The NPR program Weekend All Things Considered ran a satirical commentary from a straight guy complaining because he's “too” hirsute:
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[copy of RJS letter to WATC:]
Dear WATC,
Todd Rosenberg’s fear and self-loathing on the hirsute trail gave me pause. It strikes me that what he needs is not some evolutionary exemption that will restore his head hair and reduce the fluff covering the rest of his body, but some self-respect for the body he has been given and for the natural process of ageing.
He would do well to learn from the example of Bears. Not the four-legged kind – the tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide, known as Bears, who have affirmed their hirsute, mature, overweight selves just as they are. As the author of a GLBTQ studies book on the subject of self-identified ursine men, I can tell you that these men have affirmed their hairy looks, sexuality, and essential way of being in the world. These men have broken through the stereotypical image of gay men as young, smooth, effete boys. Instead of resenting their bodies, gay and bisexual Bears have indeed learned to celebrate what they have been given.
If Rosenberg could only learn to question the culture in which he has learned to hate his body, it might transform his vision of himself, of manhood and masculinity, and of beauty. It's easier to judge and blame the choiceless body than the society that views its own hair as an ugly and unacceptable part of oneself.
Allbest,
Ron Jackson Suresha
Providence, RI
Author, Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions (Alyson, 2002), including chats with comedian Bruce Vilanch and “Survivor” Richard Hatch; editor, Bearotica, Bear Lust, Bi Men
