Bush. Carpet. Lady garden. Landing strip. Mow the lawn. And my personal favorite, pusstache. These are some of the phrases used to describe female pubic hair and the ways some are choosing to maintain it.
Trimming, shaving, waxing, creams and the dreaded plucking – most women have tried these methods at least once in their postadolescent lives.
According to FiveThirtyEight, “The majority of women who had ever groomed their pubic hair said they used a razor and shaving cream (77 percent). That was followed by trimming with scissors (23 percent) and hair removal cream (19 percent). (The figures add up to more than 100 percent because there is overlap.)”
Society is in our pants?
In our society, all genders are bombarded with pressures on how to look and behave. It’s hard to resist any trend the dominant culture deems as “natural” and “attractive.” Pubic hair, or lack thereof, is one of these trends.
Tiana Echols, a first-year psychology major, urges individuals to communicate their preferences of grooming with their partners.
“If you’re single, you should do whatever you want [with your pubic hair], whatever is most comfortable for you,” Echols said. “But, if you’re in a relationship, see how your partner feels about it too. Take into consideration what they like and listen to them.”
Though I agree communication and compromise is key in any relationship, I caution individuals to change any aspect of themselves, including how they groom their pubic hair, for their partners. It’s your body, not your partner’s, and you should decide how to present yourself.
Sabrina Arredondo, a first-year psychology major, has a free spirited attitude on her body hair grooming habits.
“You’re born with hair,” Arredondo said. “I rarely shave my legs. I hate it, it’s the worst thing to shave. With pubic hair, just let it grow, let it happen, it’s more free. It’s not a big deal because not everyone sees it, only the people you’re having sex with. It’s like the movie The Lorax; just ‘let it grow.'”
Let it grow or wax it bald, it’s up to you
Altering pubic hair is purely cosmetic. There is no rhyme or reason to remove the naturally occurring process from our bodies. However, over the decades, various trends of pubic hair alterations have made waves through our mass media culture.
As quoted in the New York Times, Cameron Diaz states, “Grooming one’s lady bits is a matter of personal choice… I simply urge women to consider not doing anything PERMANENT down there. Wax it bald, leave it wild and bushy, shave it into a heart or a landing strip or a birthday cake. Trim it, tease it, dye it like an Easter egg … just bear in mind that trends and preferences change, and you should think about keeping your future options open for yourself.”
If you do choose to go the shaving route, here’s a video from Laci Green on ways to keep your pubic area healthy and happy.
However, if you don’t want chemical creams in your body, itchy red bumps and you don’t feel the need to keep trimming hair that will never stop growing, then consider just leaving it be!
My advice? I urge all genders to do what’s right and practical for them, not for society, for their partners or for their friends. It’s your body and you have the distinct pleasure of living with it.
Jessica Candela can be reached at [email protected] or @_JessicaCandela on Twitter.
