For centuries, pubic hair has been censored in all areas: art, advertising, films, etc. However, opinions on the practice are slowly starting to shift today, in part thanks to the body hair movement, which is gaining a lot of moment on social media.
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Moreover, researcher Claire Simon said in an article in Slate:
Until the 19th century, there is almost no trace of hair representation, and it was strongly discouraged to draw it under penalty of censorship.
The world of pornography has not helped us get rid of the image of a hairless female pubis either. In the 1990s, the ‘smooth pubic area’ was in fashion because it met an ideal of perfection, according to the ethnologist Christian Bromberger.
As a result, most people who identify as a woman or were born with female genitalia, have accepted, almost unconsciously, that they need to remove their pubic hair.
Why do people remove their pubic hair?
They answered that in the vast majority of cases (65%) it was for personal comfort, followed by 56% who said it was for hygiene, and 41% for aesthetic reasons.
But before you go removing it, it's important to understand why humans have pubic hair in the first place. Because yes, you may have guessed it, pubic hair plays a very important function.
Should you remove pubic hair?
Pubic hair protects us from bacteria and microbes, it acts as a protection for the vaginal flora, but it also protects us from UV radiation, heat, cold, etc.
But pubic hair also protects us from the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). When pubic hair is removed, micro-injuries can sometimes occur, and as we all know, blood promotes the transmission of infections.
So it's a good idea to always leave a little hair on, if you want your vagina to in tip-top condition.
But your hair is your own and if you want to remove all of it, feel free to do so.
This article has been translated from Ohmymag FR.
Sources used:
Slate: Pourquoi déteste-t-on les femmes poilues?*
