some thoughts on the “groove/dip”, moving on to some thoughts on hair …

i have a dimple!

What is the groove/dip between the lips and nose called? Does it have a name? (After writing the above question,  something I’ve wondered for years, I found the answer: check picture on the left, and also link below.)

In this entry I shan’t go into how or why I prefer Stephen Fry’s groove/dip to Hugh Laurie’s. Nor will I detail my delight in finding yrs ago that I have a vey nicely shaped one! Furthermore, I see no real reason to reveal that, in writing this entry, I realised that the only thing my exes have in common are very pretty (drop-shaped, now I’ve said it) philtral dimples :)

Rather, it is my un-researched opinion based on very casual observations that men of Far Eastern Asian and Eskimo origins – and perhaps the Native American Indian, Aborigines, Latin Americans (natives) and (South) Pacific Islanders, too? – ie men who do not grow much facial hair, also do not grow any or much in the groove/dip.

Indians, Pakistanis, Afghans & Iranians, and Arabs (except the ones of more Eastern origins!) have good solid beards, as do most Europeans and Northern Americans, except, again, those whose ancestry is somehow very Eastern. Or have you ever seen a Sikh, Mullah or East Anglian with combed-over grooves? Nah, me neither.

I have deliberately left out men from parts of the world I am entirely unfamiliar with, most obviously Sarah Palin’s Africaland. What I do know about African males is that their chest hair, and probably beards?, grows out in little circluar clusters, rather far apart from one another. Right? What does an African male’s stubble look like?

Back to the groove:
Whaddaya think – what’s with the hairlessness in that little part? Or are my observations completely wrong?

Speaking of Sikhs: my (only Sikh on BYU campus) Hindi teacher once was asked to tell us the meaning of his name. Yes, it was probably me who asked. He couldn’t quite explain it so he resorted to using the least (?) of his many many talents, namely drawing, and drew what we thought were lips and the frequenly mentioned groove/dip. We were amazed and amused that Hindi had a word AND a boy’s name for this miniscule bodypart :) Turns out he was drawing an earthen lamp and the smoke which arises from it – this is either what Karan or Deep means, the latter being kinda cool as it is close to “dip” – but the misunderstanding did provide us with some fun, though years later I found out that he never even realised this, as he was too preoccupied with drawing :)

More hair contemplations: if hair used to cover the human body back in the day to protect from the cold, why did it selectively vanish, ie why did our heads, arms, legs, silly armpits!, and private parts retain massive and coloured hair growth, and why do SOME men still grow chest hair and, in some cases, back hair? Again, Far East Asian men have less chest hair, methinks, than Westerners for instance, and Western men’s hairy legs and thighs are in for a nice old rubbing when they visit Nepal and other nearby regions, as this is an infrequent sight to them, though ever increasing due to more global travels, and one which never ceases to amaze. Or so I hear. And I’ve seen pictures of little kids patting blonde travellers’ legs and pulling their leg hair in amazement. Kinda funny.

Regarding women’s lack of chest hair – do you know any with chest hair? – I can see how breast-feeding babies and sensitive lovers would have objections to hairy breasts … I don’t think I wanna go into this any further.

Home work: study the face of the nearest facial shaver, whether it be a partner or yourself. Ask whether much diligence is due when shaving abobe the upper lip because of stubble/beard in the groove/dip. Then find out the shaver’s origins, and report back your findings:)

ps: After writing the above, I found some stuff online about the groove. Check here. Years of wondering are now over. Phew!