All good points, of which I was at least somewhat aware. You are helping me to refine my actual questions, to a much greater degree of specificity. So, this is what we’ve got:

1. Are current-day leading men (or really, any actors who will be displaying their bodies) shaving their arms and/or chests? I guess they might be. Ryan Reynolds might be just as naturally hairy as the late Burt Reynolds, but he just shaves it? Or lasers it? Or gets Blake Lively to help him wax that shit? I can see them making some truly weird social media posts about that, now that I think about it.

1(b). Or are today’s actors actually less hairy, because the whole population is less hairy? See the next question.

2. What about how I’ve noticed less hairy regular folks, outside of any acting or on-screen context? As I said, flipping through photo albums from the 60s, 70s, and 80s really seems to show more hairy people, in those decades, compared to the present day. Now, I didn’t just go and make any kind of survey, but I have a pretty good visual memory, and I know I have noticed a lot more hairy people, in those albums. I suppose it absolutely could be confirmation bias, but I don’t think so.

And I’m CERTAIN that there are very few hairy people that I’m encountering, out “in the wild,” so to speak. Whether or not they were everywhere 40-60 years ago, I know they seem to be thin on the ground, now. But is that my imagination? Can someone prove that there are just as many hairy individuals as ever, and I’m just not seeing them? If it’s true that there are less hairy people in the population, what could possibly be causing it? Estrogen (or other hormones, etc) in the water? Seriously? I mean, conspiracy nuts like to talk about that shit, so I’m hesitant to even bring it up…but could that be a thing?

2(b). As in 1(b), are the hairy people still out there, but they are shaving and waxing and lasering their hair off, just like Ryan Reynolds might be? Is anyone out there reading this, while they’re dipilating, for the sake of modern fashion?