I don't mean to dwell on semantics, but you referred to his large amount of body hair as a "genetic gift," while the absence of body hair on women is supposedly the "gift." That's so unfair to you! Men shouldn't be gifted something natural and women cursed for the same thing. I know that this is a societal norm and that many women do remove at least some of their hair (myself included), but it should be looked at as an option rather than a necessity.

To answer your question though, my SO doesn't seem to care much either way, and I can't recall any exes complaining about body hair. I prefer to shave/pluck/etc. but I don't recall a male ever mentioning my body hair to me in a negative way.

We all make compromises to be with our partners, so if the relationship is important to you I would recommend having a serious discussion with him about boundaries and control issues; it's nice that he offered to pay the way, but if you're not comfortable with things then please make sure he knows.