Teenage girls removing pubic hair - time to panic or par for the course?

I would choose to wear short styles rather than rip my hair out.
But hsving the confidence to wear the swimsuit with hair showing is fantastic!

Krumbum, IME, with a 'standard cut' swimsuit (not particularly high leg but not specifically "boy-cut" i.e. shorts style) I think some hair would show.

So either almost all swimming costumes should be re-cut or it should be fine for some hair to show (after all, men's costumes don't hide the whole of the line of hair that some have from belly button to crotch - and that isn't shocking).

Neither of those things is likely to happen, though.

m.xojane.com/sex/why-i-shave-my-pubic-hair

Interesting reading.

I also went to an all girls school. Everyone still felt pressured to completely hair remove. Because it is the culture not individual men.

Ah I went to an all girls school!

When I was at school, I remember P.E was a great cause of anxiety you had to make sure everything was shaven, so I agree in some cases its more for women than men.

Well it wasnt the norm - it was considered risqué to shave your legs when I was a teen.

I didn't spend my summers in the UK and had a very prudish upbringing compared to my British counterparts. Things that would be the norm in the UK were looked down upon.

Bloodyfurious. It is very unlikely that Pubic depilation is not at least in some part because of Societal norms. We arn't aware of how we are affected and that is how it is so pervasive. There is 'reward' when we conform to the norm and 'punishment' when we don't.

It didn't make it necessary - it was a perfectly sensible swimsuit.

I just didn't and never have liked being hairy.

Nothing to do with external pressure - I've never liked it - but it wasn't to do with boys/tv/magazines - I just didn't like it.

Bloodyfurious I believe (although correct me if I'm wrong) that stewiegriffinsmom meant why were you wearing a pubic hair showing swimsuit as opposed to swimwear which fully covers the pubic hair area? making depilation unnessecary. Not that you shouldn't go swimming at all.

Why was I wearing a swimsuit - because I was water polo training with the boys.

I feel a lot of grooming by women generally is for the benefit (or to avoid the judgement of them by) other women... so I do not find it unusual for pubescent teenages to want to do this - body image and fitting in with their peers is often very important.

I wouldn't equate it with someone about to start having sexual relationships with another, necessarily. Games, swimming and sunbathing.

And I did it with a BIC razor - probably not the safest method.

I liked my swim suits - I was merely point out it was nothing to do with pornification, sex, outside pressure and just personal preference.

Change swimsuits not bodies.

I did it as a teen - I hated it - it was nothing to do with sex or what other people might think - I was incredibly naive - I spent summers in a swim suit and preferred it gone.

I completely agree salons should not be waxing the pubic hair of under 16's it's insane.
Why not encourage swimwear that doesn't reveal pubic hair if it is an issue?

Shows in her swimwear

I would worry if DDs felt the need to remove pubic hair beyond that which shoes in their swim wear before they were 16. After that it is non of my business.

I don't and hate the idea of pretending to be 9 again (got teased for being the first to have any)

The difference is that underarm or leg hair is on display to any old random who may pass judgement.

Pubic hair is private, only on display to sexual partners. The thing that is worrying, imo, is that teens or any woman really, is afraid of being judged and found wanting by someone she is about to have sex with. It gives a very nasty impression of the kind of sex that people are having, NOT based on mutual respect and affection, good humour and kindness etc but something altogether more business like, an impersonal type of service provision that may be found lacking. I would be very sorry if my 16 yo was having that kind of sex. I would be very unhappy if me or dh were having that kind of sex, but at least we're old and jaded.

Pubic hair is hair on your crotch and possibly extending down the thighs (but where does pubic hair end and leg hair begin?)

But if it's entirely normal for a girl to shave her armpits and legs and not her crotch, maybe there's a reason to ask why one is expected and the other could be "time to panic".

Good for alexpolismum staying natural. I just looked and the sun does still seem to be shining, night and day follow each other etc, so possibly it wasn't so bad.

And I think waxing (salon or home) is mostly for leg hair actually, not pubes....

Pubic hair = hair in the pubic area of course.

puberty, pubis, pubic etc may all have the same root linguistically but don't all mean the same thing!

I'm confused by the terminology. Does leg and underarm hair not count as pubic hair? I thought pubic hair referred to whatever started growing during puberty.

I agree with TeiTetua. The issue is that teenagers feel the need to do it at all.

I was on the beach yesterday with my children. I have unshaven legs and pits. I got some stares (which I am used to), but also some smiles from young women, perhaps in their early twenties. Perhaps some of them don't want to have to remove their hair, but only do it because it is socially unacceptable NOT to, and seeing me made them think about that.