to start a thread about the pubes/ no pubes thread

[AnneofGreenFables]

It just got me thinking...

Does anyone know, or has anyone heard any man express a big preference either way?

I hear a lot about 'men' especially those under 30 'expecting' women to be pubic hair free but sadly not knowing many men under 30 I have no idea if this is true.

In my youth, lads used to joke about preferring a 'shaven haven' but IMO they were so thankful to be allowed near a woman's nether regions, that in reality they were none too fussy. Other than that I've never heard anyone express a definite preference

Just curious (and apologise about the whole thread from a thread thing)

As a man, and bearing in mind my previous and the lack of getting near any ladies' garden, I wouldn't object if the pubes were dragging along the floor behind

Well yellow, amongst the current flood of pube inspired threads I've seen it suggested that it is all a porn inspired symptom of patriarchal oppression. If the conclusion is actually that men and women are both subject to changing fashions which include head hair and body hair it is all a bit less dramatic really!

it is all a porn inspired symptom of patriarchal oppression

I don't buy that, the Patriarchy doesn't give a fuck while getting one IME.

OK, bluegrass, there's no point in saying that to me as it's not my opinion and I haven't said it anywhere in this thread.

Then I'm afraid you'll have to explain your "you are a wheeze" comment then. It suggests you think that there is an important difference between the fashion imposed on men and the fashion imposed on women. I said it is jbasically ust two sides of the same coin. You still seem to be disagreeing with that but without saying why. Anyway, its late.

It was your exclamation-bemarked comment that you "suppose" women are oppressing men by making them wax their backs that drew my ire.

I read it as you saying feminism is just women blathering on about stuff that doesn't exist.

Which is fine if you believe that.

I think there is a difference between the standards imposed on men and on women. But you're right, it is late, and alas, I've been discussing this elsewhere all night. I suggest sociologicalimages.com if you are truly interested.

I don't do much with my pubes - well - if I go swimming, I sometimes shave the outside of my bikini line, just to stop small children crying out in alarm.

A few weeks ago, I gave meself a bit of an all over trim down there, out of curiosity - got a bit carried away, and gave myself the diseased badger look - note to self - if I ever feel the need again - do it before the wine...

is it only me wondering why, in a recession, people are prepared to waste spend good money getting waxed
I could think of about a thousand things I'd rather spend time and money on.

p.s pishface - eh??

Finally, what on earth would my dd think?? it's bad enough if that pressure is coming from porn boys her age, but from seeing her mother bald below is another matter entirely

I am a bit wide eyed at how you are all saying you "shave" (those of you that groom, I mean). Do you actually shave? Or is that just a euphemism for hair removal?

I once shaved my pubes (just tidying up) and there followed 2 of the most excruciatingly itchy/painful weeks of my life. How do you all put up with it? I'm strictly Trim By Wax now.

I literally shave (with a razor - same one I do my legs with).

The first time I did it (was just curious), I did get the horrible itching and ingrown hairs, etc... and then a prickly stage that felt even worse, so I shaved it all off again (plus I enjoyed being bare).

After a few times doing this, the skin just stopped getting aggravated, and now shaving 'down below' feels just like shaving my legs - ie. no reaction.

I think when people say its more hygienic, they tend to mean it 'feels' cleaner... which in my case is certainly true. Some women may be lucky enough to not sweat very much in the groin area, but others not so lucky.

And also (just going by my own experience), when people talk about poo and other excretions... they're not complaining about it going in the triangle shaped area of hair, they're talking about undercarriage hair (which again some women don't have or have very little).

Halfway - thank you, as I seem to have a naturally bare undercarriage (and not having performed extensive population surveying) I was a bit confused as to why all of these things would be getting on your hair. I did think, but how do you pee/poo then if you manage that? As I generally consider myself as first reference I forget things like my first look at the pube fros in the joy of sex or when someone was talking to me about their pubes that formed some kind of hair knickerbocker...I was bemused enough by the whole conversation not to take much in.

I obviously just cba then and am a born slovern but my bush is happily left to it's own devices and that's just the way I like it. Apart from the occasional dye job when I'm bored. Purple pubes are spectacular! I made DH a rainbow once, he said he felt like he'd done something terrible to a care bear! Actually scrap above, I obviously only keep my pubes to enable my dye habit

*HecateTrivia Tue 29-May-12 17:47:43

I have never encountered a man who has given a stuff.
They are about to get sex. Very little else matters grin*

Wrong sorry to tell you.
A man isn't just about "wanting sex" , and to say that "Very little else matters"
Men want good clean sex, not just any old sex, sure some men will.
However you will find that most men, by a long way, prefer the lady garden neat and trimmed, and smooth and sensual.
They just don't want to hurt your feelings by telling you it looks a bit rough and scruffy down yonder.

Fay

///\ See, my point proven very neatly right there, courtesy of Fay.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that most young women secretly know, or at least suspect this, and so duly take themselves off to the beautician, or see to the removal of their fanjo hair themselves.

All these free-thinking MNers who aren't susceptible to marketing and advertising and societal norms are just great, but slightly irrelevant. Clearly - clearly - many, many (especially young) women are.

Fay, not true. Many more mature men do NOT like bare muffs.I know for a fact that my DH would be entirely freaked out by one on a mature woman .

But then he wasn't exposed to the current porn fashions that seem to influence more immature boys men.
And I would no sooner ask DH to wax his body than I would to ask him to fly to the moon.

And Fay, if the boys men you know what good, clean sex, you are all doing something very, very wrong .

At uni I dated someeone who wanted to use Bauer down there... I was [shocked] and politely declined got all feminist on his arse

I asked DH last night it was on my mind after that thread and he hasn't even thought of it, let alone formed an opinion.

Bauer? NAIR

Ha, Pish - I thought that, too. 'Good, clean sex' indeed.

these youngsters, eh? The whole idea that sex should be clean has made my morning!

She said neat and trimmed not all taken off. I much prefer a man to be neat and trimmed.

Must be all the porn

I have to say that in my social circle shaving your muff is the norm. Not necessarily all off although there are some that do, but I don't think I know anyone who doesn't do some sort of trimmingl, be it a full removal and just a tidy up.

That goes for the men I know as well (although in fairness I have such intimate knowledge of far less of the men in my circle than the women)

So I think it is a social norm already. I feel pressured to do this to the same extent that I feel a social pressure to not go out with hairy legs on show, however, despite recognising this pressure exists, I still maintain I prefer to shave my legs and I prefer to shave my fanjo for other reasons than soley the expectation of society.

I don't feel oppressed by this pressure any more or less than I feel oppressed by the pressure created to have a nice car, shower daily, go on nice holidays or any other of the marketing messages that make capitalism and consumerism work. I don't care if the current popularisation comes from porn or the Ancient Egyptians. I don't think it is a "shame" for women that this has become a social norm.

And it just a social norm - like tattoos now are - they are normal, they are commonplace, they are fashionable, but they are not to everyones taste, but thankfully they are not madatory. Neither is shaving you fanjo. If it was, I would agree it was a big issue. But it isn't.

Excuse spelling - wriggly baby so typingwith 1 finger

Another old gimmer laughing at the thought of all those men wanting good clean sex! I've obviously been doin' my dirty old sex wrong all these years. Fay love, you and your prim boyfriends need to loosen up a bit .

Now, back to pubes. In the 90s, not one man not that there were that many, unfortunately expressed a preference. It really was just not the norm to remove hair (apart from the bikini shave/wax) and so it wasn't expected. Therefore, I was really surprised when in 2001, a boyfriend told me "most" women shaved. As he'd been married for a few years, then had one sexual experience since then, I can now only assume that by "most women", he meant most porn actresses. I allowed him to shave me but I don't suppose he'd have run for the hills if I'd refused.

When I met DH, I was back to my fully natural state and asked him if he had a preference. He asked me to shave it into the image of Alan Shearer .

Ah, that'll be why I couldn't give two figs then, never conformed to social norms or fashions and no intention of starting now!

I do think to say it is just fashion is missing the point slightly. Fashion is long tied up with our views and expectations of women and historically, their oppression.
Waxing is painful and expensive and rather undignified. To put yourself through that every few weeks because fashion or, as we've seen here, boys men expect it is something it's best not to bury your head in the sand about .

But I think I would have been one of those awful bloomer wearing bluestockings back in the day so hey ho!

Umm......in the 90s lots of men expressed a preference and it was still the norm in my experience.

Not sure why you think its linked to age either. I am 36, DH is 39. Social circle around the same late 30s early 40s age group in general.