I am not one who considers myself trendy, stylish or ‘in the know’ and, generally, I like this about myself. Shopping at consignment and thrift stores gives me a sense of bargain and unique style and swooping up friend hand-me-downs fulfills my eco-friendly soul. But mostly, I’m too lazy and disinterested in shopping and fashion to care much about this season’s new must have.
There is one trend exception that I’ve become laser focused on — public hair. I can’t tell you how many recent conversations I’ve started with, “what is your public hair strategy?” I’m not sure if my frenetic motivation to learn more about the average pubic hair style is driven by the desire to fit in or to stand out when I take off my undergarments. I guess I just want to know if I’m accidentally making a statement.
The field research I’ve gathered from men is all over the map: some leave their hair wild and unkempt, some shave it all, the majority seem to do a bit of light manscaping. One guy shaves his whole body which felt kind of like sex plus dry brushing and wasn’t necessarily my thing.
To the women out there: we have three main options. 1) All off, 2) None off, 3) Some off. From the information I’ve super informally (and a bit inappropriately) gathered, it seems that most of us choose option 3. The ‘landing strip’ seems to be the go-to style, but is dependent on many factors. One friend noted – with a remarkable amount of self-awareness, “I guess my pubic hair is an indicator of my stress level.” Meaning, the bushier she gets the more stressed she is and, therefore, the less time for the southern hemisphere upkeep routine.
Vaginal hair seems to be like daily life. Sometimes the hair on your head is thrown back into a messy bun, sometimes it is air dried and puffy, sometimes you get a blow out or a fancy up-do. It’s versatile and complicated and a pain in the ass, but it is also one of the gorgeous symbols of womanhood and probably has some cool evolutionary purpose that has to do with our genital microbiome health.
Bottom line: whether you wax, shave, epilate, Nair, electric razor, pluck, sugar, thread, laser, or nothing your pubic hair you are doing it right. You can let it tuft out of your bikini bottoms or you can shine it up like a cueball or you can ‘somewhere in between it’. This research project solidified that anyone who is fortunate enough to see me naked should embrace the public hair choice I’ve made in that moment- either accidentally or purposefully.