cute.

But then I noticed something that shook me a bit. I tried not to stare like a creep, but I noticed that her thighs looked shaved, but her calves, my god, were full of long dark hairs... And fuck me, I felt pretty strong revulsion. I can't for the world understand what she wanted to achieve with such looks. I suspect it was some kind of gender statement (maybe?), but I can't be sure. She was quite obviously a foreigner.

Hairiness in the places we don't expect it seems to leave a pretty strong impression.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I bet the backlash has less to do about having to stare at your co-worker’s hairy legs all day, and more to do with the constant reminder of the double standards for grooming that exists in the typical Japanese corporate office.
I wonder how many offices embrace shorts for men but continue to mandate heels and pantyhose for women?

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I bet the backlash has less to do about having to stare at your co-worker’s hairy legs all day, and more to do with the constant reminder of the double standards for grooming that exists in the typical Japanese corporate office.
I wonder how many offices embrace shorts for men but continue to mandate heels and pantyhose for women?

I suspected that might have been the reason as well, although I don't know how much those strict policies are still present. And I had my own experiences of seeing very off-putting hairiness. It's a bit of both, maybe?

 

[UncutinSocal]

I can't speak to most women but I've never been told to cover my hairy legs

 

[Britva415]

it feels like men shouldn't complain about being required to cover their legs or shave them

Well, are they required?

If they aren't, and people are giving them shit for it, then yeah, maybe it's just harassment.

If they are required, maybe it isn't harassment at all.

What is it that's being called sunehara? Harassment? Or requirements?

 

[Stanfield2025]

If it's not against dress code, they shouldn't be harassed for it. Plain and simple. People shouldn't be required to look attractive when going to work. I for one, don't really give a shit about people's hairy legs, and whether they shave them or not is none of my business. What I feel about a stranger's legs isn't their problem, and what strangers think about my legs isn't my problem.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Eh, you guys have this backwards. It's not the men with hairy legs who are being harassed. It's others who have to look at their hairy legs in the workplace who are calling that harassment. The hairy-legged guys are harassing the rest of their coworkers; that's the gist of this whole thing.

My opinion? Set working temperatures to something at least close to reasonable and make all those guys wear pants and shirts again. If women had to abide by a certain dress code for so long, so can men.

 

[PennyThompson]

People get so weird about body hair... We're all mammals here (@anthrodisiac exempted), embrace your fuzz!

It's okay to have aesthetic grooming preferences for yourself and for what you find attractive on others, but cultural taboos about it are dumb.

 

[Stanfield2025]

People get so weird about body hair... We're all mammals here (@anthrodisiac exempted), embrace your fuzz!

We all know @anthrodisiac needs to shave all them feathers.

 

[YDB95]

I've never run into any complaints about my legs, but then I never wear shorts to work.

And while it's beside the point, I think hairy legs on women are really pretty sexy. I can't explain why, but I've always loved them.

 

[ElectricBlue]

She was quite obviously a foreigner.

I thought you were the foreigner. Anyway,

Hairiness in the places we don't expect it seems to leave a pretty strong impression.

your little goth girl sounds hot, just sayin'.

Here's a story to make you shudder:
https://www.literotica.com/s/we-deliver-all-things-jenny

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I thought you were the foreigner.

It's hard to be a foreigner in your own country. But I am always a stranger, though.

Anyway,

your little goth girl sounds hot, just sayin'.

I am much more of a milf guy, but she was quite cute, assuming she shaved her calves or wore permanent, knee-high socks.

Here's a story to make you shudder:
https://www.literotica.com/s/we-deliver-all-things-jenny

Sorry, not quite desperate enough to read Australian stories.

 

[Stanfield2025]

I am much more of a milf guy

What exactly is the milf look?

 

[Britva415]

What exactly is the milf look?

It's a lot like the cougar look, but less on the nose

 

[Stanfield2025]

It's a lot like the cougar look, but less on the nose

So, a hot older woman? Is that the general idea?

 

[OddLove]

I would like to live in a world where men are required to shave their legs and wear short skirts or short-shorts at work.

I don't think we should be allowed to vote either.

So if Japan wants to inch closer to utopia, by all means, they have my support.

 

[Seurat]

I would like to live in a world where men are required to shave their legs and wear short skirts or short-shorts at work.

I don't think we should be allowed to vote either.

So if Japan wants to inch closer to utopia, by all means, they have my support.

That's part of the reason I like the local Celtic festival. I can show of my gams the way the gods intended.

 

[Britva415]

Eh, you guys have this backwards. It's not the men with hairy legs who are being harassed. It's others who have to look at their hairy legs in the workplace who are calling that harassment. The hairy-legged guys are harassing the rest of their coworkers; that's the gist of this whole thing.

My opinion? Set working temperatures to something at least close to reasonable and make all those guys wear pants and shirts again. If women had to abide by a certain dress code for so long, so can men.

I don't know if this is some kind of mis-translation of language or of culture, but I think calling it "harassment" presumes ill intent and is absolutely asinine for that reason.

I'm not against Japanese women feeling like they want workplaces without bare male legs, but I'm against any person of any culture falsely projecting ill intent upon others instead of owning their own discomfort.

I was going to ask whether there is something about Japanese culture which does make this behavior automatically disrespectful, transgressive and threatening, but I note that Japanese men apparently didn't do this until

officials [...] relaxed clothing rules for the workplace