To Shave Or Not To Shave? Real Answers From Women And Men About The Hair Down There

Hair. It’s always been there, for the most part. During the unfortunate years of middle school, when you never knew what to do with your hands or your personality, the hairy blessings rained down. And rained down hard. I remember being in sixth grade gym class and hearing a loud, obnoxious girl brag about shaving her legs. I went home and asked my mom if I could shave mine, not yet understanding the annoying but smooth journey awaiting me.

Fast forward to present day and the no-hair game has only intensified. Thanks to influences such as Sex and the City and the porn industry, the world expects women to be hairless. Hairless, everywhere. This doesn’t just include legs.

I was a late bloomer in all scandalous coming-of-age areas—particularly sex and sex-related things. Looking back now, I know this was a blessing. College-freshman-Danniah, throughout her eighteen years of life, had no idea women shaved their pubic hair. Naïve, I know. Whatever. But I still remember my first thought on the matter. Why?

Now, years later, I know why. And there are multiple reasons. Women shave their pubic hair for sex, because some men expect them to. Some women prefer to be bare down there. And some believe it’s just what they’re supposed to do.

Regardless, many say the bare down there trend is a dying fad.

According to The Telegraph, women are beginning to embrace their pubic hair. In fact, some women are even choosing to pay thousands of dollars to restore their lasered-off bikini lines.

What beautiful, weird, hair-resurrection voo-doo magic is this?

The treatment is platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy. It's similar to the "vampire" facial made famous by Kim Kardashian. It involves drawing blood from the patient’s arm, separating out growth-factor-rich platelets, and injecting them back into the skin. Scientific studies suggest that it can coax dormant hair follicles back to life.

Initially developed for balding male hairlines and accidentally over-plucked eyebrows, women are now using the magical powers of PRP therapy to regrow their previously unloved below-the-waist curls.

The idea of the bare down there trend dying and the modern woman embracing her natural hair—like so many past generations of women before her—is exciting, feminist, and empowering.

My friendship with shaving has been a love/hate relationship. When I first realized what society expected of me, I strived to always be clean-shaven. But as I matured and gained confidence, I began to care less and less. Realizations started sprouting in my mind. Hey, shaving down there actually hurts like a bitch and Waxing everything off kinda makes me feel like a four year-old and What exactly is so wrong with pubic hair, anyway?

I decided to walk around New York City and ask other women what they thought about pubic hair. Yup, that’s right. I walked around NYC and discussed pubic hair with strangers. It was a grand time. And I received a variety of equally unique and valid responses.

“I don’t like to be completely shaved. But I also don’t like cray-cray amounts of hair, like, when I’m wearing a bathing suit and don’t want to feel like a hair monster…Because it can get monstrous.” –Renee, 22

 “A woman should always do whatever makes her feel sexy, but I personally think pubic hair is making a comeback, and I feel that ‘tidy but present’ is always acceptable.” –Lacey, 54

“I sometimes get waxes when I can afford it, but I mostly shave. I honestly do it because I think it’s the current trend and the men I sleep with like it bare. Sometimes I think it’s a little weird that men my age are into no-hair-down-there, because hair is a completely natural part of being a grown-ass woman, but I try not to overthink it. Usually if I’m going through a dry-spell sexually, I just let it grow out, but it can be kind of itchy and even harder to manage if I’m at full bush status.” –Olivia, 23

“In my opinion, pubic hair should not be removed. Pubic hair is one of the symbols of adulthood, what separates women from children. And, remember that the recent trend of bare mounds began in the porn industry, an industry most women believe degrades women. Why would we all choose to follow a trend started by people who degrade women? No, just no.” –Jacqueline, 46

After interviewing the ladies, I decided to ask some men what their thoughts were on the female pubic hair matter:

“I think it’s just hygienic to keep it trimmed. I like it completely shaved or just a little bit of hair, as long as it’s very short. I wouldn’t want to go down on a girl if she looked like an unkempt forest down there. That’s just disgusting.” –Scott, 36

“I’m not opposed. But if she’s going to be hairless, be lasered. No bumps. And if she has hair or a ‘bush’, just keep it clean and I don’t mind working around it.” –Corey, 27

“I don’t necessarily have a preference. I think bare looks good and non-bare looks good. Some guys care a lot but I think whatever she is comfortable rocking is the best option.” –Nick, 26

“In my personal experience, I like to see a woman for what she really is—a woman. There’s something sexy and mysterious about hair-down-there. It tells me that she’s confident and comfortable in her own skin.” –Eric, 48

Well, there ya go. Some people dislike pubic hair but most are fine with it. It’s an individual preference. There are no wrong answers here. As with most of life's issues, the only wrong answer is not following your instincts.

If you remember anything from this article, please, remember this: don’t shave because you assume all guys prefer bare girls. Because clearly, that’s not true. If you shave, do it for yourself. Not for anyone else. It’s your hair. Do what you want with it.

And remember, hair or no hair, you’re still sexy as fuck.

Image via Alexandra Rothwell/silkenarmadillo  

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