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

[ElenMumsnetBloggers]

Just to let you know that over on Mumsnet Bloggers, journalist Sarah Ditum and MNer Glosswatch are debating why so many teen girls feel compelled to remove their pubic hair. You can read the debate here and voice your views on the Talk thread here.

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. 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.

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.

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.

Ah I went to an all girls school!

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

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

Interesting reading.

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.

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!