In being surprised that apparently 98% of UK women under 25 have no pubic hair at all?

[Longstocking2]

Is that true?

A friend who is a practice nurse says she presumes it's just a fashion. None of her women under 25 who come for smear tests have any pubic hair.. all shaved, shorn, waxed to nada.

Obviously that's fine but it seems a little universal to me. Aren't there any rebels out there?
Is it just for the boys they do it?

Does the image not come from porn originally?

{shock]

would love to be enlightened!
Clearly I'm over 25

"puddinghead Wed 05-Jan-11 14:18:25
I am actually intrigued (being of later years myself), as to where the fashion comes from? Can someone tell me - is it in their magazines? Do they all talk about it? What other practices are now 'the norm'?"

It's in still and moving images. If you want to understand what are the kinds of practices being imported from porn into everyday sexual practice, one place to start is the makelovenotporn website. There's also a TED lecture by Cindy Gallop, the founder.

actually I've just remembere I did once shave off my pubic hair in a bizarre moment of being extremely hot and uncomfortable during pregnancy (irrc) with DS2 - I posted abut it on MN as I was even more uncomfortable afterwards . exH's reaction (who incidentally did used to watch porn) was "ermm - what did you do that for "

Where does personal preference cross over into soceity influence? Some of my friends love a man with stubble (on his face) - - I have been known to ask someone to go and shave before I can even kiss them if they have stubble. I find it that much of a turn off.

As "hairy women" porn is still made - surely there must also be men around who prefer a hairy women to a shaven one too?

Is that porn influence (from their younger days???) or personal preference through experience?

I don't know when dittany - I imagine it's been that way for a long time. Hence Ruskin

I love the post from Bertiebottlesofmulledwine and am so relieved there are women like her around. I felt depressed reading this thread but her post has cheered me up and made me think there is hope for my daughter.

Bertie says: I'm 22 and don't do anything to mine. Found in the past that a LOT of blokes of my generation tend to expect it to be shaved - most tend to assume you will and are surprised if not, some go on about hair being disgusting, saying they wouldn't go near anything that's not a "shaven haven" (yuck) have had some exes refuse to do oral sex etc if not shaved, but the decent ones don't care either way, as long as it's clean!

I think it does come from porn. I always used to hate having hair when on my period but since using a mooncup it's not an issue at all. It's there for a reason!

Good on you Bertie.

Each to their own, bald or a great big underpant forest or anything in between. Does it really matter ?? Lets not fight about it or anybody's reasons for doing what they do. Its pointless.

I tend to trim mine round the edges and shave a bit to keep it neat-ish when I can be bothered.
I have tried going bald but found it uncomfortable and also I find using a razor down there dangerous tbh, too much risk of cutting flappage!

Yes but Ruskin's been laughed at/pitied/known for almost nothing but his reaction for over a hundred years.

Yes Riven and relates pretty unequivocally with the capitalism argument you mentioned.

I am amazed that there are so few women around who do not remove any pubic hair at all. I don't. Why would I? It doesn't bother me. It's not unhygienic - I do buy such things as soap! The only person who seems bothered by it is my MIL, although I can't understand why, as it doesn't affect her.

I think dittany has been writing a lot of sense on here. Porn has filtered through to the mainstream and affected our perceptions of what is normal, what is feminine and what is attractive. This has not happened overnight, it happened gradually, which is why so many people do not make the connection and recognise it.

Sorry for not reading all the posts but there are so incredibly many. But about men versus women shaving armpits--how can it be that a woman has to shave there in order not to be unacceptably smelly, and a man can get by without? If that's a difference between female and male bodies, let's hear someone come out and say so! I think it's just superstition, like this word "hygiene" that everyone brings out to give some kind of logical cover for what they want to do for illogical reasons.

Speaking of logic, how is it that shaving off adult pubic hair "makes a woman look like a little girl" but shaving off adult underarm hair and leg hair doesn't?

Personally I think natural is sexy and all anyone needs is to wash. And even that doesn't have to be obsessive.

alexpolis, not only is it none of her business, but how on earth does your MIL know how much pubic hair you do or don't have?

Its porn (mostly) its what the 'younger' ones think is normal because men of a certain age have come to think that shaven is preferable/the norm because of the proliferation of porn accessible to all. (or 'pornalisation' as it has been called) And its popular in porn because you see everything (penetration etc) better without all that hair in the way. I think shaved fannies look gross and 'wrong' but thats just my opinion.

Coincidently there's this saying much the same thing in the Guardian today:

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/04/pornography-big-business-influence-culture

Swc, fwiw Libero said it was the way Dittany put her views across that she thought was extreme. And if she was referring to an earlier 'machine-gunning' post, I'd agree.

What an illuminating discussion. Will be back later to post more!

alexpolis I was wondering the same thing as exexpat. Please do tell!

exexpat and FlouncingQueen - she can see the hair on my legs and under my arms - I see no reason to hide it, and if I happen to be wearing short sleeves or shorts then it can be seen quite clearly.

Blimey, I had no idea that ANYONE (let alone people in a particular age bracket) deliberately shaves/waxes the lot, unless they were in a particular branch of the entertainment industry . Mind you, I do live Wales .

I'll shave off a pant moustache if I'm taking the ds' swimming, mostly to avoid scaring those of a nervous disposition, but all of it?! Maybe I'm more wrinkly than most, but how do you get to it all?

or does leg and underarm hair no longer count as pubic?

We all assumed your MIL was privy to your muff hair, alex.

Underarm and leg hair - I remember my grandmother being all funny about women with hairy underarms/legs. And she was born in 1920. She did have a hairy muff however.

I have no idea what my MIL thinks about muff hair!

Perhaps I shall invite her to the beach with us in the summer and watch her reaction!

I seem to remember about 20 years ago underarm hair being seen as a bit European and bohemian. I always think of the bare underarm look, rightly or wrongly, as an American Hollywoody type thing. A bit sad at that - it's not the porn element of this argument but the "everybody looks the same" thing that seems to be happening at the moment is nearly as depressing.

I had a conversation with DP last year, which went:

Me: 'Darling, does it bother you that I don't trim my fanjo?'
Him: 'You're a grownup. You're supposed to have hair there. '

Mind you, when we first started shagging madly seeing each other he went and had his back waxed (he's as fuzzy as a bumblebee practically all over apart from his cheeks, palms and nose, bless him) and the result was a back all covered in really disgusting acne and ingrowing bits . I told him never to do that again.

I shave legs and pits because some battles aren't worth fighting, but to me it's totally about the gaze of others. If the only person who sees my fanjo is DP, and he doesn't care, then why should I bother?

But then I'm 31, was raised by wolves, and spent most of my twenties hanging out with lesbians so perhaps I'm not that conventional in my cultural wossnames.