70s bush envy

so you think you are ‘choosing’ when in fact it has been chosen for you

Nope, I’ve explained to you at length the physical conditions related to me that mean I remove a small portion of my pubic hair.

You don’t believe it because you don’t believe that other women have different physicality to you, and different care needs. Unless you would like to see my medical notes I can’t do more to enlighten you on that one.

No one is - Not me or you or anyone who participates in culture or lives in a society.

My peers, my culture, my social circle, my fashion influences, my consciousness raising and discussion groups are filled entirely with dykes- women who are hairy, gender non conforming, radical lesbian feminists.

Whatever is popular on porn hub this week is not going anywhere near influencing what my community and peers find acceptable.

Yes, I roll about the world and know other types of women- no, I don’t alter my body to make it look like theirs, or so that I can play at making men fancy me, or even to make gay women who prefer no hair fancy me (I’ve never met one in 30 odd years of being out, but I’m sure they exist).

That just isn’t how I experience my life.

What on earth is that supposed to mean ? We naturally have hair there !

I do think you're right, but I also think it's wrong to categorise all women into the "influenced by" box as it removes autonomy.
But, young women are inflating their lips to sex doll proportions at the moment, so id be an absolute idiot to assume that society and sexual culture doesn't play a huge roll in producing various "looks", including BJ lips and hairless bits.
I do accept that without question.

Equally though, there's pressure from women to women playing out at the same time.
This push for the "natural body" is an interesting one (to me) because it implies that those who grow pubic hair are natural and free from conformity.
But, as a civilised race, we are far from natural with our bodies and we all conform to societies expectations of us in some way or another aesthetically.

We cut the hair on our heads, we put crowns and fillings in our teeth, we replace teeth with fakes when they fall out, we cut our fingernails, we deodorise, we certainly dont walk around town in our natural state of undress, so it does feel like "natural" is only seized upon in as a demand in very specific contexts - body hair being one of them.

There has to be a middle point somewhere. Some people can groom their nether regions without being influenced by porn, some people can grow their nether regions without leading a completely natural life.

I'm 66 so I have a nearly 70's Bush

😂

I didn't know that! Almost deserves a thread of it's own 😂

Love the use of 'berk' on this thread, given its cockney rhyming slang origin - Berkley hunt

I agree completely. It's the stupid arguing about literally nothing that just been irritating today!

I'm all for a meandering discussion 😁

This is so silly. Total pube removal is a fashion. Like all fashions it works it’s power through loads of routes so you think you are ‘choosing’ when in fact it has been chosen for you. No one is immune to this pressure - we conform to social trends because we are a social species and not being outcast from society means we try to fit in with what we are told (in one way or another) is acceptable. People simply would not remove pubic (or leg or armpit or chin) hair if it wasn’t for fashion. I’m not above social conformity in some things. No one is - Not me or you or anyone who participates in culture or lives in a society.

It so happens like loads of fashions pube removal is actually harmful to women’s health - and it can be mapped directly onto the proliferation and growth of availability of hardcore pornography. That is why some women see having pubes as an urgent political rebuttal to a social problem. Some people who are ‘aged out’ of the particular fashion for pubes (because they came of age before it was a thing) or who find pubic hair pleasant are just letting it grow.

I'll comment on your posts if I want cheers. You're being daft and it's irritating.

Calm down and stop fighting with people.

What is this thing about policing threads and complaining about thread hyjacking?

There are thousands of posts over several days on a mumsnet thread- do people really expect them all to just be a direct answer to the op?!

Its normal for conversation to flow and evolve, go through tangents and return to the original topic- it would be boring if it didn’t!

Exactly.

Oh wind your fucking neck in.
Crossed wires with another poster doesnt require your input.

Haven't RTFT but OP YABU to call it a 70s bush. Do you think women began to grow public hair in the 1970s? Are you seriously basing your view of humans on some old porn?

They do for some people yeah.

Agree no-one should, but the influence of porn, the size of female swimwear, and peer pressure (in some cases) all play a part.

You literally said this - Pro-bush women aren't 'keeping a long mane.' They're just 'having pubic hair.'
That would be you pulling me up the use of the phrase "keeping a long mane."
It's nitpicking for the sake of it

You're simply wrong. I quoted a handful of your words in order to respond to them. You've decided that - indeed repeated that - I'm criticising your turn of phrase by simply quoting it! Absolute madness.

Regarding anything else, you're obviously someone who can pick a fight in a paper bag and I have zero interest in engaging with any more of it.

Have a pleasant evening.

wtf does anyone want or need male approval of their body hair?!

If you want a man to come along and ‘approve’ of your natural bush then you are in no position to lecture other women on feminism.

What?

You literally said this - Pro-bush women aren't 'keeping a long mane.' They're just 'having pubic hair.'
That would be you pulling me up the use of the phrase "keeping a long mane."
It's nitpicking for the sake of it.

You've completely missed the point that a woman on this thread grew her pubic hair out in direct response to her husband asking her to keep it long because he loved it like that when she'd lapsed on trimming for a spell, which is frustrating, because you're telling me that this isnt related to male approval when it is an absolutely concrete example of it.

So yeah, no, not good humoured about the exchange at present. Apologies.

I simply quoted you. You've added your own negative spin on a direct quote from your own post.

I actually started my post with half-agreeing with some of your comment. I know this is MN, but don't be so quick to assume someone is attacking you. It closes down any sensible exchange of views.

I really should stop expecting any normal, good-humoured debate on here.

"Pro-bush women aren't 'keeping a long mane.' They're just 'having pubic hair."

I was talking about the above comment from you.

There have been many euphemisms used for keeping long or short pubic hair in this thread. Using "keeping a long mane" as one of them doesnt negate the point being made.

But yeah, whatever.

Also, picking me up on phrasing when it's been one of many euphemisms used to describe "70s bush" doesn't really annihilate my point

If this is aimed at me, I've got no idea what you're talking about

I didn't mention your choice of phrase. What point? What annihilation?

Anyway, we disagree. Whatever.

No opinion other than my own plays a role in removing my body hair, so I'm sorry if other peoples opinion means something to you regarding your own body.

And nobody, NOBODY, should alter their body in response to approval or disapproval, from anybody, and that includes husbands, partners, and women on the Internet.

And nice spin, turning male approval into body positivity.
Now do the one when he encourages her to diet cos he likes slim women.

It’s still a women changing what she does to gain the male approval.