I may be too young to start a sentence with "when I was growing up." Be that as it may, when I was a child, boys used to challenge each other to engage in risky behavior by saying, "It'll put hair on your chest." Implied in such a challenge was the idea that hair on your chest was a desirable attribute. Indeed, as a boy, why shouldn't it be? Body hair is a sign of physical maturity, and what boy doesn't take pride in becoming a man?