17 November,2009 07:02 AM IST | | Soma Das
FYI has exclusive access to an all-India survey that reveals how the secret to winning over a babe and your boss lies in spending 5 extra minutes in your bathroom
If the findings of a recent survey conducted by Gillette across 8 Indian metros is any indication, guys might stand a better chance at landing a job, and even a babe, if they are clean-shaven. Mumbai's men definitely take a cue, with 72% of them preferring a clean-shave to a beard. And they have women's approval, with 90% women across metros admitting to being turned off by a guy's unshaven look.
In fact, this has ceased to be a preference holed up in bathrooms, and turned into a "movement" with 10 women (all in their 20s) launching WALS (Women Against Lazy Stubble) a little over a month ago. They had hoped for support from fellow women across the country who believe it is time men made a little effort to look good, leaving critics to wonder if it's a way to avenge centuries of living with the pressure of waxing, shaving, tweezing, threading and bleaching. The likes of actresses Neha Dhupia, Minissha Lamba and Mugdha Godse support the movement.
And it's not just the women, 86% of whom said they wouldn't consider marrying a guy who sported a beard and/or moustache. It's also the employer who wants you to shave every morning. Rahul Wadhwani, Managing Partner, Planman Consulting, says with the first impression at interviews making or breaking your chances, facial hair is usually associated with sloppiness.
"Since most jobs require professionals to attend client meetings, it's essential to show that you've taken the effort to groom. A goatee or French beard may work in an ad agency, but in most corporate jobs, it's the clean-shave that works."u00a0
I never date men with beards and moustaches.
-u00a0Mugdha Godse, Actor
It takes 5 minutes for a man to groom himself.u00a0 They don't need to go the metrosexual way. Just look presentable.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
- Neha Dhupia, Actor
I'd want to give Hrithik Roshan a sexy shave. I find him hot.
-u00a0Minissha Lamba, Actor
Don't ape celebs
Asif Rajan, CEO and Creative Director, Asif's Salon
Don't imitate stars. Figure what looks good on you, and what works for your personality and occupation. The current trend is to go clean-shaven, and sport an occasional stubble.
>If you sport a goatee, trim it with a clipper every day. Gradually, adjust it from size 3 to 1 so that you don't end up clipping extra hair.
>A full-grown beard is best avoided.
What the survey revealed
The study conducted by AC Nielsen included over 1,000 respondents from Indian metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
Men Revealed
>Top reason to shave is because face looks clean.
>Men from Ahmedabad (18%) and Bangalore (23%) are more likely to cut themselves while shaving.
86% men in Delhi shave to look younger.
>72% of Mumbai men are clean-shaven, 82% in Delhi.
>Chennai has maximum men with moustaches (56%).
41% men in Bangalore think women feel stubble adds to sex appeal.
Should Big B wear a goatee? Indian men pass verdict
>Amitabh Bachchan is preferred with a goatee across all towns.
>98% of Mumbai men like SRK clean-shaven.
>57% men in Delhi want Abhishek with a stubble.
>73% men from Patna like Akshay Kumar without Singh is Kinng beard.
Women Revealed
>More than 80% women across towns said gentle-on-skin-razor is important.
>64% women in Mumbai said stubble increases sex appeal.
>85% women in Bangalore agreed that unshaven men are lazy.
>94% women in Chennai, 91% in Delhi turned off by the unshaven look
>57% women in Mumbai said unshaven men look macho.
>86% women in Mumbai said women are more likely to get married to a clean-shaven man.
73% women in Delhi and 72% in Mumbai and Kolkata said women are more likely to kiss a clean-shaven man.
Should Akki shave?
Women have their say
>91% women in Mumbai like Hrithik Roshan clean-shaven, 14% in Delhi like him with a beard.
>Preferred in moustache by women in Chennai (26%).
>37% women in Mumbai prefer Akki with full beard.
