Modern procedures like the Brazilian wax have replaced sharp tools in women’s pubic grooming.
Cultural and religious conventions shaped these traditions, according to history.
“One must suffer to be beautiful,” says the saying. Some painful practices include pubic grooming.
It was trendy in ancient Egypt and Rome. To remove pubic hair, women used polished shells or stones, bat blood, calf urine, or donkey fat. Others favored pumice, beeswax, or bronze knives. Another method was twirling pubic hair off with fine threads. To remove undesired hair, some used orpiment, a deadly arsenic mineral. A contemporary razor or epilator takes years to develop.
But body hair must have a biological purpose: “It doesn’t just grow there because it was forgotten in the course of evolution; hair has a protective function,” explains cultural scientist and writer Mithu Sanyal.
Pubic hair protects against germs and damage. Sanyal feels that persons who rationalize pubic hair cutting for cleanliness, particularly in arid countries with little water, are essentially pretexting. Sanyal reminds us that “pubes give off scents, so-called pheromones, that make you irresistible.”
Mithu Sanyal, author of “Vulva: The Revelation of the Invisible Sex,” has extensively researched female genitalia history.
Sanyal notes that pubic hair has had several styles throughout the years. “But it’s not just about getting rid of this hair, it’s about being creative with it,” says DW.
Beyond keeping a small strip, getting rid of all pubic hair (the Brazilian wax), or getting a bikini wax (removing what could protrude out the borders of a swimming suit), some opt to make forms like hearts or flowers or tint it.
In certain Eastern cultures, pubic hair is considered uncivilized and people desire smooth genitalia. Islam commands: “It is frowned upon to let pubic hair grow for longer than 40 days.”
Pubic hair is an indication of fertility in various African and South Sea civilizations. Sanyal notes, “In Thailand and Japan, where women have less pubic hair due to genetics, a big bush is preferred. People usually crave what they lack.”
Church taboos against pubic wigs
In ancient Rome, ladies shaved their pubic hair for washing.
The technique became forbidden throughout the Middle Ages. Officially, since the Catholic Church outlawed bodily sin. There is little evidence regarding how women of the period responded.
Sanyal adds a lush bush was a symbol of excellent health in the 16th and 18th centuries: “Syphilis was widespread. Pubic hair regularly fell out. People wore pubic wigs to seem healthy.” Sex trade ladies liked such wigs. Crabs were simpler to remove after customers donated pubic lice.
Increased intimate part exposure
The media, especially the internet, have globalized pubic grooming views. The Brazilian wax initially debuted in ‘Sex and the City,’ a famous 1990s TV show, driving up demand for Brazilians. Sanyal said new criteria and regulations were developed.
As the media revealed more flesh, hairless beauty standards spread worldwide.
throughout the 1980s, pubic hair grew freely throughout Germany. In one book, French women’s rights campaigner and writer Florence Hervé called German women “Germanic jungle.” “The German women’s movement in particular promoted a ‘back to nature’ approach,” Mithu Sanyal said of the cultural gap. In America, a hairy lady loves controversy.
Since waxing studios have grown worldwide, consumers may remove undesired hair, including underarm hair. Younger males are shaving more too.
Electrolysis, hot wax, lasers, and electric razors allow almost any pubic hairstyle.
The’bush is back’ movement
Over the last decade, a movement has promoted the “return of the bush,” which many people find disturbing.
Instagram users reacted strongly to Madonna’s 2014 hairy armpit pic. “As a sort of political statement, because she is such a role model — especially for younger women,” adds Sanyal, who marvels that some find natural hair unpleasant. “That means that the state we artificially create is what is perceived as normal,” he says.
Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, and Cameron Diaz have acknowledged to full bush.
In her 2013 book “The Body Book,” Diaz wrote “In Praise of Pubes.” Her ideas were lauded and challenged.
The late German actress Christine Kaufmann supported pubic hair in her 2014 book “Lebenslust” (Lust for Life): I am appalled by mature women’s want to revert to prepubescent girls. She wrote, “I consider pubic hair beautiful. “It should be looked after… like a small garden.”
Diversity celebration
In the body positivity movement, pubic hair is celebrated. To obtain general acceptability, much effort remains. “Studies show that those who have normatively beautiful bodies, i.e. who are young and slim, are allowed to show more pubic hair on social media than if these bodies fall outside a norm,” adds Sanyal.
The cultural scientist believes that everyone should be free to choose how to wear their body hair without being criticized on social media: “I think we should actually be allowed to be celebrated in our diversity.”
For Sanyal, the only incorrect way to speak about pubic hair is using the German word “Schamhaar” or “shame hair.”
