Fellow vulva owners know the pain and discomfort of removing pubic hair. Whether that is through waxing (which to be honest I am terrified of) or bending over in the world's most uncomfortable position in the shower to shave off those last few strands - only to get out of the shower and realize you left a patch. When I was first told that I should remove it I attempted to do so through epilating - for those who don’t know, this is essentially a tiny torture machine that spins around and plucks out individuals strands of hair. Needless to say, I never tried that method again. Now I am 20 I don’t care so much about my pubic hair, yet the moment I become intimate with my partner it all changes. Though he reassures me that he doesn’t care and finds it ‘sexy’ - I still feel like I am doing something wrong by letting him see it. It is incredibly hard to break free from the early 2000’s teachings that hair-free is sexy, to teach myself that there is genuinely nothing wrong with pubic hair - whatever shape, length, or style I choose. So where did the idea that we actually have to do something about pubic hair come from?
Ancient Egypt
During the time, any type of body hair (especially pubic hair) was deemed to be a symbol of the uncivilized - those who had it were dirty and unhygienic. This can also be traced to Cleopatra who opted for complete hair removal - including that on the top of her hair - in order to signify social class. Methods for hair removal included using pumice stone and seashells. However, the method of sugaring can be traced back to Ancient Egypt in which they would lay a sticky paste made from sugar, water, and lemon juice on the skin, lay a muslin cloth on top, and pull it away.
Roman Empire
Similar to the Egyptians, they believed that pubic hair was a symbol of low class. At this point, hair removal methods had slightly improved with use of razors, tweezers, and depilatory creams. However, differences in standards of body hair between men and women were beginning to emerge. Women were expected to keep their vulvas bare to symbolize their purity and class, yet men were encouraged to grow their pubic hair in order to symbolize their manhood. In a play by Aristophanes (‘Women at the Thesmophoria’) “a man who plans to go undercover as a woman to spy is held down and plucked entirely of pubic hair, an act that feminizes him” (Shawn Binder)
The Middle Ages
A turn was taken in the Middle Ages, pubic hair was still seen as a status of class but in a reversed way. The act of removing pubic hair was seen only for those involved in sex work - those in a higher class would keep their pubic hair. Furthermore the lack
of advanced medical practices meant that lice and diseases were common - so it is believed that men and women would keep their pubic hair intact in order to protect them from dust and dirt.
1970’s
This was a time where ‘going natural’ was all the rage, this included leaving both their pubic hair and underarm hair alone. This shift in the thought of body hair additionally saw a shift in the way people viewed autonomy over their bodies.
1980-90’s
Unfortunately, the freedom from the 1970’s came to a grinding halt - extreme body hair removal was now the status quo. This may have come down to the rise of the fashion industry, the improved camera quality allowed far more scrutiny on people’s bodies to happen. Furthermore, the pornography released did not allow room for body hair to exist, at most a ‘landing strip’ may be permitted.
2000’s and beyond
Changes in clothing style can be seen to correlate with changes in pubic hair, since crop tops and low-waisted jeans were the popular look - many women were seen to get a Brazilian wax. Ideas promoted via the clothing industry were further reinforced by images and articles in magazines. The magazines sold the ‘unrealistic beauty standard’, women were completely hairless with not a single pore being seen anywhere on their body.
However, it seems that now there is no set rule for body or pubic hair. ‘Influencers’ are now showing off their armpit hair in order to show that it is completely normal and natural. Yet despite these changes in social movement, there is still a mass stigma around body hair. Any image released on social media platforms that feature a woman with body hair is always met with a flurry of negative and sexist comments against it, telling her that it’s ‘gross’ and ‘no man will ever want to see that’. Though the articles I have used to learn about the history of pubic hair have claimed that we now have ‘complete freedom’ and live in a society where “body hair is now celebrated” (Basyah) - I have to question, do we really?
By Stephanie McCartney
Work cited
Basyah, Jihan. “How Hair Removal Became A Beauty Standard”. CR FashionBook. 7 May. 2020.
Binder, Shawn. “Cultural History of Pubic Hair”. The Maudern. 1 August. 2020.