Covered with thick hair on the chest, often used to describe something or someone considered tough or masculine.
Compound of 'hairy' (from Old English 'hær') and 'chested' (from Old English 'cest,' from Latin 'cista' meaning chest or box). The phrase emerged in American English as slang to characterize tough, masculine appearance.
This phrase became popular mid-20th century American slang to describe 'tough guys,' but it reveals how cultures use physical features as shortcuts for personality traits—chest hair had nothing to do with actual toughness!
Compounds using body hair as identity marker ('hairy-chested') encode 20th-century masculine idealization—chest hair as marker of virility, strength, and authentic masculinity, contrasting with femininity's hairlessness.
Use descriptively without equating body hair to character, strength, or gender authenticity. Recognize that body hair is normal across all genders.
["robust","assertive","unapologetic"]
Women's normalized body hair removal was enforced through beauty standards; reclaiming body hair as natural across all genders challenges gendered shame.
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