say you're in the hospital and a nurse comes in to take your vitals.
say it's a male nurse.
say he's totally got chest hair sticking out the v-neck of his scrub top. what do you think of this? unprofessional? supersexy? don't think anything either way?
So goes a pertinent question on a Livejournal forum. I'm not a girl, so I don't know what to say. But I am a boy and I wear scrubs. For now, I am undershirt-free. I'm not exactly Wolfman or anything, but I most likely have some chest hair showing much of the time. I wear scrubs that fit me, not big baggy things, so undershirt sleeves poke out of the arms of my scrub tops. I don't like how that looks. No one has mentioned the chest hair, which is saying something—I work with critical care nurses who unabashedly proclaim their judgments on any subject, personal or professional, regardless of audience or professional propriety, including my personal appearance, on a daily basis. I think they would zero in on that if they thought it was ridiculous.
But I'm beginning to doubt myself. I'm beginning to doubt the chest hair.
There's an epic debate about male nurses and chest hair on the forums at allnurses. At FIVE YEARS running with 28 pages of comments, it's clearly one of the most pressing intellectual controversies not just in nursing, but in all of human experience. There is no consensus at all, but there are definite parties or camps. Women are divided between those who think it's unprofessional have chest hair showing (but admit they hate chest hair), and those who think it's silly to worry about it. Men are divided between those who always cover it, and those who describe their voluminous body hair in exquisite detail and dare anyone to mention when they expose it. ("Excuse me, but I believe you've lost your pen in your, er, uh, hirsutic growth.")
What do you think? Should I keep on keepin' on, or should I find an alternative—say, sleeveless undershirts, or simply wearing t-shirts as some men do in lieu of scrub tops?
My vote:
ReplyDeleteGUH-ROSS. Chest hair sticking out of the tops of any shirt grosses me out. TOTALLY.
And I really like chest hair! I just don't like it poking its wiry little self out of the top of someone's shirt and saying "Hi!"
Obviously a critical life issue.
:)
Never be afraid to let other people feel the weight of who you are. In this case, your hairy chest is part of who you are, don't apologize for it, or try and hide it. Shaved was popular for a few years, but hair is making a comeback. I wouldn't sweat it, or try and hide it. Men and scrubs do have some issues, though. There was that thread on a doctors forum several years ago about scrubs and pee stains (I can't remember exactly where it was). Some interesting, and disturbing reading.
ReplyDelete*snort* I wouldn't worry about it. I like hair but I don't think it makes me biased, in this case. I mean, why is hair showing a problem? What if you didn't have hair and it was just naked chest and THAT offended someone? You can't please everyone. Be the most fantabulistically awesome nurse ever and nobody will care about your chest hair. Ok, some will, but that's on them, not you.
ReplyDeleteLike my momma always said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless someone adversely objects, why change anything?
ReplyDeleteI personally hate unkempt eyebrows, but that's my problem, not the wearer of said unibrow :-)
dude if your chest hair is waving at people in the breeze, you need to get bigger scrubs, and put on a dang undershirt...=0P Or not.... who cares it's your little hairs that are wavin' ;0)
ReplyDeleteIt depends...can you braid the hair poking out the top? Is it fur? Could small animals make a home in what is growing out of your chest? If so, than yeah, maybe you should reconsider your attire. I don't mind chest hair at all, but I would be distracted if you looked like you might start baying at a full moon. It sounds like none of these cases apply to you, so I wouldn't worry about it.
ReplyDeletePersonally I wouldn't think twice about it, I mean it's not like you have four buttons undone and you're trying to impersonate Andrew Dice Clay...right?
I enjoy a hairy chest myself. If you were my nurse, you might want to cover up otherwise my BP might get elevated. But trust me, you wouldn't get any complaints from me.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming the chest hair would be covered up in a surgical situation. I wouldn't want a stray wiry caught in my incision.
I'm a guy and a young nurse. I thought I was the only one who asked, chest hair or undershirt. I personally prefer an undershirt with scrubs, just so I don't look like I walked off the set of Goodfellas. Hilarious post, I enjoy reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I agree that some RNs/Aides/Unit Secretaries/Gift Shop Employees/Cafeteria Workers who think that I'm their son would be the first ones to tell me to cover the chest hair up.
I am middle of the road on this. I like chest hair. I like seeing it peek out of my husband's shirt. But "peek" is the operative word. If you can braid the portion sticking out of your shirt, you should at least consider trimming it, if only to keep things looking tidy. And if you have to arbitrarily assign a place where it ends (e.g. it grows uninterrupted from your torso to cheeks), then you should be extra vigilant).
ReplyDeleteit's just hair! lol
ReplyDeletethe only reason my hubby wears undershirts it to protect from pit stains on his "nice" shirts.
i say do what you want, why worry about it?
Whoa, pee stains? scrubs?
ReplyDeleteAs far as your chest hair, and its ability to ignite The Most Epic Debate in human history: i dont apologise for wearing skirts with my furry legs showing, and i will wear sleeveless shirts even tho i dont shave my 'pits. i would probably dress differently, however, if said hairy body parts were going to be in the vicinity of an open wound, a casserole, or a sticky surface.
caroline - I love that the example for sterility and cleanliness is "open wounds and casseroles." I'll have to remember that. :-) And I could probably mention that I don't mind unshaved woman legs...of course, my wife practically doesn't have to shave anyway.
ReplyDeleteWTF? With all the problems we are faced with every day, chest hair is not even on my radar screen.
ReplyDeleteIn the OR, this doesn't seem to be an issue. I think it's because it almost always feels like the frozen tundra in the rooms that the guys wear "cover gowns" over their scrubs or t-shirts underneath the scrubs or both.
ReplyDeleteMarjorie - yeah, temperature does play a role here. I've been in a hot ER!
ReplyDelete_____
I should mention that, on my screen, google ads attached a "Male Laser Hair Removal" to this post! Are they hinting?
It was interesting to be the only guy in the MedSpa most days. However, I think male patients felt some relief when they saw me strolling around the place. Guys don't like to be seen getting botox and fotofacials in most cases, but we certainly know that there are a lot of guys out there that do!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that those in the medical profession would be the first to realize that hair grows on the human body. Unless you haven't bathed in a week, it shouldn't be considered gross.
ReplyDeleteAs a man who is a nurse, I must concur with those who feel there is a happy medium here, a place where a well reasonably groomed man may show some sign of his testosterone infused keratin fibers without risking violent backlash.
ReplyDeleteYou're a man, be a man!
I always wear a t-shirt under my scrub shirt. I work in an OR environment, where the scrubs are provided out of a dispensing machine. The sizes truly vary day to day, if you get a newer pair or older. Dress code in the OR is quite important, and there is a policy against wearing long sleeves under a scrub shirt in the OR, but also against a t-shirt that shows at the neck line.
ReplyDeleteOf course some would like a turtle neck as it is quite chilly in the OR too.
but anyways, they make it mandatory to wear underwear under the scrubs for sanitary reasons. they should allow one to cover their chest hair as well. Personally I feel self-conscious with my chest hair all hanging out.
shave? please dont make me do that. I would find it emasculating.
A guy nurse doesnt need additional opportunities to feel that way. lol