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==Society and culture== According to [[John Ruskin]]'s biographer [[Mary Lutyens]], the notable author, artist, and art critic was apparently accustomed only to the hairless nudes portrayed unrealistically in art, never having seen a naked woman before his wedding night. He was allegedly so shocked by his discovery of his wife [[Effie Gray|Effie]]'s pubic hair that he rejected her, and the marriage was later legally [[annulled]]. He is supposed to have thought his wife was freakish and deformed.<ref>Saltz, Jerry. [http://www.artnet.com/magazine/features/saltz/saltz4-10-02.asp Pudenda Agenda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040701090502/http://www.artnet.com/magazine/features/saltz/saltz4-10-02.asp |date=July 1, 2004 }}. artnet.com.</ref> Later writers have often followed Lutyens and repeated this version of events. For example, [[Gene Weingarten]], writing in his book ''I'm with Stupid'' (2004) states that{{sfn|Weingarten|Barreca|2004|pp=150–151}} <blockquote>"Ruskin had [the marriage] annulled because he was horrified to behold upon his bride a thatch of hair, rough and wild, similar to a man's. He thought her a monster." </blockquote>However, there is no proof for this, and some disagree. [[Peter Fuller]] in his book ''Theoria: Art and the Absence of Grace'' writes, <blockquote>"It has been said that he was frightened on the wedding night by the sight of his wife's pubic hair; more probably, he was perturbed by her menstrual blood." </blockquote>Ruskin's biographers Tim Hilton and John Batchelor also believe that menstruation is the more likely explanation.<ref>{{multiref2|{{harvnb|Batchelor|2013|p=135}}|{{cite book | last= Hilton| first= Tim | date=2002 | orig-date= 1985 | publisher= Yale University Press | isbn = 9780300032987 | title= John Ruskin: the early years| pages=117–120}} }}</ref> At puberty, many girls find the sudden sprouting of pubic hair disturbing, and sometimes as unclean, because in many cases young girls have been screened by their family and by society from the sight of pubic hair.{{sfn|Morris|2007|pp=192–202}} Young boys, on the other hand, tend not to be similarly disturbed by the development of their pubic hair, usually having seen body hair on their fathers.{{sfn|Morris|2007|pp=192–202}} With the reintroduction of public beaches and pools, bathing in Western Europe and the Mediterranean early in the 20th century, exposure of both sexes' areas near their pubic hair became more common, and after the progressive reduction in the size of female and male swimsuits, especially since the coming into fashion and growth in popularity of the [[bikini]] after the 1940s, the practice of shaving or [[bikini waxing]] of pubic hair off the hem lines also came into vogue.{{sfn|Tschachler|Devine|Draxlbauer|2003|pp=61–62}} === Grooming practices <span id="Removal"></span><span id="Styling"></span> === {{see also|Hair removal|Male waxing}} {{multiple image | image1 = Ceretta a calo inguinale.jpg | width1=139 | image2 = Pubic hair Shaving.jpg | width2=180 | footer = ''Left:'' [[Bikini waxing]] of woman's pubic hair. ''Right:'' Shaving of pubic area. }} {{multiple image | image2 = Male genitalia shaving.JPG | width2=220 | footer = Man's pubic hair, shaving of pubic area. }} In some Middle Eastern societies, removal of male and female body hair has been considered proper hygiene, mandated by local customs, for many centuries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-infad.my/FMS_en/index.php?option=com_fatwa&task=viewlink&link_id=641&Itemid=59 |title=Waxing Unwanted Hair |access-date=2006-03-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220004639/http://www.e-infad.my/FMS_en/index.php?option=com_fatwa&task=viewlink&link_id=641&Itemid=59 |archive-date=December 20, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Muslim teaching (applicable to males and females) includes [[Islamic hygienical jurisprudence]] in which pubic and armpit hair must be pulled out or shaven to be considered as [[Sunnah]]. Trimming is taught to be considered acceptable.{{sfn|Buyukcelebi|2005|pp=169–}} Women [[Pornographic film actor|working in pornography]] typically remove their pubic hair by shaving, a practice that became fashionable in the late 20th century. Shaving is used rather than bikini waxing because it can be performed daily, whereas waxing requires several days of growth before it can be repeated.<ref name=Jeffreys>{{cite book|title=Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful cultural practices in the West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YlWcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|first=Sheila|last=Jeffreys|publisher=Routledge|date=2014|isbn=9781317675440|page=72|access-date=April 17, 2023|archive-date=April 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417113843/https://books.google.com/books?id=YlWcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|url-status=live}}</ref> According to feminist writer [[Caitlin Moran]], the reason for the removal of pubic hair from women in pornography was a matter of "technical considerations of cinematography".<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news|title=Pubic hair is back|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10452327/Pubic-hair-is-back-ladies.-The-men-dont-care-and-the-women-cant-be-bothered.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10452327/Pubic-hair-is-back-ladies.-The-men-dont-care-and-the-women-cant-be-bothered.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=2013-11-15|last1=Turner|first1=Beverley}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Hair removal progressed to full removal.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-friedland/women-pubic-hair_b_875465.html|title=Looking Through the Bushes: The Disappearance of Pubic Hair|work=The Huffington Post|first=Roger|last=Friedland|date=13 June 2013|access-date=December 30, 2014|archive-date=September 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922164236/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-friedland/women-pubic-hair_b_875465.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Because of the popularity of pornography, pubic hair shaving was mimicked by women,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.medicaldaily.com/french-study-reveals-why-increasing-number-women-are-tuning-porn-243677|title=French Study Reveals Why an Increasing Number of Women Are Tuning in to Porn|publisher=[[Medical Daily]]|first=Christine|last=Hsu|date=28 November 2012|access-date=December 30, 2014|archive-date=November 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105121847/https://www.medicaldaily.com/french-study-reveals-why-increasing-number-women-are-tuning-porn-243677|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=thedailybeast>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/10/waxing-damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don-t-how-pubic-hair-became-political.html|title=Waxing: Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don't: How Pubic Hair Became Political|website=[[The Daily Beast]]|first=Emily|last=Shire|date=4 October 2014|access-date=December 30, 2014|archive-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520162625/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/10/waxing-damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don-t-how-pubic-hair-became-political.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and it is among women outside the pornography industry that waxing became common in the late 20th and 21st century.<ref name=Jeffreys/> The presentation is regarded by some as being erotic and aesthetic, while others consider the style as unnatural. Some people remove pubic hairs for erotic and sexual reasons or because they or their sex partner enjoy the feel of a hairless crotch.<ref>[http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/modification-pubic-hair ''The Hair Down There''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724030444/http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/modification-pubic-hair |date=July 24, 2018 }}. University of California, Santa Barbara's SexInfo. Retrieved May 4, 2007.</ref><ref name="RowenGaither2016">{{cite journal|last1=Rowen|first1=Tami S.|last2=Gaither|first2=Thomas W.|last3=Awad|first3=Mohannad A.|last4=Osterberg|first4=E. Charles|last5=Shindel|first5=Alan W.|last6=Breyer|first6=Benjamin N.|title=Pubic Hair Grooming Prevalence and Motivation Among Women in the United States|journal=JAMA Dermatology|volume=152|issue=10|pages=1106–1113|year=2016|issn=2168-6068|doi=10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.2154|pmid=27367465|doi-access=free}}</ref> According to one academic study, as of 2016, approximately 50% of men in the United States practice regular pubic hair grooming, which can include trimming, shaving and removal. The study found that the prevalence of grooming decreases with age. Of males who groom pubic hair, 87% groom the hair above the penis, 66% groom the scrotum and 57% groom the penile shaft.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaither |first1=Thomas W. |last2=Awad |first2=Mohannad A. |last3=Osterberg |first3=E. Charles |last4=Rowen |first4=Tami S. |last5=Shindel |first5=Alan W. |last6=Breyer |first6=Benjamin N. |title=Prevalence and Motivation: Pubic Hair Grooming Among Men in the United States |journal=American Journal of Men's Health |pages=620–640 |doi=10.1177/1557988316661315 |date=May 2017 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pmid=27480727 |pmc=5675231 }}</ref> <gallery class="center"> Flaccid penis with pubic hair trimmed.jpg|Male genitalia with trimmed pubic hair Pubic hair partly shaved genitalia.JPG|Male genitalia with partly shaved pubic hair Young indian man penis.jpg|Fully shaved male genitalia </gallery> ==== Methods ==== {{Main|Bikini waxing}} All hair can be removed with wax formulated for that purpose. Some individuals may remove part or all of their pubic hair, axillary hair and facial hair. Pubic hair removal using wax is called bikini waxing. The method of removing hair is called [[depilation]] (when removing only the hair above the skin) or [[epilation]] (when removing the entire hair). Beauty salons often offer various waxing services. It is sometimes referred to as "pubic [[topiary]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-5132-the-fuzz-that-was.html|title=The Fuzz That Was|website=Willamette Week|last=Speer|first=Richard|date=December 13, 2005|access-date=March 22, 2020|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804225534/https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-5132-the-fuzz-that-was.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG3349293/Belle-de-Jours-naughty-notebook.html|title=Belle de Jour's naughty notebook|work=The Telegraph|date=January 29, 2006|access-date=November 3, 2013|archive-date=November 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104210019/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG3349293/Belle-de-Jours-naughty-notebook.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/control-tower/Content?oid=55984|title=Control Tower|first=Mistress|last=Matisse|website=The Stranger|date=August 24, 2006|access-date=March 22, 2020|archive-date=September 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923122412/https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/control-tower/Content?oid=55984|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sugaring (epilation)|Sugaring]], an alternative to waxing, uses a sugar-based paste, which may include lemon, rather than wax. Sugaring removes fewer skin cells than waxing.<ref>{{cite web |title=What Is Sugaring? Pros and Cons of This Hair Removal Option |url=https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-sugaring/ |website=Cleveland Clinic |access-date=24 June 2023 |date=17 June 2022}}</ref> Other methods of hair removal include [[laser hair removal]] and [[Electrology|electrolysis]]. Some women modify their pubic hair, either to fit in with societal trends or as an expression of their own style or lifestyle.<ref name="telegraph" /><ref name="thedailybeast" /> Styles of pubic hair modification include: * Triangle or [[Bikini waxing#American waxing|American wax]] (pubic hair is shortened from the sides to form a triangle so that pubic hair is hidden while wearing [[swimsuit|swimwear]]. The triangle can range from the very edge of the "bikini line" to up to an inch reduction on either side. Remaining hair length can be from an inch and a half to half an inch); * [[Landing strip (pubic hair)|Landing strip]]/[[Bikini waxing#French waxing|French wax]] (pubic hair removed except for a strip of hair extending from the abdomen to the vulva); * Partial [[Brazilian waxing|Brazilian wax]] (pubic hair fully removed except for a small triangular strip); * Full [[Brazilian waxing|Brazilian wax]] or "sphinx" (complete removal of pubic hair); and * Freestyle. There are variations of the Brazilian wax in which a design is formed out of the pubic hair. Stencils for several shapes are available commercially. A controversial [[Gucci]] commercial included female pubic hair shaved into a 'G'.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Tom's Pubic Ad Avoids Ban|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/toms-pubic-ad-avoids-ban|date=February 27, 2003|magazine=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]|access-date=October 27, 2008}}</ref> <gallery class="center"> File:Vulva 1a.png|Natural or "au naturel"{{snd}}no trimming and therefore no maintenance File:Female pubis with hair.jpg|Triangle/[[Bikini waxing#American waxing|American wax]]"{{snd}}hair shortened from the sides to form a triangle so that pubic hair is hidden while wearing [[swimsuit|swimwear]] File:Landing_strip_pubic_hair_pattern_LQ.jpg|Landing strip/[[Bikini waxing#French waxing|French wax]]{{snd}}waxing with a "landing strip" or "metro ticket" File:Pubic hair (Brazilian haircut) Triangle style.jpg|Partial "Brazilian wax" with a small triangular strip left File:Female abdomen frontal view.jpg|"[[Brazilian wax]]" or "Sphinx"{{snd}}a full waxing; no hair at all </gallery> ==== Sexual attraction ==== A woman or man's decision to grow or shave their pubic hair can play a role in attracting a partner. A [[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|''Cosmopolitan'']] study found that a plurality of respondents, both male and female, preferred partners who shave or at least trim their pubic hair. A smaller percentage of 6% of men and 10% of women preferred their partners to go natural and not shave or trim their pubic hair.<ref name="cosmopolitan">{{cite news|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a9535211/pubic-hair-removal-trends-stats/|title=Should I Remove My Pubic Hair – Men and Women Weigh In on Pubic Hair Removal Trends|last=Thomson-Deveaux|first=Amelia|date=26 April 2017|work=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]|access-date=16 December 2021|archive-date=December 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216215239/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a9535211/pubic-hair-removal-trends-stats/|url-status=live}}</ref> === In art === {{refimprove section|date=September 2015}} [[File:Eve with a Stag.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Heinrich Aldegrever]]'s Eve, 1540; a rare early example of pubic hair in northern European art]] In [[ancient Egyptian art]], female pubic hair is indicated in the form of painted triangles.<ref>Stuckey, Johanna (2007). [http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM07/spotlight.htm The "Holy One"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131132738/http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM07/spotlight.htm |date=January 31, 2008 }}. ''Cross Quarterly for the Goddess Woman''. '''6''' (4).</ref> In medieval and classical European art, pubic hair was very rarely depicted, and male pubic hair was often, but not always, omitted.{{sfn|Barcan|2004|p=144}} Sometimes it was portrayed in stylized form, as was the case with Greek graphic art.{{sfn|Hollander|1993|p=136}} In 16th century southern Europe, [[Michelangelo]] showed the male [[David (Michelangelo)|David]] with stylized pubic hair,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/home/a11487/17-hbz-2015-08-01-to-ladyscape-or-not-1-3635/|title=To Ladyscape, or Not?|first=Alex|last=Kuczynski|date=July 16, 2015|website=Harper's BAZAAR}}</ref> but female bodies were depicted hairless below the head. Nevertheless, Michelangelo's male nudes on the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]] display no pubic hair.{{cn|date=October 2019}} In the late 18th century, female pubic hair was openly portrayed in Japanese [[Shunga (art)|shunga]] (erotica), especially in the [[ukiyo-e]] tradition.{{sfn|Screech|1999|p=}} [[Hokusai]]'s picture ''[[The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife]]'' (1814), which depicts a woman having an erotic fantasy, is a well-known example. In Japanese drawings, such as [[hentai]], pubic hair is often omitted, since for a long time the display of pubic hair was not legal. The interpretation of the law has since changed.{{sfn|Zanghellini|2009}} {{lang|fr|[[L'Origine du monde]]}} (1866), by the French artist [[Gustave Courbet]], was controversial for its realism, which pushed the limits of what was considered presentable at the time. In contrast to academic painting, which favored smooth, idealized nudes, this painting showed a close-up view of the vulva, with full pubic hair, of a woman lying on a bed with legs spread. === In fashion === In 1985, four weeks before his death, [[Rudi Gernreich]] unveiled the pubikini, a topless bathing suit that exposed the wearer's ''[[mons pubis]]'' and pubic hair.<ref>''Portraits: Photographs from Europe and America'' (2004) Klaus Honnef, Helmut Newton and Carol Squiers. page 21, Schirmer, {{ISBN|382960131X}}</ref><ref>Cathy Horn, "Rudi Revisited", ''The Washington Post'', November 17, 1991, page 3</ref><ref>Elizabeth Gunther Stewart, Paula Spencer & Dawn Danby, ''The V Book: A Doctor's Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health'' (2002), page 104, Bantam Books, {{ISBN|0-553-38114-8}}</ref><ref name="Metrwax">{{cite web |author=overzero.com |url=http://www.metroland.net/guides/2007_sum_guide/sum_waxing.html |title=Bald is Beautiful |work=[[Metroland (newspaper)|Metroland]]|access-date=2012-11-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729120714/http://metroland.net/guides/2007_sum_guide/sum_waxing.html |archive-date=2012-07-29 }}</ref><ref name="auto1">Elizabeth Gunther Stewart, Paula Spencer and Dawn Danby, ''The V Book'', page 104, Bantam Books, 2002, {{ISBN|0553381148}}</ref> It was a thin, V-shaped, thong-style bottom<ref>{{cite book|title=Recent acquisitions: A Selection, 1985-1986 |editor=Ellen Shultz|date=1986|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York|isbn=978-0870994784|pages=48}}</ref> that in the front featured a tiny strip of fabric that exposed the wearer's pubic hair.<ref name="Metrwax"/><ref name="auto1"/> The pubikini was described as a ''[[pièce de résistance]]'' totally freeing the human body.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DP&p_theme=dp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB1DA884A3D966C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Catalog adds options for overweight girls], ''Denver Post'', 1992-01-02</ref> === In history === Evidence of pubic hair removal in ancient India is thought to date back to 4000 to 3000 BC.{{sfn|Masini|2005|p=49}} According to ethnologist F. Fawcett, writing in 1901, he had observed the removal of body hair, including pubic hair about the vulva, as a custom of women from the [[Hindu]] [[Nair]] caste.{{sfn|Fawcett|2004|p=195}} In Western societies, after the spread of Christianity, public exposure of a woman's bare skin between the ankle and waist started to be disapproved of culturally. Upper body exposure due to the use of the popular vest [[bodice]]s used in Western Europe from the 15th century to early 20th century, as the widespread [[dirndl]]s used even in more traditionally conservative mountain areas and the more or less loose shirts under these, enabled a permissive view of the shoulders, [[décolletage]] and arms allowing a free exposure of upper body hair in women of all classes with less rejection or discrimination than body hair on the sex organs, obviously to conceal by implication. Many people came to consider public exposure of pubic hair to be [[Embarrassment|embarrassing]].{{sfn|Tschachler|Devine|Draxlbauer|2003|pp=61–62}} It may be regarded as [[modesty|immodest]] and sometimes as [[obscene]]. However, it never came to have a full hold in Western culture in wide tracts of Central Europe, until the encroaching of [[Protestantism]] during the 16th century on formerly more tolerant customs.{{cn|date=March 2020}} In the 1450s, British prostitutes shaved their pubic hair for purposes of personal hygiene and the combatting of [[Pediculosis pubis|pubic lice]] and would don [[merkin]]s (or pubic wigs) when their line of work required it.<ref>''Oxford Companion to the Body'', [[Oxford University Press]], 2002.</ref>{{sfn|Francis|2003}} Among the British upper classes during the [[Georgian era]], pubic hair from one's lover was frequently collected as a souvenir. The curls were, for instance, worn like [[cockade]]s in men's hats as potency talismans or exchanged among lovers as tokens of affection.{{sfn|Perrottet|2009}} The museum of [[St. Andrews University]] in Scotland has in its collection a [[snuffbox]] full of pubic hair of one of King [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]]'s mistresses (possibly [[Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham|Elizabeth Conyngham]]), which the notoriously licentious monarch donated to the [[Fife]] sex club, [[The Beggar's Benison]].{{sfn|Perrottet|2009}} === In literature === {{unref section|date=September 2019}} In the erotic novel ''[[My Secret Life (memoir)|My Secret Life]]'' the narrator "Walter", an evident connoisseur of female pubic hair, talks with clear delight of a fine bush of a [[Scotswoman]]'s thick red pubic hair: <blockquote>The bush was long and thick, twisting and curling in masses half-way up to her navel, and it spread about up her buttocks, gradually getting shorter there.</blockquote> In another part of his autobiography Walter remarks that he has seen those "bare of hair, those with but hairy stubble, those with bushes six inches long, covering them from bum bone to navel." And he adds reflectively – "there is not much that I have not seen, felt or tried, with respect to this supreme female article." In like vein, in ''[[The Memoirs of Dolly Morton]]'', an American erotic classic, the attributes of Miss Dean are noted with some surprise – her spot was covered with a "thick forest of glossy dark brown hair," with locks nearly two inches long. One man remarked: <blockquote>But Gosh! I've never seen such a fleece between a woman's legs in my life. Darn me if she wouldn't have to be sheared before man could get into her.</blockquote>
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