The History of Pubes

The Rachel, the Shag cut, the Mullet are just some of the iconic hairstyles and trends donned throughout time. However, much like the hair upon our heads, our hair upon our genitals has also gone through a whole range of styles and trends. Whether this be through the media, marketing or society in general, when looking at the history of pubic hair you soon realise and understand the unreasonable and ridiculous expectations women’s bodies have gone through. For a small patch of hair on our bodies, it’s crazy to think how this was a topic of debate and discussion for centuries.

Our journey starts in Ancient Egypt where the hair removal itself was done in many unique ways. The most prominent methods of pumice stones, waxing and even by using sharp flints - something I would probably advise against as a safety precaution. I personally had the belief that pubic hair during this time was celebrated and grown to its fullest. It’s interesting to see that women in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries and cultures were already thinking of ways to remove their pubes. In Ancient Greece, they also thought of alternative ways to remove hair down there. The most popular forms of removal take on plucking each individual hair or even burning it off. The Greeks believed that pubic hair on women was classed uncivilised, hence the drastic options of removal. However, there has been much debate by historians as to whether it was just courtesans who went hairless rather than the average woman during this time. Looking at Ancient Rome also, hair seemed like a complete no-no. Not only were vaginas kept completely hairless and smooth, men removed their body hair too. Films which depict Ancient Roman soldiers and warriors, shining with oil always seemed far-fetched to me however, it seems like it’s quite accurate with their attitudes to all forms of body hair. 

I feel like many have the assumption that the Middle Ages was a time where pubic hair was celebrated and women were expected not to remove it. This is true to some extent however, it is important to understand one of the main problems during this era: pubic lice. Because of the large presence of lice, some kept it completely hairless - understandably a sensible approach. However, the overall trend running through society during this time was to maintain it and to keep the pubes. For those who went hairless, many used a merkin - a pubic hair wig which is recorded in history as early as 1450. Even the Royals got involved on the pubic hair bandwagon. Queen Elizabeth I jumped on the trend by keeping her pubic hair but, removing her eyebrows. This is definitely a very out-there style but, honestly, it’s kind of high fashion. It’s quite interesting to note that the art from this era depicts women without bushes, for some reason. Why? I’m not too sure.

The first half of the 20th Century saw the invention of the first women’s body hair razor in 1915. Released by Gillette, the razor was marketed and advertised as a product for removing armpit hair rather than pubic and leg hair. However, it was quite a pivotal moment as it established how conversations around women’s body hair became central to products and marketing. Leg shaving became quite common during this time due to the nylon and tight shortages of the Second World War. Due to the lack of hosiery available, women had to go bare legged leading to many shaving their legs. Before this time, the pubic area was very rarely seen apart from those intimate moments. This soon changed with the introduction of the bikini in 1946 and from there, women were to “maintain” what was down there with a razor. Wilkinson Sword also released a campaign during this time explicitly claiming that female underarm hair was “unhygienic and unfeminine”. Compared to previous history, perhaps the 20th Century was most pivotal in the way female body hair and society intertwined with one another. Before this, even though body hair was still ruled by society and the male gaze, it became much more hardline and “strict” within society and became a categorical expectation rather than perhaps a “desire” and preference.

The 20th Century was quite a turbulent time for “pubic hair trends” and understanding what was the new societal expectation for women and their body hair. Just a few years later into the 60s and 70s, the time for sexual liberation was rife and prominent. This meant that sexual liberation was also reflected in the pubes themselves, with the bush making a return and coinciding with the “au naturel” look. However, just another ten years later, this all changed and trimmed pubes became the next big thing in society. This pretty much stayed for the next few decades and it was somewhat the in-between of a bush and completely shaven and hairless. During this time, the media had a real influence on what was the outcome for pubic hair. ‘The Vagina Monologues’ (1996) looks at the topic of pubic hair and how a lack of it was seen as degrading and quite creepy. The infamous Playboy Magazine also focussed on neat, manicured pubic hair and the 90s also saw the rise of the Brazilian wax; which has arguably kept its popularity to this day, with many opting for waxes rather than a razor. 

It’s quite crazy to think that arguably one of our most intimate areas on our body was examined by society for centuries and decided what was “attractive” and “acceptable”. In recent years, people have started to not care what their and anybody else’s pubes look like and thats great. To put it into context, in 2013 a UK poll found that 51% of women who took part in the survey didn’t trim or wax at all. A real difference to what used to be “expected”. Compared to the 20th Century, when every other year was declared a new pubic trend and the media became a huge part in deciding what was defined as “feminine” or “attractive”, it seems that many just don’t give a shit anymore. I know it’s cliché but, do what you want to do to your body hair. If you feel more confident shaving and waxing - go ahead. If you feel more confident letting it all grow out - go ahead. You do you and don’t feel any shame in that. This is something I wish this was focussed on in society more and well before the 21st Century.