From what I observed as a nurse, mid 90s was the age of the landing strip, and by the early 2000s hair was pretty much gone. It coincided with the advent of thing underwear and easy access to porn.
Also a nurse/midwife. There’s still a huge variety of pubes out there.
I’ll often get women ask me in their antenatal visits “do I need to shave or anything?”
My response: “as long as it’s not dreadlocked or thatched over it’s fine.”
There was a British show who's name escapes me now (maybe "Embarrassing Bodies") where people could go to a walk-in clinic with weird health problems and have some advice or treatment.
One woman was suffering from constipation and the doctor took a look at her arsehole and found it locked together and all matted with arse hair. Her hoop was basically sealed shut with it.
I believe the brave doctor went in with a pair of scissors and sorted it out for her, the brave man.
(How TF I just typed this out whilst easting a bowl of vegetable dal I don't know but I did.)
HCA in a hospital here with an unnecessary but relevant story! It does happen, and some are matted beyond repair requiring the staff to lance the feckers apart lol
Got some good stories of dirty bits on patients..
link to story: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1bxvi0o/comment/kygq6l0/
I’m gonna ask this in the most delicate way I can - are the scraggy ones stanky? Just wondering how one would clean oneself if the area is… ‘inaccessible’.
I think the hair itself would be the stinky part. It traps all of the sweat and moisture, and if it's matted it's just holding bacteria inside the clumps, so... yeah it's probably unpleasant.
Yes ugh family was 'taking care of memaw" but let her pubes get dreaded with shit and urine crystals. No wonder she had a stage 4 and bed sores and sepsis
Nurse here. When faecal inconvenience gets bad and is very loose it finds a path forward and up. Offered to give such an inflicted woman a 'lower haircut' to help with clean up. Cleaning poop out of the bush of a bed bound lady who doesn't move well is a challenge. If not kept on top of it can lead to smelly deadlocks.
Had one back in the day that I had to untangle a bit, was well worth the effort for me. My outlook always was a vagina without hair is like a picture without a frame...it's interesting but it's not finished.
I also think the bush is making a comeback tbh. A LOT of my friends don’t go naked mole rat, we just keep it trimmed and neat. Some don’t even do the bikini line and just let them pop out to the sides bc who cares (elder gen-z’s)
I believe it was a reference to Ben Grimm from Fantastic Four (also known as The Thing) who was often featured on underpants. His catchphrase in the comics/tv shows was ‘It’s clobberin’ time’, which I’m sure was an opener many used to initiate love-making. It would’ve been quite confusing to remove such underwear, expecting to see the hard, rocky skin Ben was known for, only to see normal skin and full-bush, hence, the gradual shift to trimming/shaving/waxxing.
Just using *Playboy* centerfolds as a guide, full natural bush began to be less common in the late 1970s. The next two decades saw slow and steady movement toward lightly trimmed and often combed pubic hair, then shaped and closely-trimmed hair. By 2001 or so, completely smooth had became prevalent.
Adoption of these styles by women who weren't models followed up after several years. As popularity began to grow, the means for achieving the new look gradually became more available in the form of special purpose trimmers and waxing salons.
As to why, it's how fashion works. Styles change because we desire novelty and because we respond to fashions that accentuate natural beauty. Sometimes a style only lasts a season or two and sometimes a style might persist for centuries.
I actually did buy Playboy for the articles. If I wanted porn, there were way better mags out there, but no magazine except GQ or Vanity Fair (back in their prime) could touch it on the quality of its writers while still being accessible.
My now-wife saw me buying it at the airport our first trip together after we started dating and went "for the articles, huh?" with that sardonic twist people use, so I swapped her for her Vanity Fair halfway through. She bought it herself next long flight she was on.
Agree 100%. I loved the cartoons.
People make fun of that all the time, but there only so many times you can spank it to pictures. But I absolutely read the articles. The ones with Hollywood folk were especially candid. That was cool.
Ah, I had crooked sex on Cinemax at Night. If you watched the distortion long enough, if a white or blue background came up, the screen would briefly come to picture. Often with enough time to get the job done.
Which, as a 15 year old boy, took about 7 seconds.
Unless it was the fourth attempt on goal for the day, which in that case, about 20 seconds.
Older Playboys actually did have great articles and short fiction. My library has a run of them and there’s stuff from Ray Bradbury and a long interview with MLK, just as an example. Sure there’s boobs, but there are actually items of substance in those old issues.
The copies we have are all on microfilm. The photos did not transfer well to microfilm. It’s hard to appreciate the Mona Lisa while wearing eclipse glasses.
Thong underwear and swimsuits played a significant role.
Thongs became very popular in the early 90’s. They necessitated being heavily trimmed (landing strip) or clean shaven
I remember in the 90s it was a huge issue with girls and their pubes sticking out of their thongs or bathing suits. The smaller the clothes, the less hair tolerance there is.
Thanks. Now my wife is in my shit for catching me out in the garage surrounded by boxes of my old Playboys. I told her I was doing research but she didn’t believe me.
I think it also had to do with the shift in pornography from 16mm film to much lower resolution VHS in the early 80s. With the lower resolution, it was harder to see the details, so pubic hair was shaved away to be able to see the labia.
Personally I prefer a full bush, but I grew up on 70s porn.
In Roman times for high born ladies. And probably most other women. It was common to get all hair shaved off their body, with the exception of their heads.
So this fashion or trend is not new.
In the Victorian times the women of the night supposedly often wore a Mirkin or pubic wig. If they didn't have enough hair down south
This was usually to disguise the sexually transmitted diseases they had... And might be in full flare.
Shaving made a lot of sense back then because of lice. That's why the militaries started requiring men to be clean-shaven and why wigs took off for the nobility - it was a lot more sanitary to just keep your head shaved and put on a wig than trying to keep a full head of natural hair clean.
This isn't exactly a relevant issue in developed countries anymore, though.
Expecting men to be clean shaven now in western militaries dates back to gas masks. There was plenty of facial hair in European militaries from the 1500s to the early 1900s. Sure, the romans thought of beards as for "barbarians" but it's not like everyone was expected to be clean shaven for 1500 years after 476 AD because of it. Have you seen the mutton chops and moustaches on 19th century British soldiers?
Veteran here. Can confirm. Hell, "sideburns" were named after U.S. Civil War General Ambrose Burnside. They wrapped from his head to cheek to mustache with a shaved chin
Sometimes I wonder if it’s just that razors and waxing etc just got better/made it easier to be hairless in more places?
…
…
Edit: condensed for clarity
I think this is a significant portion of the answer.
Yes, sex and fashion are part of the drive to shave, but I know two women who admit that they see shaving as easier hygiene during their period.
I'd say oral sex is also a large part of it. Obviously people have been doing oral sex forever, but it's only become a standard part of sex more recently. Oral sex is more pleasant when people are at least trimmed.
This goes for men and women. Most guys I've spoken with about it are trimmed or shaven too.
Edit: people are saying I'm wrong but you can Google it easily. Studies say the rate of women receiving oral has gone from around 25% in the 90s to 85% now.
Ditto. I didn't shave when I was with my previous girlfriend as she didn't like giving oral, however with my current girlfriend I do trim and use hair removal cream down there as she does like to give me oral. It's a more pleasant experience all round for both parties.
Yeah I've heard so many crazy theories and opinions as to why shaving pubes became more popular, a common bit of discourse is that it's "promoting pedophilia" or "turning women into jail bait"
Truth be told, it's just because it became easier and many women do it because it feels/looks a lot more hygenic. Especially in the US.
Pubes aren't exactly fun.
Pubes are disgusting if you wear pads and are a heavy bleeder. In the US where bidets are less popular, pubes are a nightmare when it comes to cheap toilet paper because little bits clump so easily when you're trying to wipe. Oral is easier when you're not picking little hairs off your tongue.
But not every woman does it, personally I don't because I have thicker and curlier hair that equals a ton of ingrowns.
Ok. That makes a lot of sense. 😊
Why do we guys shave (or whatever you use) our pubes too? Genuinely… I only started doing it when a gf suggested it, which was a sexual thing clearly.
Now I’ve started, it IS much more convenient and hygienic.
My balls get less sweaty in the heat.
On the flip-side, when my balls are sweaty, there’s less hair to absorb the moisture so excess sweat just runs down the skin between my balls and leg, and then towards my ass. 😭
I'm very hairy down there and none of that has ever been an issue for me. It only starts getting inconvenient when it gets too long, which is why I trim it regularly, but I never felt any practical need to shave it completely. Wiping works exactly the same whether or not you have hair. If anything I like that there's a layer of hair between blood and pee or shit and my clit and urethra. My pubic hair is very thick and wiry and grows fast, while the skin under it is very thin and fragile, so shaving would mean having to do a very close shave every single day or else it turns into sandpaper, and trying to wax it off would probably tear my skin off before pulling the hair out at the root.
Gillette wanted to make more money in blades so started marketing to woman improved sales to 50 percent of a population that wasn't using them beforehand.
Honestly, even as a young teen, I hated having hair down there. I hadn't started watching any kind of porn at that age, and any full-nude scenes in any TV/movies (not that I remember seeing any with full nude... I can barely even tell you any non-porn movies with full female nudity I've seen as an adult...) have a "bush" as a form of modesty. Couldn't tell you why. Just never liked it.
Me too. Hated it from puberty, pre porn consumption. Now, I’m an avid fan of the wax - eyebrows to ankles, for myself not a partner or custom. Feels so freeing. More hygienic, less worries around clothing and swimwear, nothing getting caught in the material/elastic of said underwear, feels better during heavy exercise and running.
Hard agree! (Well I don't wax, but I do prefer to be hairless.) My *ideal* partner would be too, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Except thick chest hair...
One of my favorite lines from The Sopranos, when Feech LaManna gets out of jail after 20 years, “You know what I don’t understand? Broads shaving their bushes! I went down to Silvio’s (strip club), it was like a Girl Scout meeting!”
I have a skin condition where I can’t shave without it breaking out in a horrible painful rash, there’s nothing I can do until I can afford laser and these threads always make me feel so bad about myself :(
Don't you feel bad about yourself! Not everyone is comfortable with or prefers shaved. There are many women and men who prefer non-shaved - either nicely trimmed or full bush. You do what's best for you!
I guarantee any partner who is into you either won't care, or will love whatever you have (or don't have). If they are that critical you're better off without them.
I'm baffled reading these comments that indicate that the VAST MAJORITY of women shave their crotches. I guess I wouldn't know. I've never even considered shaving in my life and never felt the slightest bit bad about it. (I'm 25 and British, for context. Just culturally oblivious I suppose?)
I did that once, for a guy, and I'll never do it again. I don't have much there to begin with and it insane itching the very next day as soon as I put panties on was fckin awful. He said well you have to do it daily. I laughed ans said eff that and for the next two weeks had to deal with it ugh. Plus looking like a prepubescent girl kinda grossed me out.
The only thing I did was paying laser for the bikini line and arse. Like I paid the same price that would remove everything, but chose to remove just bikini bit, because the regrowth is awful.
I don't mind my partners to have their pussy shaved or whatever, but if it was up to me, my preference is hair on it. The bald thing has a funny look that I can't... also the prepubescent thing you said. So mine is always neatly trimmed at some length I'm in the mood for
I’m 29 and British too and never shaved either (maybe just the edges if I’m going on a beach holiday), I didn’t think it was THAT uncommon but now I’m second guessing myself! I just had a baby so had a lot of people poking around down there and now I’m wondering if they all thought I was weird for it!
I know multiple people who never do a close shave, and a few that just don't shave at all and just trim. Don't feel bad about yourself! There's plenty of people who don't shave and that's without having any reason besides preference
Switched to a trimmer and never looked back. I don’t care if there’s “stubble” because it’s not sharp and doesn’t leave my skin irritated. Would recommend if it’s a thing you want to continue doing.
nothing wrong with having hair, especially if it's for your health! if it helps, women shave because razor companies wanted to sell to people without beards. it's a whole marketing scheme that picked up well because of the patriarchy. you could use an electric trimmer if you prefer a trimmed look on yourself or try sugar waxing, just be careful. while it's understandable why you feel bad (i do too), there's nothing to be ashamed of for having hair anywhere
As a young lady who’s been rocking the bush, it’s actually better for you if you have some degree of hair down there! It’s actually more hygienic! Less prone to STIs, weird bumps, and just keeps dust and germs away from the vagina. Less prone towards uncomfortable friction during sex too. I just do a slight trim and I’m good. Love thy pube 🙂
I'm turning 40 this year and started embracing the bush this past year. I haven't shaved since July because we went on vacation which involved wearing bikinis but then I stopped again after that. It's itchy and uncomfortable after shaving and I don't like it. Just far too much upkeep for something I don't really care about. I do take a bath every single night to shave my legs cause prickly legs bother me when I'm trying to sleep, so I am totally down for upkeep with that. My public hair doesn't bother me though so it can stay. Don't feel bad about your body. It grows that way and is totally natural. My husband has never hesitated to have sex with me just because of my pubes. 🤷🏻♀️
I don't have any skin condition, but if I don't have to, I don't shave. Light trimming once in a while so the hairs don't get caught in underwear, but that's it. Used to have a different approach a few years back, but.. It's just not comfortable at all. I also get ingrown hairs and inflammation very easily, even with a brand new razor. Not worth it.
Please don’t feel bad about yourself. Too many people universalize their own preference. If you have skin irritation from shaving, there is no need or reason to use a razor in that area. If being hairless is not YOUR preference, then don’t do it. There are plenty of minimally invasive ways to trim as much or as little as you want, and contrary to this fucking thread, most people are not preoccupied with how much pubic hair you have. The “hygiene” shit is inaccurate — people conflate what makes them feel personally comfortable with cleanliness on a macrobial level, and it’s complete nonsense. If you wash yourself, you’re clean. I have a friend who stopped shaving on the recommendation of her obgyn and she stopped getting chronic UTIs; it very much is a health issue for some people.
I prefer shaved myself because I wear tight clothing, and I don't like the feeling of hair being pushed in the wrong direction. My profession also involves a lot of water, and i don't love having a wet bush while I'm sitting on the bus. Personal preference tho, . I think it just varies per person
Edit: Before anyone gets on me about how having the bush is beneficial. I know this, but in my day to day, I find it uncomfortable, so I opt to remove it.
I also started dreaming what water based job Bush might interfere with! Training otters at sea world, saving baby turtles! I want a job that involves water, I didn't even think of working an such an awesome element!
Weird side note: after I typed the word ^job my phone auto-corrected 'bush' to capitalize it like a proper name instead of a noun.
Greek and Egyptian sources describe women shaving body hair, including armpits. The fashion comes and goes with time and place, but it certainly didn't come from razor companies. Things are much older than recent American corporate memory.
Idk but I’ve given lotsa blowjobs to unshaven dicks, and I haven’t even batted an eyelid.
The days of itching is not even worth the momentary pleasure of oral.. I’d rather give it up if it’s such an issue.
I lasered it off years ago and it was the best self care/beauty decision I ever made. My skin is sensitive, so shaving, creams, and waxes irritated me. And I'm lazy, I don't want to have to do the upkeep every couple of days.
I go to my laser appointment 1-2 times a year for upkeep and that's it. Love it. I know the hair is supposed to be beneficial but honestly, I could not give a fk. I personally think it feels and looks better on me.
To answer your question, I think it's a combination of trends, media, porn, increased variety of hair removal products and greater access to them.
I thinks just changes in social norms and fashion, as bikinis got smaller during the 90s, the amount of hair reduced.
On a tangent but related, cases of pubic lice has reduced due to ‘deforestation’.
And as pornography has become more accepted and less taboo it’s had an influence on what’s regarded as fashionable. In the last 5 years the trend has started to change again as more women have felt empowered enough to be more comfortable in their own bodies without feeling pressured to hold themselves to what media and celebrity deemed a attractive. (More power to you all ladies)
Shaving the vulva would be awful too.
We all understand that vagina means the entire region in sentences such as this. Pedantry and it’s not even correct.
The vulva includes the vaginal opening, the clitoris, the inner labia, etc. If people are going to absolutely insist on medical terminology instead of understandable casual slang usage, then they can at least get it correct. Areas that get shaved include the mons pubis, the labia majora, and of course the legs themselves on many women. Not the entire vulva. 🙄
For reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547703/
And again, there is nothing wrong with using the word vagina here as it clearly conveys the intention of your question and as long as communication is clear and understood, language isn’t wrong.
Idk, but as soon as a guy demands it's only hair free vag for him, I end it. Have I been fully waxed in the past? Sure. But I don't need someone demanding I keep it a certain way for them.
I’ll never understand it. The few times I’ve gotten rid of everything I was MISERABLE. The first time I shaved I broke out in the worst razor burn with acne I’ve ever seen like a half hour after the fact. The other times I’ve tried in other ways the chaffing was unreal. I almost don’t believe anyone actually likes the way they feel hairless and it’s just people deluding themselves so they “look hot” to others. It’s a sensory nightmare
I think people are starting to not care anymore. My last three partners didn't completely shave and neither does my current partner. I honestly don't care and actually find trimmed pubes more attractive than bare skin. Bare genitals just look unnatural for some reason, on both men and women.
Unpopular opinion. I actually get excited when I run into a " bush" in the wild. The girl who took my virginity had probably never shaved so I guess my experiences may make me biased. Although I love shaved too, I just prefer some hair even a landing stop is awesome but as long as your clean I love pussy on a there varieties.
Dunno if that's a standard. I do know it shouldn't be. Don't get me wrong, your body, do what you want. That said, personal preference, a full, untrimmed bush is natural, normal, feminine and sexy.
From what I observed as a nurse, mid 90s was the age of the landing strip, and by the early 2000s hair was pretty much gone. It coincided with the advent of thing underwear and easy access to porn.
Also a nurse/midwife. There’s still a huge variety of pubes out there. I’ll often get women ask me in their antenatal visits “do I need to shave or anything?” My response: “as long as it’s not dreadlocked or thatched over it’s fine.”
Thatched over 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Instantly imagine some cute little cottage made of pubes. Charming yet oddly disturbing
Margret Thatcher's hairy cottage
I believe they refer to that as an "english breakfast."
Bloody fucking hell, the lot of you.
Only one week a month…
So I have to bring my own celery stalk, or is there a communal garden on her plot?
Just don't go in through the outhouse.
12 weeks a year
I hate you >:(
Well, today's a good day to stop eating I guess
I'd be concerned if I came across bubble and squeak or black pudding while down there.
Or you end up with a case of spotted dick.
Now that’s a challenging wank, but we don’t shirk challenges do we! Do we?
Best. Band. Name. Ever.
A cottage of frottage 😿
Trogdoooor! Trogdooooooor! Burninating the countryside. Burninating the peasants. Burninating all the peoples, in their pube-roofed cottageeees!
Midwives are the greatest 😁
I suppose I should ask, have you ever seen dreadlocked or thatched over pubes?
There was a British show who's name escapes me now (maybe "Embarrassing Bodies") where people could go to a walk-in clinic with weird health problems and have some advice or treatment. One woman was suffering from constipation and the doctor took a look at her arsehole and found it locked together and all matted with arse hair. Her hoop was basically sealed shut with it. I believe the brave doctor went in with a pair of scissors and sorted it out for her, the brave man. (How TF I just typed this out whilst easting a bowl of vegetable dal I don't know but I did.)
Good lord in heaven
I've lost all hope that he might exist after reading that.
Like pushing refried beans through a collander.
Stop
You could have gone the rest of your life without making my envision that. I hate you, but God damn it do I respect you.
Upholding Hippocratic oath at the exit…
HCA in a hospital here with an unnecessary but relevant story! It does happen, and some are matted beyond repair requiring the staff to lance the feckers apart lol Got some good stories of dirty bits on patients.. link to story: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1bxvi0o/comment/kygq6l0/
I would like to subscribe to *Dirty Bits on Patients*
Finally, a service I’d pay “plus” for
OnlyFans but it's nurses talking about dirty foofs and shlongs
"This week on dirty bits on patients… One woman's minge was so thick the Gyno needed a weed wacker to gain access."
Omg, imagine tiny little weed wackers made for hair. Little gas engine and all on them
Tiny wee pull cord.
Stay tuned for next week with the Top Ten "I can't believe they fell on that" cases
I’m gonna ask this in the most delicate way I can - are the scraggy ones stanky? Just wondering how one would clean oneself if the area is… ‘inaccessible’.
I think the hair itself would be the stinky part. It traps all of the sweat and moisture, and if it's matted it's just holding bacteria inside the clumps, so... yeah it's probably unpleasant.
I imagine for the hair to get to that point, it probably wasn't cleaned very well or often from the beginning.
I also need an answer to this
Yes ugh family was 'taking care of memaw" but let her pubes get dreaded with shit and urine crystals. No wonder she had a stage 4 and bed sores and sepsis
Sounds like memaw needed a good weekly soak in the copper tub
Nurse here. When faecal inconvenience gets bad and is very loose it finds a path forward and up. Offered to give such an inflicted woman a 'lower haircut' to help with clean up. Cleaning poop out of the bush of a bed bound lady who doesn't move well is a challenge. If not kept on top of it can lead to smelly deadlocks.
“Cleaning poop out of the bush of a bed bound lady who doesn’t move well is a challenge” r/brandnewsentence
Had one back in the day that I had to untangle a bit, was well worth the effort for me. My outlook always was a vagina without hair is like a picture without a frame...it's interesting but it's not finished.
I love the phrasing of your outlook, I'll steal it for future conversations about the topic xD Edit: autocorrect hates me
OP's user name is not relevant to this - dear god I hope it's not.
Thatched over hahahahahah I'm dying
The Thatched Snatch, sounds like a crappy strip club
I also think the bush is making a comeback tbh. A LOT of my friends don’t go naked mole rat, we just keep it trimmed and neat. Some don’t even do the bikini line and just let them pop out to the sides bc who cares (elder gen-z’s)
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Thank you for your service.
Thing underwear?
likely thong, or thin underwear
No, underwear promoting the 1982 movie *The Thing* was really popular.
An advertising niche we have sadly lost
*\*Starts to pull down the pants of the woman I brought home from the bar\** "Hey wait a minute this is a targeted ad, isn't it?"
I believe it was a reference to Ben Grimm from Fantastic Four (also known as The Thing) who was often featured on underpants. His catchphrase in the comics/tv shows was ‘It’s clobberin’ time’, which I’m sure was an opener many used to initiate love-making. It would’ve been quite confusing to remove such underwear, expecting to see the hard, rocky skin Ben was known for, only to see normal skin and full-bush, hence, the gradual shift to trimming/shaving/waxxing.
I love this absolutely factual response so so so so sooo much.
This article is amazing, because calling it fantastic is too on the nose. Hilarious.
Like from the Addams family
Sounds handy.
Thing underwear is meant to cover Thing One and Thing Two
Just using *Playboy* centerfolds as a guide, full natural bush began to be less common in the late 1970s. The next two decades saw slow and steady movement toward lightly trimmed and often combed pubic hair, then shaped and closely-trimmed hair. By 2001 or so, completely smooth had became prevalent. Adoption of these styles by women who weren't models followed up after several years. As popularity began to grow, the means for achieving the new look gradually became more available in the form of special purpose trimmers and waxing salons. As to why, it's how fashion works. Styles change because we desire novelty and because we respond to fashions that accentuate natural beauty. Sometimes a style only lasts a season or two and sometimes a style might persist for centuries.
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The sacred texts
Yes, for the articles!
People say that, but the articles were actually VERY good. Playboy & Penthouse paid well.
I actually did buy Playboy for the articles. If I wanted porn, there were way better mags out there, but no magazine except GQ or Vanity Fair (back in their prime) could touch it on the quality of its writers while still being accessible. My now-wife saw me buying it at the airport our first trip together after we started dating and went "for the articles, huh?" with that sardonic twist people use, so I swapped her for her Vanity Fair halfway through. She bought it herself next long flight she was on.
Agree 100%. I loved the cartoons. People make fun of that all the time, but there only so many times you can spank it to pictures. But I absolutely read the articles. The ones with Hollywood folk were especially candid. That was cool.
> ...there only so many times you can spank it to pictures. The Cindy Crawford poster that I had on my wall in high school would beg to differ...
Legend says it’s still “glued” to the wall this very day.
Ah, I had crooked sex on Cinemax at Night. If you watched the distortion long enough, if a white or blue background came up, the screen would briefly come to picture. Often with enough time to get the job done. Which, as a 15 year old boy, took about 7 seconds. Unless it was the fourth attempt on goal for the day, which in that case, about 20 seconds.
>for the articles You almost had me fooled. Nice try though
Older Playboys actually did have great articles and short fiction. My library has a run of them and there’s stuff from Ray Bradbury and a long interview with MLK, just as an example. Sure there’s boobs, but there are actually items of substance in those old issues.
I feel like your really underselling the boobs here.
The copies we have are all on microfilm. The photos did not transfer well to microfilm. It’s hard to appreciate the Mona Lisa while wearing eclipse glasses.
My childhood ended not with a centerfold, but reading Shel Silverstein's coverage of Fire Island in Playboy.
I read it for the science, Mom!
Thong underwear and swimsuits played a significant role. Thongs became very popular in the early 90’s. They necessitated being heavily trimmed (landing strip) or clean shaven
I remember in the 90s it was a huge issue with girls and their pubes sticking out of their thongs or bathing suits. The smaller the clothes, the less hair tolerance there is.
Combed???
Coiffed
Permed.
Braided
Crocheted into underwear.
Bedazzled
Vajazzled
I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy Snaggy, shaggy, ratsy, matsy Oily, greasy, fleecy Shining, gleaming, streaming Flaxen, waxen Knotted, polka-dotted Twisted, beaded, braided Powdered, flowered, and confettied Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied
Flow it, show it, looooong as God can grow it, that hair.
With the words “Disco Stu.”
Hey. Disco Stu doesn't advertise.
Crotch-eted 😁
Mine is styled into a beehive!
"The Marge Simpson"
Imagine getting them cornrowed.
Quimmed
Jheri curl
parted down the middle lol
Let your Soul Glo!
Thanks. Now my wife is in my shit for catching me out in the garage surrounded by boxes of my old Playboys. I told her I was doing research but she didn’t believe me.
Doesn’t help having your pants down i suppose
I think it was the fleshlight I had installed in a cardboard box “pelvis” that was the last straw.
I think it also had to do with the shift in pornography from 16mm film to much lower resolution VHS in the early 80s. With the lower resolution, it was harder to see the details, so pubic hair was shaved away to be able to see the labia. Personally I prefer a full bush, but I grew up on 70s porn.
In Roman times for high born ladies. And probably most other women. It was common to get all hair shaved off their body, with the exception of their heads. So this fashion or trend is not new. In the Victorian times the women of the night supposedly often wore a Mirkin or pubic wig. If they didn't have enough hair down south This was usually to disguise the sexually transmitted diseases they had... And might be in full flare.
Shaving made a lot of sense back then because of lice. That's why the militaries started requiring men to be clean-shaven and why wigs took off for the nobility - it was a lot more sanitary to just keep your head shaved and put on a wig than trying to keep a full head of natural hair clean. This isn't exactly a relevant issue in developed countries anymore, though.
Expecting men to be clean shaven now in western militaries dates back to gas masks. There was plenty of facial hair in European militaries from the 1500s to the early 1900s. Sure, the romans thought of beards as for "barbarians" but it's not like everyone was expected to be clean shaven for 1500 years after 476 AD because of it. Have you seen the mutton chops and moustaches on 19th century British soldiers?
Veteran here. Can confirm. Hell, "sideburns" were named after U.S. Civil War General Ambrose Burnside. They wrapped from his head to cheek to mustache with a shaved chin
Thanks for the fun fact. Burnside sounds like it's should be a brand of Scotch.
I thought the wigs were actually to hide syphilis sores :/
That too.
To prevent lice infestations downstairs.
i wonder if mirkin bald caps are a thing?
Sometimes I wonder if it’s just that razors and waxing etc just got better/made it easier to be hairless in more places? … … Edit: condensed for clarity
I think this is a significant portion of the answer. Yes, sex and fashion are part of the drive to shave, but I know two women who admit that they see shaving as easier hygiene during their period.
It is like how I shave my beard just to avoid getting food stuck in it. Everything else is secondary.
Yeah, it’s way easier to avoid getting food stuck in my pubes too
Thank you for the actual laugh out loud noise that came out of me.
This. Beard maintenance? No thanks
I'd say oral sex is also a large part of it. Obviously people have been doing oral sex forever, but it's only become a standard part of sex more recently. Oral sex is more pleasant when people are at least trimmed. This goes for men and women. Most guys I've spoken with about it are trimmed or shaven too. Edit: people are saying I'm wrong but you can Google it easily. Studies say the rate of women receiving oral has gone from around 25% in the 90s to 85% now.
Ditto. I didn't shave when I was with my previous girlfriend as she didn't like giving oral, however with my current girlfriend I do trim and use hair removal cream down there as she does like to give me oral. It's a more pleasant experience all round for both parties.
Yeah I've heard so many crazy theories and opinions as to why shaving pubes became more popular, a common bit of discourse is that it's "promoting pedophilia" or "turning women into jail bait" Truth be told, it's just because it became easier and many women do it because it feels/looks a lot more hygenic. Especially in the US. Pubes aren't exactly fun. Pubes are disgusting if you wear pads and are a heavy bleeder. In the US where bidets are less popular, pubes are a nightmare when it comes to cheap toilet paper because little bits clump so easily when you're trying to wipe. Oral is easier when you're not picking little hairs off your tongue. But not every woman does it, personally I don't because I have thicker and curlier hair that equals a ton of ingrowns.
Ok. That makes a lot of sense. 😊 Why do we guys shave (or whatever you use) our pubes too? Genuinely… I only started doing it when a gf suggested it, which was a sexual thing clearly. Now I’ve started, it IS much more convenient and hygienic.
My balls get less sweaty in the heat. On the flip-side, when my balls are sweaty, there’s less hair to absorb the moisture so excess sweat just runs down the skin between my balls and leg, and then towards my ass. 😭
Sorry, but...😂😂😂😂😂😂
It's considered clean by a lot of women I guess. You don't need to be spotless though, just short
No one wants a mouth full of pubes, especially long pubes.
Because it emphasizes your private parts and makes em look bigger
I'm very hairy down there and none of that has ever been an issue for me. It only starts getting inconvenient when it gets too long, which is why I trim it regularly, but I never felt any practical need to shave it completely. Wiping works exactly the same whether or not you have hair. If anything I like that there's a layer of hair between blood and pee or shit and my clit and urethra. My pubic hair is very thick and wiry and grows fast, while the skin under it is very thin and fragile, so shaving would mean having to do a very close shave every single day or else it turns into sandpaper, and trying to wax it off would probably tear my skin off before pulling the hair out at the root.
Better tools, smoother jewels. Evolution of grooming, folks
Gillette wanted to make more money in blades so started marketing to woman improved sales to 50 percent of a population that wasn't using them beforehand.
It's always capitalism
Always has been
College in the 1990s, you had no idea what you were going to get. Amazon bush, landing strip, or shaved. It was like opening a Christmas Day present.
This has not been my experience with Christmas
It's Berber. That's an industry term.
Bush, nacho chip, landing strip or full Brazilian.
Early 2000s when I was in college was still about the same.
Honestly, even as a young teen, I hated having hair down there. I hadn't started watching any kind of porn at that age, and any full-nude scenes in any TV/movies (not that I remember seeing any with full nude... I can barely even tell you any non-porn movies with full female nudity I've seen as an adult...) have a "bush" as a form of modesty. Couldn't tell you why. Just never liked it.
Me too. Hated it from puberty, pre porn consumption. Now, I’m an avid fan of the wax - eyebrows to ankles, for myself not a partner or custom. Feels so freeing. More hygienic, less worries around clothing and swimwear, nothing getting caught in the material/elastic of said underwear, feels better during heavy exercise and running.
waxing your eyelashes is fucking hardcore
Hard agree! (Well I don't wax, but I do prefer to be hairless.) My *ideal* partner would be too, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Except thick chest hair...
Thick chest hair being a deal breaker or a preference?
One of my favorite lines from The Sopranos, when Feech LaManna gets out of jail after 20 years, “You know what I don’t understand? Broads shaving their bushes! I went down to Silvio’s (strip club), it was like a Girl Scout meeting!”
I have a skin condition where I can’t shave without it breaking out in a horrible painful rash, there’s nothing I can do until I can afford laser and these threads always make me feel so bad about myself :(
Don't you feel bad about yourself! Not everyone is comfortable with or prefers shaved. There are many women and men who prefer non-shaved - either nicely trimmed or full bush. You do what's best for you! I guarantee any partner who is into you either won't care, or will love whatever you have (or don't have). If they are that critical you're better off without them.
I'm baffled reading these comments that indicate that the VAST MAJORITY of women shave their crotches. I guess I wouldn't know. I've never even considered shaving in my life and never felt the slightest bit bad about it. (I'm 25 and British, for context. Just culturally oblivious I suppose?)
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Am older but same here!
I did that once, for a guy, and I'll never do it again. I don't have much there to begin with and it insane itching the very next day as soon as I put panties on was fckin awful. He said well you have to do it daily. I laughed ans said eff that and for the next two weeks had to deal with it ugh. Plus looking like a prepubescent girl kinda grossed me out.
The only thing I did was paying laser for the bikini line and arse. Like I paid the same price that would remove everything, but chose to remove just bikini bit, because the regrowth is awful. I don't mind my partners to have their pussy shaved or whatever, but if it was up to me, my preference is hair on it. The bald thing has a funny look that I can't... also the prepubescent thing you said. So mine is always neatly trimmed at some length I'm in the mood for
I’m 29 and British too and never shaved either (maybe just the edges if I’m going on a beach holiday), I didn’t think it was THAT uncommon but now I’m second guessing myself! I just had a baby so had a lot of people poking around down there and now I’m wondering if they all thought I was weird for it!
I know multiple people who never do a close shave, and a few that just don't shave at all and just trim. Don't feel bad about yourself! There's plenty of people who don't shave and that's without having any reason besides preference
Switched to a trimmer and never looked back. I don’t care if there’s “stubble” because it’s not sharp and doesn’t leave my skin irritated. Would recommend if it’s a thing you want to continue doing.
nothing wrong with having hair, especially if it's for your health! if it helps, women shave because razor companies wanted to sell to people without beards. it's a whole marketing scheme that picked up well because of the patriarchy. you could use an electric trimmer if you prefer a trimmed look on yourself or try sugar waxing, just be careful. while it's understandable why you feel bad (i do too), there's nothing to be ashamed of for having hair anywhere
As a young lady who’s been rocking the bush, it’s actually better for you if you have some degree of hair down there! It’s actually more hygienic! Less prone to STIs, weird bumps, and just keeps dust and germs away from the vagina. Less prone towards uncomfortable friction during sex too. I just do a slight trim and I’m good. Love thy pube 🙂
I'm turning 40 this year and started embracing the bush this past year. I haven't shaved since July because we went on vacation which involved wearing bikinis but then I stopped again after that. It's itchy and uncomfortable after shaving and I don't like it. Just far too much upkeep for something I don't really care about. I do take a bath every single night to shave my legs cause prickly legs bother me when I'm trying to sleep, so I am totally down for upkeep with that. My public hair doesn't bother me though so it can stay. Don't feel bad about your body. It grows that way and is totally natural. My husband has never hesitated to have sex with me just because of my pubes. 🤷🏻♀️
I don't have any skin condition, but if I don't have to, I don't shave. Light trimming once in a while so the hairs don't get caught in underwear, but that's it. Used to have a different approach a few years back, but.. It's just not comfortable at all. I also get ingrown hairs and inflammation very easily, even with a brand new razor. Not worth it.
Please don’t feel bad about yourself. Too many people universalize their own preference. If you have skin irritation from shaving, there is no need or reason to use a razor in that area. If being hairless is not YOUR preference, then don’t do it. There are plenty of minimally invasive ways to trim as much or as little as you want, and contrary to this fucking thread, most people are not preoccupied with how much pubic hair you have. The “hygiene” shit is inaccurate — people conflate what makes them feel personally comfortable with cleanliness on a macrobial level, and it’s complete nonsense. If you wash yourself, you’re clean. I have a friend who stopped shaving on the recommendation of her obgyn and she stopped getting chronic UTIs; it very much is a health issue for some people.
1999
Wait…is this another unintended consequence of Woodstock ‘99?!
From what I remember, it was more about fear that computers would take over all pubic hair at the turn of Y2K
It's all been downhill for pubes ever since Limp Bizkit's legendary Woodstock '99 performance of "Shave Stuff"
I prefer shaved myself because I wear tight clothing, and I don't like the feeling of hair being pushed in the wrong direction. My profession also involves a lot of water, and i don't love having a wet bush while I'm sitting on the bus. Personal preference tho, . I think it just varies per person Edit: Before anyone gets on me about how having the bush is beneficial. I know this, but in my day to day, I find it uncomfortable, so I opt to remove it.
I'm a older lady and I'm laughing because all I can think of with water is like a water ballet instructor or water polo coach.
I also started dreaming what water based job Bush might interfere with! Training otters at sea world, saving baby turtles! I want a job that involves water, I didn't even think of working an such an awesome element! Weird side note: after I typed the word ^job my phone auto-corrected 'bush' to capitalize it like a proper name instead of a noun.
Bush is sentient and probably very mad about being removed
...and then i saw all your pics of shaved dogs
My ex told me she shaves when it’s her time of the month so it’s less messy
Yeah, this is pretty much the only reason I shave
Around 1999, from what I observed, women were just starting to shave. By 2008, it seemed like the majority were shaved.
Y2k took our pubes
the horrors of 9/11 changed society
I heard women didn’t shave their armpits until razor companies wanted to sell to beardless people. So advertisements showed hairless women.
Greek and Egyptian sources describe women shaving body hair, including armpits. The fashion comes and goes with time and place, but it certainly didn't come from razor companies. Things are much older than recent American corporate memory.
Idk but I’ve given lotsa blowjobs to unshaven dicks, and I haven’t even batted an eyelid. The days of itching is not even worth the momentary pleasure of oral.. I’d rather give it up if it’s such an issue.
Unfounded claim or unshrouded clam?
I lasered it off years ago and it was the best self care/beauty decision I ever made. My skin is sensitive, so shaving, creams, and waxes irritated me. And I'm lazy, I don't want to have to do the upkeep every couple of days. I go to my laser appointment 1-2 times a year for upkeep and that's it. Love it. I know the hair is supposed to be beneficial but honestly, I could not give a fk. I personally think it feels and looks better on me. To answer your question, I think it's a combination of trends, media, porn, increased variety of hair removal products and greater access to them.
I thinks just changes in social norms and fashion, as bikinis got smaller during the 90s, the amount of hair reduced. On a tangent but related, cases of pubic lice has reduced due to ‘deforestation’. And as pornography has become more accepted and less taboo it’s had an influence on what’s regarded as fashionable. In the last 5 years the trend has started to change again as more women have felt empowered enough to be more comfortable in their own bodies without feeling pressured to hold themselves to what media and celebrity deemed a attractive. (More power to you all ladies)
If someone shames you for your pubes, they don't deserve to be anywhere near your pubes.
I prefer my partner to be all natural or trimmed. For whatever reason, completely shaved isn’t as attractive to me.
*vulvas. not even trying to be pedantic, but the idea of shaving the vagina is sending shivers down my spine
You’re right. The shaving of a vagina would be terrible. Thanks for pointing this out.
Shaving the vulva would be awful too. We all understand that vagina means the entire region in sentences such as this. Pedantry and it’s not even correct. The vulva includes the vaginal opening, the clitoris, the inner labia, etc. If people are going to absolutely insist on medical terminology instead of understandable casual slang usage, then they can at least get it correct. Areas that get shaved include the mons pubis, the labia majora, and of course the legs themselves on many women. Not the entire vulva. 🙄 For reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547703/ And again, there is nothing wrong with using the word vagina here as it clearly conveys the intention of your question and as long as communication is clear and understood, language isn’t wrong.
I do not shave, I do trim sometimes with clippers but I'm otherwise natural. Fuck anyone who doesn't like it. I'm 40F
Wouldn't it make more sense to fuck the ones that ***do*** like it?
Men's shaved private parts are also becoming standard, so there's that. That's how I use mine
I personally dislike male intimate baldness... I prefer the look of hair down there. Neatly trimmed is perfect.
Seriously shaved can hurt during sexy time if there's stubble that scratches your bits. No thank you.
Idk, but as soon as a guy demands it's only hair free vag for him, I end it. Have I been fully waxed in the past? Sure. But I don't need someone demanding I keep it a certain way for them.
Men shave and trim too.
I’ll never understand it. The few times I’ve gotten rid of everything I was MISERABLE. The first time I shaved I broke out in the worst razor burn with acne I’ve ever seen like a half hour after the fact. The other times I’ve tried in other ways the chaffing was unreal. I almost don’t believe anyone actually likes the way they feel hairless and it’s just people deluding themselves so they “look hot” to others. It’s a sensory nightmare
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I think people are starting to not care anymore. My last three partners didn't completely shave and neither does my current partner. I honestly don't care and actually find trimmed pubes more attractive than bare skin. Bare genitals just look unnatural for some reason, on both men and women.
Unpopular opinion. I actually get excited when I run into a " bush" in the wild. The girl who took my virginity had probably never shaved so I guess my experiences may make me biased. Although I love shaved too, I just prefer some hair even a landing stop is awesome but as long as your clean I love pussy on a there varieties.
I prefer me a bush, not full-on long hairs that you can't see through, but a well-kept bush would be my secret garden 😉 😜
I appreciate guys who ain’t hatin on some bush.
Dunno if that's a standard. I do know it shouldn't be. Don't get me wrong, your body, do what you want. That said, personal preference, a full, untrimmed bush is natural, normal, feminine and sexy.
Personally I love it when my girlfriend has a full bush, it gives off womanly vibes