This past weekend, Man Of Steel dominated the box office, earning a handsome $128.7 million. But that wasn’t the only attractive aspect of the Superman franchise reboot. We now have on our hands arguably the most dashing superhero to date: Henry Cavill (above). And one thing our new hunk offers that his supernatural peers don't is an abundance of chest hair, noted in this hilarious conversation on NYMag's Vulture. The authors raise a valuable point—sure, teen-targeted TV shows may encourage many a “high school student” (read: pushing-30 actor) to remove any and all natural hair growth, but where are the grown-up examples of definitive masculinity? Surely Captain America didn’t halt his battles against the Nazis for a quick visit to the esthetician. So, why is Hollywood implying he did?

Maybe it’s a vaguely creepy attempt to encourage young girls’ admiration of (much) older actors or, conversely, older folks' enjoyment of an apparently prepubescent gentleman? Perhaps it’s just so we can more easily see the six-pack abs. Or, another possibility: the bigwigs in California are banding together to promote a new male beauty trend, and consequently, some form of gender equality! Waxes for all! But we doubt it…

What we do know for sure is that manscaping, whether of the chest, back, shoulders, or some nether-region adventure, is on the rise. Way back in December 2008, Diddy (always on the cutting edge) told Allure that real gentlemen should “return the favor.” We are now living in a world of (supposed) equal opportunity, so, keeping in that spirit, maybe men, too, should enjoy the opportunity to wax? Or should we just be showing the hirsute among us more love? We’re not sure where to stand on this one, so we're throwing it back at you all. Men avec chest hair: love or loathe? Thoughts?

Photo via ITG.