As some of you may be aware, UBTV recently released a video asking Bristol girls how they wear their pubic hair. The video, entitled ‘How Do You Shape Your Bush?’ has racked up 33,737 views in its first week and has attracted the attention of the national press. Tackling the pube taboo is pretty important, in my opinion, so all respect to Alex and Jess, directors of the video, for spearheading this movement! It’s not about perving, but allowing women to speak about owning their bodily preferences.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/women-being-quizzed-how-style-94…
Since we’ve started the chat, I felt inspired to learn a bit more about this prickly topic. Whether you’re as smooth as a snooker ball of it’s 1970 in your knickers, I hope you enjoy these bits of trivia!
Here are some fun facts about your “George Dubya:”
- Instagram doesn’t like it one bit
In 2015 Instagram deleted the account of Australian online magazine Sticks and Stones, deciding there was too much ‘foliage’ in their bikini photo. The same thing happened to Canadian artist, photographer and writer Petra Collins. Instagram’s excuse? ‘We try hard to find a good balance between allowing people to express themselves creatively and having policies in place to maintain a comfortable experience for our global and culturally diverse community’. The account was restored but it doesn’t change the fact that men’s pubic hairs are encouraged in advertising and women’s are not…*sips tea*
- The carpet doesn’t always match the drapes
So everyone can stop annoying red-heads with this question!! It could be darker or lighter than other hair on the body, and can have a completely different texture too! It could be naturally straight or it could be JT from N’sync. Variety truly is the spice of life. When in doubt, check their eyebrows. The colour of the brows *supposedly* matches the colour of our pubes, but if somebody’s wearing makeup then who knows for sure?
TLDR: I don’t care if you think it’s a joke, don’t ask people what colour their pubes are. It’s creepy.
- Eighteenth century men were pube dudes
Far from being unwanted, locks of pubic hair were often swapped amongst upper class lovers as tokens of affection. Before boring Queen Vic came along, men even wore them in their hats as a symbol of potency. Kinky King George kept a snuffbox (or should that be ‘muffbox’) full of his mistress’ short, dark and curly’s which is now housed in St Andrew’s.
- Removal might not be as new as we thought
Turns out women have been pruning their vagitation for quite a while! Way way back in the 1450’s, the Oxford Companion to the Body stated that prostitutes would shave their pubic hair to prevent pubic lice, then wear a merkin (that’s a pube wig to you and I) when needed. All sorts of religions and cultures have advocated for removal of pubic hair for centuries, and evidence of muff scruff removal has been found in India dating back to 4000 BC. The ‘bikini’ style of grooming, where the lady garden is pruned to a neat triangle, has been around since swimwear stopped looking like a onesie. It’s only in recent years, however, that ‘Brazilian’ and ‘Hollywood’ waxes have come into popularity in the Western world.
- It hasn’t always had a good rep
Both male and female pubic hair were often omitted in European art throughout the centuries. This lead to some unrealistic expectations for poor naïve souls such as John Ruskin, Victorian author, artist and art critic. Having never seen female pubic hair in art before, he allegedly annulled his marriage to wife Effie during their wedding night. The sight of her magic carpet so stunned him that he couldn’t consummate the marriage, poor thing.
- It has a purpose! (probably)
The purpose of pubic hair has been hotly debated over the years. The theory I like best is pretty sexy. Glands in the skin around the pubic region release an odourless scent (bow chicka wow wow) and supposedly during this process pheromones become trapped in your hairy chin rest, making you irresistible to your sex-time partner. The truth is there is no one definitive answer as to why we grow it in the first place, but removing it can cause a whole host of problems. From ingrown hairs, to an increased risk of STI’s (not crabs, most of them are homeless atm), to injuries, not to mention the cost and time of scruff upkeep.
If you found this list offensive, crude or taboo, have a think about why! Pubic hair is something that we all have (except those rich motherfuckers who can afford to blast them out of their skin). It should be talked about, laughed about and enjoyed, whatever style you choose. If you choose to groom, do it for you! Take care and enjoy.