New Fashion - Men Show Their Chests in Wall Street Journal

I remember when I was a kid in the 70's and John Travolta came walking down the street at the beginning of the movie carrying two paint cans, and wearing his shirt unbuttoned half way down his chest. It was a sensation. Nick Nick shirts on boys in school where immediately unbuttoned. Here is an article about the current craze of man cleavage.

Wall Street Journal article by Ray Smith.

More Men Have Something They Want to Get Off Their Chests -- Their Shirts
Unbuttoned or Plunging, 'Heavage' Is Back; No '70s Hair Carpets, Please, Wisps .By RAY A. SMITH
Man cleavage -- plunging necklines slit open to reveal chest hair, pectoral muscles, maybe more -- is back.

Until recently, male décolletage was an androgynous fashion affectation limited mainly to sporadic appearances on European runways. But the look, including deep V-necks and scoop-neck tops, hit the U.S. in full force at New York's September Fashion Week, turning up at shows by Duckie Brown, Michael Bastian and Yigal Azrouël.


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If the fall runway shows were any indication, men's necklines are taking a plunge. WSJ's Ray Smith lets you know how far to go, and weighs in on the issue of chest hair.
.This time around, the styles were more blatantly sexual and the models had a more studly swagger. New York designer Mr. Bastian said his show's vibe was inspired in part by "Latin guys" he noticed wearing their shirts unbuttoned, as well as the unabashed machismo of Latin American men in general. "We wanted to go back to a more natural body, a more '70s body with the models, getting away from the super skinny," says Mr. Bastian.

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Vote: What do you think of "heavage," plunging necklines on men?
.Plenty of men, from regular Joes to "Dancing With the Stars" contestants, have loosened to the trend.

On HBO's hit series "True Blood," 29-year-old ex-model Mehcad Brooks rarely went an episode without removing his shirt. Mr. Brooks also frequently displays his perfect pecs off-screen, wearing rib-hugging T's with deep V-necks or shirts with the top buttons suggestively undone.

"Even if people were making fun of me, calling me 'Miami Vice' like they used to in college, I would still wear it," says the 6-foot-4, 215-pound actor. "It feels comfortable and I like the way it looks. If you can pull off three buttons undone, then do it."

Other fans of the look include actors Jude Law and Ed Westwick, who've been snapped showing off their man cleavage -- or "heavage," as one style writer dubbed it.

"Harper's Bazaar's Stephen Gan is working the new male cleavage in a low-cut T-shirt; it's called 'heavage,'" tweeted Hilary Alexander, fashion director of Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, in early October while at a runway show in Paris.

Mr. Gan, who, aptly enough, is also the editor of a magazine called "V," says, "I think I'm allowed to dress this way."

Stars Who Take the Plunge
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Associated Press

John Travolta in 'Saturday Night Fever'
..Vik Mohindra, a 27-year-old graduate student from Toronto, confesses that his guy friends sometimes tease him about his heavage. "I would not recommend it to someone who isn't confident with their body and overall sense of style," says Mr. Mohindra, who says he works out three to four days a week and has a "defined" chest.

Male cleavage, particularly on the silver screen, has long played a prominent role in popular culture. Douglas Fairbanks Sr. had his chest on display throughout the 1920s in films like 1924's "The Thief of Bagdad" and "The Iron Mask" in 1929. A dashing Errol Flynn showed man cleavage in the 1930s, most memorably in 1938's "The Adventures of Robin Hood." These actors made skin-flashing practically de rigueur for certain swashbuckling roles.

The aesthetic continued well into the 1950s and the 1960s, says menswear historian Robert Bryan, author of the new book "American Fashion Menswear." Among those celebrated for their heavage were Marlon Brando (in the 1951 film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire") and Sean Connery as James Bond in the 1960s.

The last time man cleavage was so prevalent in the U.S. was in the 1970s -- "the golden age of male chest hair," says Mr. Bryan. Epitomized by John Travolta in 1977's "Saturday Night Fever," the convention back then was to skip enough shirt buttons to show off a thick forest of hair, perhaps topped with a gold medallion as a sign of virility.

After decades in the fashion equivalent of Siberia, man cleavage got a boost in the early 1990s when Tom Ford, then head designer and creative director for Gucci, climbed to the top of fashion's ranks while often wearing a dress shirt unbuttoned practically to his navel.

It still took years for the fad to go more mainstream. Helping to pave the way were magazines like Men's Journal and Men's Health, which objectified the male torso on their covers. Marketers such as Abercrombie & Fitch attracted droves of fans with their buff, waxed male models. For those who don't have the goods naturally, cosmetic surgery offers an increasingly popular solution. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that pectoral implants more than tripled in 2008, to 1,335 procedures up from 440 in 2007.

.Brad Wieners, editor-in-chief of Men's Journal magazine, believes that the magazine has made guys feel more comfortable about wearing more fitted clothes and styles that show that they work out. Mr. Wieners notes that for a recent cover shoot, actor Alec Baldwin donned a shirt open at the collar, subtly revealing chest hair. "He's not Burt Reynolds," says the editor. "But he's letting you know he's got a chest."

The latest resurrection of man cleavage does raise a not-so insignificant issue: to wax or not? For a number of years, any male chest hair was considered a fashion don't, but very recently a thin thatch has become quite acceptable. The low-cut look "is better if you have a little chest hair," says Tyler Thoreson, a New York-based men's style consultant. "It's not about showing off chest hair, it's about it peeking out a little bit."

Robert Caponi, a 32-year-old musician in Greensboro, N.C., isn't taking any chances. In order to get the hair-to-skin ratio just right, he shaves his chest every two weeks or so -- a regimen that helps him to feel comfortable in one of the six deep V-neck shirts he owns. Not all styles fit the bill. After purchasing a wide scoop neck recently, he declared it simply too revealing. "I looked in the mirror and I was disgusted," he says.

Some women share the sentiment. Posting on her blog earlier this year, Ketty Colom, a 22-year-old college student in Orlando, Fla., vented about the burst of men sporting heavage. "Leave it to the bedroom," she said. "I don't want to see your chest."

Write to Ray A. Smith at ray.smith@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A29






Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
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I just found a few great dog quizes. Here is one where you match the celbrity to their dog.

Dogs regulate their body temperturPatti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
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I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
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How Dogs View Human Eye Contact. How Can You Tell If Your Dog is Giving You Soft Eyes.

In this photo, the pet parent is giving her dog human loving attention. When you and your dog are relaxed, bonding and connecting your can look loving and briefly like the pet parent in this photo.

It is obvious by the upward tilt of the dogs head and the raised nose and his “soft eyes” that he dog has learned that his pet parents eye contact and head hold mean, "Mommy loves me. " I hope that he got this loving interaction after he has did something good, like brought her a toy, made his bed washed the dishes!

Pay attention to your dog when he is good. Your dog loves to get your attention. Just like a human child, your dog will do things to be noticed. Here is what is important. He will do something and then watch your body language to see how you respond.
If you notice him and make eye contact when he is doing something bad, chewing a slipper, getting on the sofa, then guess what he may do that very same thing. Your look, your attention is rewarding. Read the post on dog’s interpretation of eye contact to learn all the different interpretation your dog can have from your look.

“Soft eyes” The dogs eyes are partially closed sometimes squinty. You really have t look the whole dog to see if a dog has “soft eyes” Look at the dog’s posture, facial expression and eye position to make sure the dog is relaxed and non-threatening. Softness can be read in a slight squint, the rest of the facial features relaxed, the lips long and the commeasure back and the ears neutral (neutral is different for different dogs but one tell for softness is that the ears are not back pressed against the head or spread out and tense like antenna.



Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
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Should You Hug Your Dog? Reading Dog and Human Body Language. Do Dogs Like it When You Hug Them?

Dog and Human Body Language. Do Dogs Like it When You Hug Them?

If you can view this sideways photo, you will find me on the floor with m dog Bo. It was taken of us several years ago when Bo was one of two. This photo really shows how much I love my dog. I love him so much I have my one arm wrapped around his neck and may I am holding his hindquarters with my other hand and arm. I also have my head tilted towards him in love and my heart is pressed up against him. Bo is cradling up against me. However, I notice his tail is down. He is big frightened of the photographer and the flashes from the camera. His body is toward me and his head is relaxed into me so it is clear he is seeking comfort from me and is not trying to get away. However, reading my dog's body language, I bet the combination of a too human like hug that to a dog feels too confining and the big ole camera and crowd in my kitchen is not helping. Dogs don't typically like to be hugged. I know, if you have a wonderful dog like my dog Bo you really want to hug on him. Don’t take it personally, if your dog tries to escape your loving embrace. Most dogs don’t like the restriction as it keeps them from “fleeing” mode that is a dogs normal response to stress. Think about it in human terms. You wouldn’t like it if someone came a held your feet when you were stressed, would you? I am a big hugger and I am so blessed that over the years Bo has not only adapted to my hugs but seeks them. Most dogs don’t mind a pat or a very brief full hug but you need to know your dog and watch them closely to understand if they are hug tolerant. Dogs can fear or love hugs.

I enjoy watching TV shows that play videos of kids and babies and dogs. It is cute when dogs allow babies and kids to hug them. However, there is that part of me that wants to teach everyone you don't hug dogs you don’t know. Hugs are not the accepted greeting ritual. Instead, approach strange dogs by putting out your hand so they can sniff it. If the dog feels safe and friendly he will let you know by staying in place to say, “Your OK!” but not freezing in place in fear which says in dog body language, “I am too scared to move.” In another show of the acceptance may be presenting the side of his body to say, “I won’t be aggressive by coming at you head on I will give you my side so you can pet me now.”



As the national spokesperson for Pup-Peroni, I am studying the similarities and differences between human body language and dog behavior.






Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
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Martin Sheen, How Men Carry Babies

Look at the way Martin Sheen carries his baby. I think it is so fun how often men carry babies like a sack of groceries. I have been reading photos of celebrities with their dogs for the campaign I am doing for Pup-peroni. I have a few photos where the guys carry their dogs in the same way, just like a bag or groceries. Here Martin does have his child a bit more on his hip, that is one of the ways women carry children, which makes good use of women's larger hips.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
I have a new quiz on my YouTubestation. Check it out!
YouTube- YouTube - bodylanguageexpert's Channel