Bushwhacked: what’s going on with our pubic hair?

You’ve seen the ad. And maybe it took a beat or two to catch on to the message, but eventually you got the point: trim your bush, ladies — now in fun and exciting shapes! But, to me anyway, ads like these raised bigger questions. Why do we have so much — and then mostly remove — our public hair? Turns out, there isn’t a simple answer. So, let’s lift the fig leaf and take a look at our pubes.

Why do Humans have pubic hair?

Did you wake up one morning with hairs that looked really different down there? Welcome to adolescence, friend. Talk about a day you don’t forget — much like the day you get your first period or ruin your first pair of white pants with a leak of said period — it’s memorable. Puberty. Some fun. But the reason behind why those pubes showed up that day is still a bit of a mystery. Some will tell you it’s because of pheromones — the miracle chemicals released by mostly mammals that change the physiology and behavior of another animal through scent — others will tell you it’s a signal of sexual maturity to your potential lover. Heeeyyyyy…… But nobody knows for sure.

Your pubic hair has a purpose

There’s more than one reason you’ve got hair between your legs, ladies. Like your eyelashes do for your eyes, these hairs offer protection to the area by trapping bacteria, dirt, and other stuff from getting into your urinary tract and vagina. They can help prevent yeast infections, vaginitis, and UTIs. Side note: there’s no hygienic “better” when it comes to making the choice to remove your public hair. Though your GYN would probably suggest your keep it, FYI.

It also keeps your genitals warm which can be helpful when you’re trying to heat things up in the bedroom. Speaking of… pubic hair is also a little bonus when it comes to reducing friction (think of them as a dry lubricant) since it’s gentler to rub hair on hair than skin on skin especially as things lubricate in other ways.

The hairless norm

Every culture (and each decade seemingly) has a different norm when it comes to pubic hair. Did you know the Egyptians removed their pubic hair with sharp rocks? Hard pass. If your personal preference is out of style right now, just wait a few years. Right now, most of us groom our public hair — up to and including removing all of it. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 83% of women groom their pubic hair in some way with only 16% saying they let their short hairs grow wild. They also found that women in the US are more likely to groom their pubic hair if they are younger, unmarried, white, and more educated. They also groom if their partner prefers that they do.

So, why do we bushscape?

Sex, porn, and swimwear. First things first. More than 55% of women who trim, wax, or shave said sex is the most common reason they do it, according to a JAMA Dermatology survey. On the other hand, three-quarters of men ages 25 to 34 offer up the same reason if they shave their pubes according to the American Journal of Men's Health.

I watched a TV show once that suggested that the reason we removed said hairs is the desire for eternal youth. I might be willing to go along with this idea if it was the norm for men to shave their crotch. I appreciate some man-bush-scaping, don’t get me wrong. Presentation is everything.

“I appreciate some man-bush-scaping, don’t get me wrong. Presentation is everything. ”

If you have sex with men, you’ve probably been told that they prefer a clear point of entry. Some women would probably agree. But just listen to what this guy said to Samantha on SATC. I personally find this a little lazy. And entire articles have been written about a generation of guys who have probably never seen a full bush and are turned off by the prospect of an errant hair. And it is true that picking a pube out of your teeth is off-putting. But isn’t picking anything out of your teeth off-putting?

Look also to Playboy and the bikini for a lot of the influence that created the new normal. As the revealing two-piece swimsuit became more and more popular, women started to shave their bikini line — hence the term. Then when Playboy magazine helped nudie mags become more mainstream, men saw more and more groomed pubes. Then came Brazilian waxes in the 1980s and the conversations about them in 2000s via SATC and everywhere else. And apparently men liked what little they saw — and wanted more minimalist stripper landing strips and bare vulvas in their partners.

Pubic hair thins with age

If you prefer to trim or remove the hair on your vulva (it’s not your vag, BTW — that’s inside you), you may find some small joy in the reality that your public hair will likely thin as you age, as Whoopi so delightfully describes to our Internet Boyfriend Keanu Reeves. The bad news? If you get grey hair on your head, that won’t be the only place it shows up. Talk about a surprise in the shower that nobody talks about.

The point

Listen, I’m not here to tell you what to do with your pubes. Hair down there can be lovely and attractive to you and to your partner. Or not. You can remove it, groom it, style it — even color it (actually, don’t do that.) You may find that doing any of these things makes you feel better about your body and increases your sexual excitement.

Generally, there is conventional wisdom that having something down there is better for your physical health than not. Plus waxing is expensive, painful, and time consuming. Sugaring isn’t much better. Tweezing is just being mean to yourself. Shaving generally blows — as do razor burn and cuts. And ingrown hairs are truly awful.

But, as is true in so many ways when it comes to your lady parts, you should do you.