Anxious and Hairy: The Evolution and Culture of Human Hair

Body hair: we're covered in it. But for most of us, there’s too much or too little, it’s the wrong colour or in the wrong place. Collectively, we spend billions of dollars trying to change or control it. We’re fascinated, disgusted, and amused, and we don’t know why.

Each patch on this wild romp through your furry real estate—from the top of your head to the tips of your toes—tells a story about survival, sex, and social life. Judy Wearing explores how and why hair has provoked discomfort in people through the ages and contemplates how our animality influences daily life.

Equal parts curious, comic, and compelling, Anxious and Hairy draws on insights from evolutionary biology, psychology, anthropology, history, and art to uncover what our hair reveals about being human. From bearded female saints to Botoxed brows that dull empathy, hair exposes how biology and culture intersect. One thing is certain: you’ll never look at the human body the same way again.