To ask a very personal question?

[Mrsemcgregor]

I am talking pubic hair. What does everyone do with it? I hate mine (especially as I get older it's getting wilder!) but what I hate more is bumpy itchy red skin whenever I try to tackle it. However I seem to be under the impression that most women are smooth and basically hairless down there and I must seem like some sort of cave woman or 70s porn star in comparison.

My husband hasn't mentioned that he minds at all...but maybe he does?

And if everyone is hairless and neat down there please please tell me how to do it without hideous rashes!!!

But...how can I possibly look like a pre pubescent girl, when I'm 5ft 7" and very ample of norks???

I grew up scant of hair in very hairy times, and felt like a freak.

I'm much more fashionable now, trim with scissors and glide disposable razor over stragglers.

I wouldn't dream of waxing or creaming, though. Don't like the bald look on men or women.

I use a razor with Olay gel built in as I prefer that, then pull the skin taught a and shave upwards to get a closer shave. Because of the gel I don't get rashes at all. It's a pain in the behind and I do actually have to shave every 2 days to keep completely smooth, it it's worth it to me as I feel so uncomfortable with any hair there.
(Husband says I should get it waxed, but I'm nowhere near brave enough)

I shave the edges, although far less than I used to. I do trim it all over though with a trimmer on my epilator. I am fine with the expanse of hair as long as it is short. I used to shave it very neatly often but stopped when I was too pregnant to see and enjoy not having irritated skin now.

I leave it natural and DH hasn't commented so I'm happy with that. In my teens and twenties I used to remove part or all of it with immac but I hated it whilst it was growing back, sore and itchy and annoying. I must admit I liked the feeling of being smooth and I felt cleaner but its too much hassle and I'm not going to start removing it now.

Absolutely nothing.
But I'm on the larger side and have a chubby fanny so think if I went hairless id look like a raw chicken...
What do other cubby fanny ladies do?

Bastard I have no desire to shame anyone either but I do think the fact that teenaged girls and young women now feel the necessity to have no pubic hair is real cause for concern. I know that some women have gone for the naked look for many years but back in the day it was fairly unusual. Now it's expected to be the norm and I think it's very naive not to associate that with the rise of hairless women (who have often has plastic surgery in their genitals) in porn.

I'm very hairy, so is DH and even at 6 DD is pretty hairy. Pubic hair removal for me has always been pretty unpleasant, nothing lasts any time, ingrown hairs etc is the norm for me. But I have no social pressure on me to do anything other than what I like. But I dread the idea that DD will feel forced to go for itchy blotchy horribleness because she'll be made out to be a freak if she doesn't.

Basically I wonder how many younger women and girls do this by choice these days. And I wonder how many women on MN think that's cause for concern. These threads always make me think a lot wouldn't give two hoots about it. I'm not talking about individual women and their individual choices but women as a class.

I do wonder, though, about men (okay, women, too) who want an adult partner with pre-pubescent genitalia, though.

What is to wonder? Some people just prefer the look/feel of various body parts when they are not hairy. Legs, armpits, chests, backs, crotches, whichever. And that pre-pubescents coincidentally might naturally be hairless in any of these departments is neither here nor there.

Well said, River. It makes me selfishly relieved that I'm pushing 40 and in a stable long term relationship with someone who likes pubes. The pressure teens must go through now to be 'cleaner and more hygienic' (when actually it more the opposite) is terrible.

I do wonder, though, about men (okay, women, too) who want an adult partner with pre-pubescent genitalia, though.

But pre-pubescent genitalia isn't adult genitalia without hair

My vulva looks nothing like it did when I was 10, let alone my wider pelvic area

Anyone looking at a 30/40 something woman and only being able to tell them apart from a child by the presence of pubic hair has much much bigger issues!

Velour

That's your preference - fair enough. I didn't call anyone a deviant. It's just that to me pubic hair is indicative of adulthood - and yes - I do know that some ladies (like me) are naturally hairy, and others are naturally sparse of twat fur - but to my (obviously very narrow) mind, no hair = not grown-up.

FWIW I don't like hairless chests on men, either, and can't understand why men would want to wax or women would want them to - but that's their choice and that's fair enough.

I'm 23. When I was with a guy at 19 who specifically said he preferred the bald look, I only shaved sporadically. Now I'm with people who don't express a preference either way and shave everything.

I don't watch porn, I've seen it a few times in my life only.

FYI :)

I feel sad that girls might miss out of the joys of a luxuriant bush, and in a (much smaller way) their future partners, too. They really are wonderful things, luxuriant bushes.

I could get a merkin I suppose

I have an 18 and 15 year old DD. They remove all hair down below.
I am 50 and have never removed it all.
Has a trim and shave overspill if going on holiday. But hate the red rash afterwards

^The obligatory 'looks like a child' posts from the hairier flapped turned up then?
Standard

Took about as long as the "cleaner, fresher, more hygienic" comments to turn up from the plucked chicken flapped. Also standard.^

Touche, Starling

I do nothing with it at all. Used to trim a bit pre-DD, and experimented with shaving it all off but hated the look. Makes your whole torso look weirdly out of proportion with no hair there. And the little bald vulva on display like a sad plucked chicken with a red comb just peeping out. Grim! I can't think why people think it looks nicer.

Nowadays I cannot be bothered even to trim. Even if going swimming (who cares if someone sees a few spidery hairs poking out? They shouldn't be looking.) I'm lucky that mine doesn't grow down my thighs - though if it did I'd just wear swimming shorts.

I'm mid-30s.

In the summer. Wax In a salon. All off.

Winter time Venus razor to keep it from catching in his teeth.

Oh. I'm nearly 49.

but to my (obviously very narrow) mind, no hair = not grown-up.

Do you think the same about flat chests?
Are men with AA cup partners sexual deviants as well?

I got rid of it all and hated it. I looked down and it reminded me too much of being a child. I can't help it, that's how I felt. I now just keep a neat little triangle and that works for me and dh. Wouldn't judge anyone for being bald but it wasn't for me.

My poor dad has and always had had one lonely hair in his chest. Clearly even at his advanced age he's not a grown up.

I do nothing except for occasional trimming with scissors when gets too long and catches in knicker elastic.... I'm 7+ months pregnant at the moment got dh to do the trimming the other day - sexy eh?!!! ;)
I went through a phase of having it waxed about 4 years ago, and had it all off on basis that I might as well get my moneys worth, but regrowth hurts too much and I've better things to spend £50 on every 6 weeks esp since dh couldn't care less!

I find nothing good comes of shaving or waxing down there. There's always pain (waxing, or the itchy regrowth of shaving) & without hair the area gets sweatier & less hygienic in my experience. Each to their own but I leave be generally. If going swimming I shave/trim to stop anything poking out the sides & that's only just worth the bother

Starling I can see that some women do find it cleaner and more hygienic and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Choice is fine. I simply don't think that younger women have a choice, or feel like they have a choice. No reason, lots of reasons, who cares, it's got to go.

Velour you're talking about you as an individual. I'm talking about women as a class.

My DD doesn't wax. I do. She's 18. I'm 49.

She trims the sides and pokey out bits. I take the lot off in the summer and don't bother in the winter. I also wax legs and underarms in the summer. And don't bother in the winter.