Pubic health bulletin
Years ago, I had a friend, Tim, who was a Public Health Inspector. He used to routinely black-out the "l" of the first word on his badge with his Sharpie, until his superiors would notice.
But there is such a thing, as I was reminded when I saw (and who did not?) the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, featuring a model with a bare lower (very lower) torso.
My sole foray into serious nether-waxing happened in the early '80s, and, because I ran and took several ballet classes per week, I learned within two days that pubic hair is there for a reason.
These days, lasers offer permanent epilation, but a woman should think first before she opts for lifetime bald ladyparts. Tim would object, as would OB/gyn Dr. Jen Gunter, who lists the risks in a forthright post called "What to tell a partner who wants you to remove your pubic hair".
I did not think total depilation (the "Full Brazilian" or "Hollywood") was sought by women over 50, but a friend recently changed her occupation to become a medical aesthetitian, and told me otherwise, saying she had many mature clients who asked for the works. "I just took everything off a woman past 70", she told me.
Jennifer Weiner wrote a tart op-ed piece in the New York Times about the swimsuit cover, "Great! Another Thing to Hate About Ourselves".
She says, "Show me a body part, I’ll show you someone who’s making money by telling women that theirs looks wrong and they need to fix it. Tone it, work it out, tan it, bleach it, tattoo it, lipo it, remove all the hair, lose every bit of jiggle."
One of my friends said, "maybe she likes it", and I replied that we should think about why she does. Why do women feel they should erase one of the significant signs of sexual maturity, returning the pubis to a pre-adolescent state. If a partner wants that, wouldn't that creep you out?
So, three good reasons to reject a hairless undercarriage: the health risks Dr. Gunter lists, the mysogyny lurking behind the erasure of a woman's evident sexual maturation, and the exploitation of insecurity.
I am not against grooming what is already there; some special effects are quite cheeky. An acquaintance applied a fuchsia tint (with this specialty product)
for a 50th birthday trip that she knew would include a spot of
skinnydipping. (She liked the effect so much she kept it for a few
years. Her last name at the time was Brinks, earning her the inevitable nickname Pinksie Brinksie.)
But the total stripping, no. The memory of that abrasive experience remains indelible after 30-some years, but even more intense is my belief that we are perfect and exquisite, as we are.
But there is such a thing, as I was reminded when I saw (and who did not?) the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, featuring a model with a bare lower (very lower) torso.
My sole foray into serious nether-waxing happened in the early '80s, and, because I ran and took several ballet classes per week, I learned within two days that pubic hair is there for a reason.
These days, lasers offer permanent epilation, but a woman should think first before she opts for lifetime bald ladyparts. Tim would object, as would OB/gyn Dr. Jen Gunter, who lists the risks in a forthright post called "What to tell a partner who wants you to remove your pubic hair".
I did not think total depilation (the "Full Brazilian" or "Hollywood") was sought by women over 50, but a friend recently changed her occupation to become a medical aesthetitian, and told me otherwise, saying she had many mature clients who asked for the works. "I just took everything off a woman past 70", she told me.Jennifer Weiner wrote a tart op-ed piece in the New York Times about the swimsuit cover, "Great! Another Thing to Hate About Ourselves".
She says, "Show me a body part, I’ll show you someone who’s making money by telling women that theirs looks wrong and they need to fix it. Tone it, work it out, tan it, bleach it, tattoo it, lipo it, remove all the hair, lose every bit of jiggle."
One of my friends said, "maybe she likes it", and I replied that we should think about why she does. Why do women feel they should erase one of the significant signs of sexual maturity, returning the pubis to a pre-adolescent state. If a partner wants that, wouldn't that creep you out?
So, three good reasons to reject a hairless undercarriage: the health risks Dr. Gunter lists, the mysogyny lurking behind the erasure of a woman's evident sexual maturation, and the exploitation of insecurity.
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| Betty colour |
But the total stripping, no. The memory of that abrasive experience remains indelible after 30-some years, but even more intense is my belief that we are perfect and exquisite, as we are.
Comments
hugs,
Janice
As to pubic hair; people have different amounts. If you've got it running down your thighs, I say laser away. There are enough reasons not to put your swimsuit on and have fun without adding dealing with hair.
I've never understood how this became an expected norm, though a friend says it's because of the ubiquity of p0rn.
A little grooming yes, removal, no. And I agree with Jennifer Weiner. (Have you seen the commercial for the deodorant that's supposed to make underarms prettier? Give me a break!)
I'm with une femme - don't understand how this became the norm, it passed me by, that's for sure. Of course, it could be that we hear so much about these procedures in the media that we assume everyone is doing it. Maybe not as many as we think?
the look of a prepubescent girl to be aroused, there is a different issue going on. We have different bodies and different degrees of "hairiness". We need to accept and love ourselves and be able to laugh at such things as "underarm beauty"
Ultilmately we should do it for ourselves and why would we want to take away so much of our femininity?
Oh and welcome back!
I totally agree with the writer who questioned why we needed yet ANOTHER body part to feel inadequate about. I've expressed this strongly to my college age daughters...as far as I know, they don't overdo the grooming. I do have a sister-in-law in her mid-50s who, she told me, is "bare down there". I told her she was nuts!
I prefer to be bare because during my period, the odor of blood is much reduced. Without hair to retain scent, odor can't build up.
The other big bonus for me is better sex. Without hair to sop up moisture, skin is slicker and more sensitive. Very sensitive.
I'm lucky hair doesn't grow on my thighs or belly. When I want to wear extremely revealing lingerie bottoms, knowing I won't have coarse pubic hair poking out around the scraps of fabric makes me feel even sexier. It also encourages me to wear such things more often. :)
It is odd, given that thinning pubic hair is a common sign of ageing, often around menopause. I've read reactions against this mandatory hairlessness, among younger women.
I'm really more concerned with eliminating those sneaky chin hairs.
lagatta: As my friend the aesthetitian told me, it's not just young women getting the full treatment! for chin hairs I just love those spring hair removers like Bellabe.
I don't wax though (eye brows are enough for me -- ouchy!)
What I do find interesting is the notion that if a woman makes a choice other women disagree with, then she must be a victim of fashion, peer pressure, men or the media.
This is simply not true. Women are empowered agents who can make their own decisions without the approval of other women.
I have as much right to express my dislike of this practice it as you do to engage in it.
Of course I try to influence others- that has been my life's work. (Or should women write only fiction?)
Empowerment means speaking out, influencing, working for change: agency. This blog and my associated work may represent opinions with which you do not agree, but I see it as more substantial "agent" behaviour than than stripping one's crotch bare.
I resoundingly agree with your stance of making your own decisions without the approval of other woman (or men.)
As for "harming no one but yourself", Dr Gunter, a well-credentialed •woman• gynecologist, states in her reply to comments on her blog that she treats infections caused by the practice daily.
I have not, in this post or others, called women "victims" and actively avoid that label. I do see us as easily led by cultural messages that tap into our insecurity. (And I have lots of examples from my own life upon which to base that.)
"Donna baffuta, sempre piaciuta".
Never bothered me in the same way as the stray chin hairs do, as I see them as a sign of decrepitude.
You •are• pulling hair out so, like plucking, threading or waxing, you will feel it, especially on the sensitive upper lip.
Check them on eBay, they are cheaper there than Bellabe or via Amazon. If you don't like it, you have only spent less than $10.
Example:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Face-Free-Makeup-Facial-Hair-Spring-Bend-Remover-Removal-Facial-Hair-Tool-/251933230276?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa86404c4
At a certain point bleaching only results in a visible, blonde 'stache.
One told me it shows off the cut body he has worked so hard to achieve.
re "who gave them (women) that idea?" look for an industry that presents such effects as desirable, and you may find your answer.