Removing your pubic hair could be a health hazard. Who knew? (Image has been digitally altered.)
There’s a doctor in the US who is calling for an end the war on pubic hair.
Yes. A pubic hair amnesty.
The UN is currently awaiting word as to whether it will be required to deploy teeny tiny peace-keeping troops to groin areas around the world. We’ll keep you posted on that.
Physician, Emily Gibson wants to end the war on pubic hair and her argument is not an aesthetic or feminist one.
Dr Gibson argues that removing pubic hair can be a health hazard. She claims that it increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and that people need to know pubic hair serves a purpose and should “stay right where it belongs.”
This from The Huffington Post:
Gibson says that pubic hair removal is increasing the risk of of infection and sexually transmitted diseases among young people.
“It is a sadly misconceived war,” Gibson writes on KevinMD.com, social media’s so-called “leading physician voice.” “Long ago surgeons figured out that shaving a body part prior to surgery actually increased rather than decreased surgical site infections.”
“No matter what expensive and complex weapons are used—razor blades, electric shavers, tweezers, waxing, depilatories, electrolysis—hair, like crab grass, always grows back and eventually wins. In the mean time, the skin suffers the effects of the scorched battlefield.”
Gibson goes on to say that removing the hair irritates and inflames the hair follicle, resulting in open wounds, boils or abscesses. “Some clinicians are finding that freshly shaved pubic areas and genitals are also more vulnerable to herpes infections due to the microscopic wounds being exposed to virus carried by mouth or genitals,” she added.
Plus getting rid of pubic hair HURTS. (Gibson didn’t say that, we just added that in but it’s a pretty relevant factor)
Have you declared war on your pubic hair? Do you expect your sexual partner to do the same? Or do you let nature take its pubic course?
Comments
202 Comments so far
I’ve shaved for as, long as I can remember I decided to recently start growing it out idc what anyone thinks. I’m sick of the same ole look I’m tied of people judging and I’m sick of feeling like a little girl a real woman had her hair and my bf don’t care not that it would matter if he did I’m a woman not a porn star I’m not gong to ever be one and I don’t have anyone to impress anyway and I feel women shouldn’t feel pressured by society to shave I say stop doing things for these little boys out here and do what you want for your body not what everyone else says is right you have control of your body
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Children should grow naturally from pre teen to eighteen with pit and pubic hair common to both gender. Only boys have choice over “male” hairs of beard or mustache to grow , trim or shave . The rest of hair except on male chest are feminine in character and best advised to keep because women give birth to both gendered babies.Women should be spared of hate at puberty to keep natural hair in preference to nature’s patented design for discharging their natural duty disregarding false aesthetics for saving health.
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Im a 19 year old and i have been shaving it all off since i started getting it. It itched like mad so it had to go. But now i have a bf and i still shave but there is always the weeks where i dont feel like it, and he doesnt care either way. Its always been a preference for me to shave it all off, and it was never decided by society. As i say that, ive heard some spiteful stories about girls who havent shaved and i think that it should always be a personal choice and no one should ever have to be pressured either way.
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I can see both sides to the arguments here, and both have valid points. I am a male in my early 20′s, and I can say that there has only been two girls that I’ve been with that did not remove their pubic hair. Personally, I don’t mind that much.
One point I wanted to bring up on this topic, is that a lot of people commenting on this story seem to be only thinking that it is women who perform pubic hair removal. Some of you may be surprised how many males are doing it these days as well. Sure, it is most likely that females tend to do it more than guys, but it is something to keep in mind as well.
My preference for my partner of 3 years changes from time-to-time, but like I mentioned earlier, I don’t mind that much. I myself remove pubic hair some of the time as well, and again, my partner doesn’t have a particular preference.
A big thing that I believe people are looking straight passed without a moments hesitation, is the fact that the majority of females remove hair on their body in more places than their pubic area. Why aren’t there more issues about this? Has it been happening for so long that most people have forgotten about it? Should we be more cautious about shaving our legs and armpits? What about plucking out eyebrows?
Then there is the massive one, that again, people probably didn’t even think of whilst reading those questions. Something that has existed for thousands of years. Should men shave their faces? Sure that hair serves a vital purpose?
There have been documents cases of people accidentally cutting themselves on a rusty razor, and contracting all sorts of diseases, some even life-taking.
My point is, if you are going to discuss the pros and cons of pubic hair removal, I think the topic should be broadened to focus on things that have existed for a lot longer. It seems because these other types of hair removal have existed for so long they have fallen off the radar (that’s if they were ever on it)
I believe everyone should have a choice about what hair they remove, if any. But perhaps awareness levels should be raised about the risks. Awareness at this point is probably the most sensible option.
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I think it is simply a matter of choice.
Once a guy I was seeing commented I should trim it back he said he wanted to do it for me. I kinda thought it was a nice gesture also the fact that he didn’t want it all off or think it was ‘abnormal’ to have some. I heard some guys get weird about it like a lot of other commenters said here which is sad to hear.
If someone loves you, respects you and appreciates you for you. I mean truly. The state of your pubic hair shouldn’t even be an issue.
I personally get it all off by waxing, it grows back slowly and isn’t as coarse. The hair has actually irritated me in the past, sometimes I would have rashes so I’d have to trim it back otherwise it’s just too much. Shaving down there has always irritated my skin and given me ingrown hairs. I haven’t had any problems with waxing, the beautician I see told me to exfoiliate and moisturise which prevents any ingrowns.
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned how good it is to have less hair especially when you get your period. A helleva lot more hygenic if you ask me.
I only see a problem xxx waxing if you’re not an adult. That scares me girls want to get that done early. That should be the least of your worries when you’re a teenager. I think you should be over 18 to get it done.
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I do think each to their own, but felt shocked and naive when a guy in his mid 30s who occassionally plays football still told me that younger guys in the change rooms ask questions/make comments like “so who’s slept with a chick with pubic hair?…” and “NO WAY!!! That’s just wierd…” and “It’s off, it just shows she’s not looking after herself…”. Some of these guys had apparently never seen a grown woman with pubic hair before at all.
The other interesting thing was that the players all showered with their underwear on – a seemingly big shift from change rooms not so long ago.
The perception of what is okay and acceptable ‘down there’ seems to have altered in many ways.
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The thing that worries me about the public hair war is the message it sends to our daughters.
Puberty is confusing and one of the positive messages we can send is that what happens to your body is normal. If you are 12, have only ever seen your mother with a brazillian and you start growing public hair how are you going to feel?
http://mummyateme.blogspot.com.au/
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Its interesting that this article talks about increased risk of STDs.
I spent my late teens and all my 20s being so careful to have safe sex. I had a lot of sex with a lot of people but I was a stickler for protection.
When I did get into a serious relationship (with my now husband) I told him we couldn’t stop using condoms until we both had a full STD test. I was really paranoid, or sensible, one or the other.
Anyway, one night we came home from a particular party and ended up having a magical night of hours and hours of sex. We had a shower first and I shaved my entire area as I had done many times before. We had sex until well into the next day. Fabulous!
Until a few days later. I started to get pains around my labia and my vagina. It was red and itchy and sore. I thought it was bruising or something from the night earlier but it just got worse. I finally decided I must have contracted a UTI and went to the Dr. He prescribed antibiotics. But it got worse. I could barely walk. I cried everytime I went to the toilet. I went back to the Dr and saw a different one and he prescribed me a stronger antibiotic and some numbing gel. This didn’t work either. I was in agony and weeing into towels in the bathtub so as not to feel the pain so strongly.
I took strong painkillers, it had now been close to a week. In one of my more comfortable moments I took a hand mirror and examined myself. I could see a few little round sores on my vulva. Back I went to the Dr and saw a female this time.
She examined me and then sat me down. “I think you have herpes” she told me. My stomach dropped. I’d only had sex with 1 man for years. And I knew he didn’t have it. Had he been cheating? My head spun!
Do you engage in cunnilingus? The dr asked. “yes” I replied. ” does he get mouth cold sores?” she asked. “yes” I replied. The penny dropping. But he didn’t have any sores on his mouth. I’m always so careful.
“it doesn’t matter” she said. “There is a thing called asymptomatic shedding” where if ur immune system is down and so is his, like if you’re tired, you can catch herpes simplex 1 (mouth herpes) but on your vagina.”
WTF???? I’d never heard of this!!!
She went on to say that small cuts (like from shaving) could have contributed.
She gave me drugs, took a swab, it was correct I did have herpes. Now it comes back every now and then but no where near as bad.
I just think it’s ironic that I’ve been so vigilant and the person who gives it to me is now my husband. He was mortified of course.
So there you go. Crazy huh!!
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Wow!
But, um, how did weeing on towels in the bathtub help? I don’t understand how that would be less painful.
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I dont know- something about the pressure and the water. If I just wee’d normally into a toilet it was like needles. I was in agony so I would have done anything!
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Wow, that is scary!
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Thanks for sharing this. Very valuable knowledge.
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Use my hubby’s beard trimmer. No. 1 all over. No ingrowns! Just looks like a 5 O’clock shadow, or a week after a wax. Takes me 5 mins so I can do it once a week easily.
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I don’t use my partners beard trimmer but I do use a hair trimmer. Its the one Gilette sells which is a shaver AND trimmer. It was the best investment I ever made. I highly recommend it.
I prefer trimming much more that shaving, particularly because theres no ingrowns (as you stated Anon). And personally, I like having a bit of hair cause it just feels strange for me not to have hair there. But each to their own you know. I have a friend that hates her hair down there and thats completely fine with me. She can do what she wants. But I will direct her towards this info when she says to me “Ewwwwwwww I can’t believe you don’t get rid of it all!” Lol
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But isn’t it all prickly doing it that way? At least if it’s longer it’s softer.
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I say Gibson hasnt discovered laser yet…
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I actually used to think the same thing! Until I saw Dr Masterson from the TV show The Doctors – she said the hair was there to protect us from things such as dust, that we would have had to deal with pre-civilisation – these days we have underwear so it’s not necessary.
Having said that, I like a compromise between the two, we are adult women who DO have pubic hair, so how about manicured bush
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I’ve always shaved. Not for men, I just prefer it and always have. The trick is to not go against the grain, so to speak- I’ve never had an infection or ingrown from doing that. No pain, very neat, and it doesn’t look pre-adolescent! Win-win-win, I think.
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But so spiky as it grows back! Shaving has always been an emergency ‘impromptu beachtrip’ option for me.
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*sigh* I’ve always shaved too, but no matter what direction or what type of razor or if I shave or wax I always get ingrown hairs! I’ve tried all sorts of lotions and potions and treatments and it just happens every time
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Maybe your body is trying to tell you something.
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If someone is prone to ingrown hairs, pimples, rashes, itches, etc, nothing will prevent these. You are just lucky that your “with the grain” thing works for you.
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After suffering a six month infection of a hair follicle after a quick bikini line shave in the shower, and with a beautiful scar to tell the tale, I’ve been very cautious in the trimming department.
The reason for the infection, I’m guessing the combination of sunscreen, salt water and bathers constantly rubbing. Never again!
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Oh god, that sounds very painful indeed. You poor thing
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Mothers of boys, please don’t let your kids grow up thinking thank a shaved cat is the natural thing….please!
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I SO agree with this!!! Well said!!
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Agreed. I’m afraid that porn makes them think this is the only way to be.
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Ironic that some people are saying don’t do what men tell you to do, but here you are, a woman tells someone what not to do and that is fine and well liked???
If I want a brazilian, then I will have one. No one – male or female, needs to tell me otherwise. It’s an individual thing.
And sorry – I have three boys…
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Why are you sorry that you have three boys?
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I think you may have missed the point – Meow isn’t saying do one thing or the other, just to make boys aware that having pubic hair is what happens after puberty. That way they mightn’t think it disgusting as some other posters have said they’ve been told.
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I really think it an individual choice. Sometimes I like lots of fluff, other times I like to be smooth. Sometimes I listen to what hubby wants, others I couldn’t care less. (his preference changes)
I really don’t like the fact the guys are making girls feel bad for their choice…. What happened to the good old days when a man would take whatever he could get!
Time to take back the power ladies!!
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I’m not sure it is always the guys pressuring the girls (although I’m sure sometimes it is). I’ve never seen my wife with a pubic hair, but have told her repeatedly that I genuinely don’t care either way. Doesn’t stop her getting rid of it all. I think you’ll find that there are heaps of guys out there who – like you say – are just thankful for anything!
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My fiancé says the same thing you do! However, like your wife I like to be bare because I like it!
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I believe that there is no need for clear felling of the old growth forest, whether it be trees or pubes. However a little trim around the edges probably isnt that bad for either too.
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By the time I finished year 12 almost all the girls in our year level had had a brazillian and continue to do so today (I was one of the last). I was hesitant at first but it really does feel so much better and cleaner!
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This makes me sad – so many 17yr olds not embracing their bodies….warts and all! A quick wax on either side was all I did at that age (and today, if my husband’s lucky!).
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I agree, I was shocked at the time but now it just appears to be the ‘norm’…
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I just love how men have all these opinions and preferences but I have yet to hear about any men who wax off all of their own pubic hair! Double standards just a bit? : P
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I know heaps!
Not to my taste though
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Now, now S, can you honestly tell me men with long beards and hairy shoulders are on your to do list or do you have personal preferences about how men should groom?
We all have a choice and we all make our own decisions – Whether we follow the urges of sexual selection in order to find a more attractive member of the gene pool is completely stuck in self volition.
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Full bush all the way. Do now remove the mo and the chin furries after getting to 30 with no hair removal. I’m not entirely not vain.
For those who do the ‘who cares what anyone does’, doesn’t it concern you that what should be a choice has become the norm? About half the girls I knew growing up would ‘tidy’ – everyone had some hair. Nobody took the lot off. It saddens me that my daughter may live in a world where spending that kind of time or money is the equivilent of wiping your bum after a poo because its gross.
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It wasn’t long ago that make-up, deoderant and shaved legs were rare, and now that that’s all seen as normal I don’t see the world turning on it’s head.
The ‘norm’ when it comes to beauty changes every few decades. At some point the full bush will come back into fashion. Throughout history there have been many periods were body hair has been out of fashion, and other times when it was the hairier the better (eg. porn in the 60′s and 70′s was all about huge bushes, the bigger the better).
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Thanks for changing the Robert Hughes photo on the mamamia site. Now please replace the one on facebook to a photo of him on his own, in respect to all victims of sexual assault. Seriously….WTF?
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I’m relatively young (21) and a lot of people my age get some sort of waxing/trimming down there, like it’s almost expected that you do.
My bf and I are both ‘au natural’ although i felt a bit self conscious when we first slept together as i was a little hairy. I sometimes trim a little though. I’m way too chicken to ever get a brazilian (I can’t even bring myself to get a bikini line wax, the only thing i can get waxed is my eyebrows)
Come bikini season, I shave my bikini line, even though it often itches like crazy! I just need to build up a higher pain threshold
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The first few times cane like someone is slapping you with a tape studded with shark teeth.
But only for a few seconds. It gets much much easier, especially if you do it every 3-5 weeks!
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Try very on the bikini line. There is no shave rash and it’s all over in 3 minutes while you shower.
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Sorry “VEET” not “very”
Darn auto correct
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Hazz, I’m just about 21 and I’m fairly certain that basically all my female friends and cousins (from about 15-30) shave/wax everything off.
I never have, only trimming/shaving my bikini line for summer, but I’ve been becoming increasing worried that I’m really weird and, one day if I ever get a boyfriend, he’s going to be super grossed out, so it’s really nice to hear that there’s other people my age who still actually have pubic hair (and who have boyfriends who don’t care that they do).
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Really and truly, NOT everyone is doing it. PLEASE feel confident that you are normal and beautiful just as you are.
I promise you that, when you do get a boyfriend, and are in a loving, respectful relationship where you want to experience each other’s bodies, he will love you just as you are – a real woman.
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The implication there of course being that women who don’t choose to maintain natural bushes are, of course, not real women.
Awesome, good to know!
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22, have pubes, boyfriend not only doesn’t care but prefers I don’t get rid of em
Don’t worry, just be yourself and you’ll find someone who doesn’t want to change you.
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ok so i know its proven that its not cleaner but dont you all feel cleaner and lighter with any hair down there? and i dont get leaving a strip… just take it all off!
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I hate having it all off! Makes me feel like I havn’t hit puberty, and makes me feel like my partner is some sort of paedafile. I know he’s not, but it just makes me feel very uncomfortable being bare down there. I’ll always choose a runway.
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No, I do not feel “cleaner and lighter” with no hair down there.
I feel absolutely normal having hair where it should be.
And I agree that it’s a bit dubious when men like the look of a hairless mound. I really DO wonder if they are attracted to pre-pubescent girls then.
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ok sooner its proven its not cleaner but dont you all feel cleaner and lighter with any hair down there? and i dont get leaving a strip… just take it all off!
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I remember how excited I was to get my first pubes when I was about 11 or 12. I feel a bit sad for the many young women now who grow their first pubes and whose thoughts automatically turn to yet one more thing that they have to ‘fix’ about themselves.
That said, I do get the sideburns taken off for summer. The rest I leave alone.
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Never heard the expression “sideburns” but it’s a good one.
I’m the same as you. I have a high pain threshold but I couldn’t imagine waxing all over down there.
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Let it all grow! Life’s so much easier. And in my experience men really aren’t that fussed. In fact, I often think one of the benefits of being hairy and proud is it’s usefulness as a protective filter – saves me having to deal with any toolbag who expects me to look anything other than myself.
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I wax because I like the feel of it, not for any man >:D
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Yeh, right!
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Nice of you to comment, Anon! I first had it done shortly after ending a relationship, and kept it up during the nearly two years of celibacy that followed. I like the feel of it. If a man I was with had any opinions on my ladygarden or lack thereof, they would not be a man I’d want to be with.
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I have to admit I was only joking when I said ‘yeh, right’, sorry. I just had a little joke with myself. Good on you. My hat goes off to you and all women like yourself who do what they want with THEIR bodies for their own reasons and NOBODY else’s reasons. Do what you are comfortable with in all walks of life and never let anyone deter you. Please forgive me, I know I should not have had a giggle at the expense of you, really am sorry. Wish you and your lady garden all the very best.
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my friends ask me if i mow my lawn and i love to say yes!!!!
say no to pubic hair!!!
LOLS!!!
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Wait until you all get to 60′s plus, then you will have nothing left to mow, shave, trim or wax!
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hahaha lols, thats no fun at all!!!!
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Um, Mamamia, where did my very much thumbs upped comment go?
If it was deleted because I made a comment on the repetitiveness of the posts lately then that is outrageous!!
I was not aware I lived in a country where censorship of respectful but disagreeing commentary existed!
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That’s odd – I commented in reply to you and it just came up in the regular stream. It looks like your comment – which I thought was very valid – is gone. I too would like an explanation – I hope it wasn’t removed deliberately!
For the record, this is what I said: “If it doesn’t hurt you, good for you, but I can’t imagine you’re in the majority. I tried it once and it was the most painful thing I’ve ever done in my life!”
I’ve deleted my comment from the regular stream as it made no sense on its own.
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I like pubic hair, and if there is a war against it…..I have no intention of enlisting ! Consider me a conscientious objector who has burned his draft card, looking forward to the moratorium.
Fight them in the air and on the beaches if you wish. I’m going AWOL.
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I had a conversation once with a lady who did laser hair removal and she pointed out that one of the big problems with getting all your pubic hair removed permanently is that in old age it isn’t just the skin on your face that sags, if you know what I mean.
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Save me from old age! (Half way there, at 47!) Lol!
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I don’t wax any more after ending up in hospital after a brazilian. My story (beware, it’s kind of icky): An ingrown hair got infected and after a few days of watching it get more and more swollen, red and painful (bumping into a table caused me to shriek in pain), I went to my GP who took one look and sent me to the emergency room.
Once I got in after a few hours wait, the triage nurse again took one look, and said “I’m just going to go grab the general surgeon to take a look…” Bam – admitted straight into hospital and put on killer IV antibiotics. When the infection hadn’t decreased in 24 hours, it was off to surgery. A simple ingrown hair had turned into a full blown abscess that required surgery to drain it and a tube put in me for 10 days to finish the draining. Seriously gross.
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Oh. My gosh. I thought those stories were just myths. I had a massive infected ingrown the other year and it sounds just like yours. However I read somewhere that you can use a corticosteroid cream to get the swelling down. Thankfully it worked, but eeep!
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I got lasering ages ago which means i have heaps less hair there .. now I just wax my own hairs (full braz) I enjoy waxing which makes me weird I know ..!
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So does that mean the hair does eventually grow back after laser? Thanks
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I have a problem with the pressure on women to remove all the hair so they look like a 12 year old girl – I shudder to think what this says about men who like this?
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I wax, sometimes I leave a little ‘strip’ other times it all goes. I don’t look like a 12 year old girl. I look like a 28 year old woman who has removed her pubic hair. It doesn’t say anything about the men who like it. My husband enjoys it but he also doesn’t care when I’m overdue for a wax either. I think it’s incredibly offensive to assume something like that. I love looking at a man with a shaved chest, doesn’t mean I’m into young boys.
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A 28 year old woman naturally has pubic hair.
Sounds like you do not look like that.
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Pubic hair doesn’t make a woman. A 28 year old woman also has hips, boobs and either with or without clothes on still looks like a woman.
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So you don’t remove any body hair? Most 28 year old women have hair on their legs, armpits etc and a lot of women remove all that hair too. As B said women also have other parts that make them look womanly. I love how I look and feel after a wax, doesn’t look like a child to me even when I do remove every last hair.
Would all the women accusing men of being pedophiles because they prefer it smooth say the same about lesbian women? This is a serious question, I just feel like there is so much man bashing on these forums.
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My now-ex preferred little or no hair down there because he said it made it easier to ‘do things’ if you get what i mean, not because of the 12yr old girl association. But that’s just one guys perspective
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Did you say ‘ well how about you partake as well – makes it easier for me to *do things* too’ ? Hehehe – bet he would run a mile at the thought
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I agree with you wholeheartedly!
It is a reall concern.
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I am Brazilian (born and raised in Brazil – nothing to do with the waxing) and it really bothers me how people call the full waxing a “brazilian”. Maybe it has to do with the small bikinis girls wear in Rio (not so much in other parts of the country)- and everyone just assumes girls wax all their hair down there. However, brazilians in general do not wax all their pubic hair…..in fact it is quite rare (I have asked most of my friends – and the ladies who have done my waxing for years) for a brazilian person to have a brazilian…
Weird.. I’m not offended but I don’t like it and I wish the name of the “full waxing” would change.
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I vaguely recall reading something years ago that it was “invented” by sisters from Brazil who opened a salon in New York.
Going from memory here, I haven’t fact checked
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I’m a gen Y living at a residential college, and the pressure placed on young women nowadays to be totally hairless down there is unrelenting. Every guy around my college expects hairlessness. It’s not abnormal to overhear their conversation about ‘feral girls’ with ‘a full bush.’
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I know, how awful is it? I mean, it’s fine for women to do whatever they want, don’t get me wrong! But this pressure from men, and the belief that what is natural is “disgusting” is just horrible.
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Completely agree. I don’t think older women fully understand the pressure that’s put on us gen Y girls from men. It’s intense and has become the norm.
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Im alot older than Gen Y and had no idea of this pressure. Some things never change.
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I know it’s easier said than done, but fight this expectation!
Hopefully you wouldn’t get a tattoo, or a boob job, or even anything as simple and temporary as a hair-colour change – just because a bloke expected it.
PLEASE young ladies, do what you want for your body – NOT what others, male or female, desire.
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But these guys that say this, do you actually care that they think that? Do you think they are right? Do you agree with them? You don’t have to accept that just because they say it. You don’t have to conform to what they expect.
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@HK That’s easier said than done! Thankfully a Brazilian is not expected in my generation, though it may be reasonably common. But I know that as a young woman I didn’t think it was worth the grief to rebel against shaving my legs or underarms.
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I’ve had hairy legs for several years, regularly wearing cropped pants through the summer so it’s partly on show, and no one has ever said anything about it to me, except when I’ve said something first. I’ve never had any grief for it.
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When you are young at university, I think you’d get grief. Or at least you’d have trouble getting laid.
It gets easier to go your own way the older you get.
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Jules and Sasha do these guys fully wax too?
It’s sad that this is considered ‘the norm’ and makes you feel like you have no choice.
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Hi Ziggy,
Truth be told I’m not speaking from personal experience per se, my boyfriend and I are both fairly low key in regards to, uh, those regions. But my girlfriends have told me about their boyfriend’s pressuring them (some of the guys shave themselves, some don’t) and I’ve read many comments online from men who are UTTERLY grossed out but almost any body hair on a woman. *sigh*.
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They should simply be extremely grateful they are allowed acces to to any garden, mowed, waxed or wild woman!!
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Yeah, I’d tell them to get fucked, but I think that is sounds like their personalities might hinder that happening…
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I get such terrible in-grown hairs from waxing that I haven’t had a braz in 6 months after years of religiously getting them every couple of weeks. In that time I’ve been with one guy and I actually felt like I had to apoligise for the state of my bush! However I’m getting over it. I’ve started getting g string waxes which are great, you still feel well groomed and tidy but they’re not nearly as pricey or painful. The in-growns are way easier to deal with too.
I now think that waxing all your pubic hair is not only bad for you and unhygienic but there’s also a definite creepy element to it in the sense that only young children shouldn’t have any pubic hair… I dunno blame the porn industry but it’s not normal or natural for a grown woman to have no hair down there.
I also think that for some reason a naked women looks better with a tidy little lady garden, nobody wants to look like a plucked turkey!
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So what is the actual purpose of pubic hair that the Dr alludes to? Saying that shaving nicks increases infection is not the same as describing the actual benefit of having pubic hair in the first place.
I find pubic hair like the human equivalent of Lantana. A pest that stuff gets caught up in. Having said that I dont wax the entire lot off. I prefer an “established garden” as long as it’s manicured. Much like my backyard. (as in my real one at my house, not my “backyard”).
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I think you need to re-read the article. She said when you remove the hair, the follicles become inflamed and leave microscopic wounds which leave the area more susceptible to infection/harbouring viruses. She did not say anything about nicks from shaving. So I would therefore conclude that benefits of leaving your pubes in tact are quite clear.
Also, the whole PURPOSE of pubic hair (and eyebrows for that matter) is for “stuff” to get caught up in it. If it didn’t the “stuff” would end up inside you even if you didn’t know it. It is meant for keeping “stuff” out.
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Fortunately for humanity, most of us now wear underwear. Yay for outsmarting evolution!
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“Shaving nicks” was one example (mine) of a wound, microscopic or visible – a portal for infection is just that. As for your explanation on pubic-hair-as-gatekeeper, i agree that it may serve some function like this, but if you think about the male anatomy for example, pubic hair would be around the opening of the urethra, not at the base of the shaft. Genitals are not sterile, only the urinary tracts are. And it doesn’t really explain armpit hair. As for eyelashes and eyebrows – these are here from pre-birth whereas pubic hair comes at puberty which means that it relates to hormones and the theory that pubic hair is related more to pheromones than gate-keeping. I was merely hoping for an explanation as to the point of pubic hair given the Dr said it had a real function. Not to disagree with her, but out of interest.
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Well, its sounds a bit indelicate, but if I am fully shaved I find the wee can go everywhere!
Leaving some hair would be much more useful if camping or at festivals and having to squat, or having to hover over an unsanitary looking loo.
I prefer to leave some hair, my younger boyfriend would prefer fully shaved, and I think his opinion is from watching moder porn.
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I’ve always been bushy (ahem, and quite bouffant) down there and to be honest, I really liked the feel of it. The only maintenance I would do was the occassional trim or tidy-up of the bikini line. Until one day about a year and a half ago when I decided in the bath ‘what the heck -lets shave it all off’. I’d never seen myself bare and it was quite a interesting sight, plus it initially felt good! And then the panic set in. It got prickly only few days in, but the hair grew back quite sparsely and short. Its only now, some 18 months later, that my hair has grown back to the same extent it was before – don’t think I’ll ever shave it all again or get it waxed bcause I don’t want to lose the thickness for good! As far as other people getting full brazilians etc, I really couldn’t care less, its their body and they can choose how much hair they want (or don’t want, if thats the case).
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Good for you! I actually love the way my bush feels too. And when I let my armpit hair grow for the first time, I felt proud of that as well- it was like wow, look what my body can do!
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I’m a mature woman, and have no desire to looks like a pre-pubescent. My then-BF (now hubby) once asked me to shave, and I told hlim no – it’s my body, after all. That being said, I do tidy up along the bikini line for swimming.
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This post reminded me to book my week-overdue Brazilian.
Thanks Mamamia!
(In all seriousness, are we now done judging people for how hey wear their pubic hair?)
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how is that judging?
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More to the point: how is it possible? If I see my colleague in a skirt it would be pretty tough for me to ‘judge’ her based on her pubic hair. “Oh hmmm,” I would say. “I see you’ve decided to only go the bikini wax and trim today. That’s an, umm, interesting choice.”
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I dunno, the comments saying that Brazilianed-women look like 12-year olds are just that little bit judgemental. Could just be me though!
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FFS I am sick to death of the over sensitivity of people on this site..The simple fact is that pre-pubecent girls natually have no public hair, grown women do, therefore losing the hair most definately makes your cat region look like a pre-pubecent, no arguement about it. I’m sorry you can’t argue with fact, it not people being judgemental.
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I’m pretty sure my boobs, hips, butt, face and the rest of me in general tell a different story!
Give people (men AND women) some credit. No pubes does not a 12 year-old make.
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Just thought you might be interested to know that Canberra is often reffered to as ‘The Bush Capital’ …
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A couple of months ago I slept with a guy for the first time, who when saw that I hadn’t waxed for a while (not even that long!) put his hand down there and said and I quote “not really good enough is it (and a few other things I won’t put in print)”, I was mortified and safe to say I literally threw him out of my bed there and then, and have since then not waxed and refuse to apologise for it, I’m 22 years old and a lot of male friends I know have never been with a girl who has pubic hair. I know people say they do it for themselves but that experience really made me think about whether I was really doing it for me or too not be embarrassed when I picked up. Just thought I’d share that little experience, I wonder if its very commmon… for now I’m working on my taste in men….
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OMG What a dead-set tosser!
Did you examine his parts and declare ‘hmmmm – not really good enough EITHER’!!
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OMG!!! what a jerk!!
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Wow that is f**ked up!! Good luck finding a REAL man!
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My response to that would have been: “Can I criticise YOUR body now?”
What a d-bag!
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Good on you for chucking him out! What a pig!
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No real ‘man’ would ever make a comment like that.
What a dick!
So glad you kicked him out and I hope the door did hit him (hard) on the ass on his way out.
Your taste in men can only go up from here
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Some people really have a talent for putting their foot in it don’t they.
It would seem you really dodged a dum dum bullet there.
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I’ve had a similar experience and I’m 24 now. To all those women who say there is no pressure from men to be bare you are kidding yourselves. Not all men, (my current boyfriend doesnt care) but its definitely expected by a lot of gen y guys that you don’t have pubic hair.
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This post reminded me to book my week-overdue Brazilian appointment.
Thanks Mamamia!
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My Mum got in trouble from her gynecologist for having a brazillian prior to surgery. In his view, it is a heap more wounds that are being exposed to all the potential infections that run through hospitals, so I can understand where that doctor is coming from.
Personally I trim and use an epilady to neaten the edges. I had laser a few years ago and it significantly thinned everything. Basically I’m still hairy, just neat!
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I did once after first meeting my husband get a Brazilian. e likes them so I thought I would get the laser to kill if of permently. It didn’t work 1500 dollars later.
Luckily it didn’t as I realised I prefer pubic hair and wanted to slap myself for altering my behaviour to please a man. I still get a bikini line wax to keep it tidy and I much prefer the hairy look.
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I uses to get semi regular brazzies but I stopped for 3 reasons. One was cost, the other was those damn ingrowns (no matter how much I exfoliated!) and the third was that I realised I was not doing it for myself, I was doing it for my man who insisted he didn’t mind either way. I didn’t particularly like how it looked and TBH having pubic hair makes me feel more womanly! Not partaking in a trend set by porn and less risk of STI’s are just a bonus :p
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Brazzies! I love it.
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The current trend in porn is for women to have pubic hair ever since Sasha Grey. As a man I shave everywhere, and think it feels nice. I don’t mind my wife shaving or having hair and both of us will do as we feel from time to time.
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I am as nature intended and unfortunately that is quite hairy, I wouldn’t be able to go swimming in any form of swimmers (unless shorts were included) due to my hair and to be honest, I don’t care. My husband is equally hairy and we still love each other (back hair included).
Don’t feel the urge to wax, shave, depilatory, laser or pluck.
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This seems like a good place to ask. When you’re pregnant and getting close to the end what do you do? I usually trim with scissors but that becomes impossible after the first few months with a big belly in the way. I’d feel very self-conscious going for a bikini wax while heavily pregnant, would rather do it myself. I’m thinking depilatory creams but haven’t used them before, does anyone know if they work?
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Depilatory creams usually come with warnings not to use them on pubic hair because the skin is too delicate to handle the chemicals. I would really strongly suggest not trying it unless you want chemical burns on your bits or unless you’ve got some new product designed especially for this use in mind (and even then, I’d be very, very careful).
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Ok, thanks for letting me know.
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I’m heavily pregnant and have been getting my usual monthly brazilians the whole time. My last one was last week and I don’t plan to do it again until after bub arrives. I wouldn’t feel self conscious if you’d like someone to give you a tidy up, the girls are used to it. Although I did find it more painful than usual, which is a side effect of pregnancy, so if you’re not used to getting it done it might not be very pleasant.
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Dont be embarrassed about seeing a beauty therapist for a bikini wax with your big pregnant belly, they see it all the time
if you’re still a bit shy, ask for an older therapist, I find that I feel a little awkward getting a wax by a girl who is younger than me sometimes.
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I would stay away from the creams as well, you don’t want any more feelings of discomfort or risk an infection at this stage!
My first birth, I waxed the lot and even though I had been a long time waxer, at that late stage of my pregnancy it hurt like hell for ages after. The second time around I didn’t bother with the waxing at all, I’m not even sure I trimmed – I might have asked my husband to do the honours but I really can’t remember. Point is (yes I have one), hair or bare made no difference to the birth including the stitches (which you hopefully will avoid) and recovery after.
Good luck!
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Oh my goodness, thanks for asking this.
I am been pondering the very same thing in the last couple of weeks.
I’m rather unkempt at the moment and I dont know what to do! Not really something you bring up with the midwife either, haha!
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I asked when I was due whether I should shave or anything, I was told categorically that it makes no difference to the midwives or doctors whatsoever. If they need to shave you for any reason, they’ll do it. They have more important things to worry about than whether you have a neat bikini line!
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Why is everyone so worried about what the midwife/doctors will think of their hairyness whilst giving birth? NOW we are not only concerned about what our partners are thinking about our pubic region, we are worried about the thoughts of professional people who (believe it or not) really couldn’t give two hoots whether you have pubic hair or not.
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And given that there’s a good chance you will defecate in front of your midwife at some stage in a vaginal birth, in hindsight I totally understand why they couldn’t care less!
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It’s her first baby!!
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I was shocked when a friend asked me if I had groomed in preparation for child-birth so that I didn’t look ‘untidy’. I had never even given a thought to how I looked down there during childbirth before that. Needless to say I did not groom for the occasion.
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I actually only asked because I’d heard people talk about being shaved for deliveries, but my sister (one of the midwives I asked) said that it wasn’t the done practice any more. I just thought it might be easier to try and do it beforehand because I didn’t think I’d want anyone shaving me during the action!
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My son was born 20 years ago and even way back then shaving for birth (sorry badly put) was not done by hospital staff. I would just leave things as they are.
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This reminds me of when I went in for my second c-section. The midwife asked me if I needed her to shave me (as of course you do need to be halfway shaved for a c-section), I said “of course, I cant get down there.” To which she replied that these days so many of the women that come in have had it all waxed off already. WTF? Cant think of anything worse than the additional paid of waxing when 9 months preggo.
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I don’t think I even got shaved for the Caesar I ended up having.
Sparkie I think I’d had it drummed in from Mum how awful the itching was after she had us, that was why I asked. Nothing to do with worrying about how it looked!
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Know anyone who shaves their head – use the clippers!!
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You should be aware too that pubic hair serves a purpose for childbirth – lots of good bacteria, gut flora etc hangs out there and it is a good thing for your bub to pass through. Much better for them to keep at least some hair for the birth.
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Ewww gut flora!
Seriously though, I’ve never heard that before, exposure to bacteria being important that soon in life. Interesting.
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Everybody has loads of bacteria – the good kind, that you need – not just in your gut but all over your skin. It’s perfectly normal and natural. Nothing to be ewwww about.
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Whether you’re interested in Paleo diet or not, this article about antibiotics addresses importance for newborn babies in receiving their mother’s gut flora during the birth process: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-antibiotics/ See about 3 paras down under section: “Dangers of Antibiotics”.
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When I worked as a midwife I didn’t give a toss if the woman was sporting a Brazilian or a full bush. Made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever.
Having said that, the majority of women who I took care of must have gone to see a beautician of sorts because just about everyone was landscaped in the nether regions.
Your choice! Good luck!
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with the amount we are paying for our obstetrician I certainly don’t feel obliged to get a brazilian for his benefit!
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with the amount you ar paying for your Obsterician, he should include a beautician with his services!
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Just leave it be. Midwives have seen everything and no-one is worried by the look of the thing. And you don’t want ingrowns, spiky bits or anything else to add to any discomfort!
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I got in the shower after my water broke to clean up and gave myself a little shave before heading to hospital!
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I didn’t but I wish I had! Would have been so much easier with the weeks following a natural birth! Will definitely be doing it next time!!
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I scissor trim too, and always got hubby to do my trim when the baby belly was too big to reach around. He took his job very seriously, and I giggled the whole time.
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Oh gosh – don’t be nervous about getting a wax just before you give birth. I went to the beautician a few days before I was due – I know everyone says don’t worry about it, and that the doctor doesn’t care – but I liked to be “neat” for myself (and didn’t have any idea how soon I’d be able to make it back to the beautician again after the birth!)
Since my baby was born I had laser on my bikini, takes about 2 minutes once every month (he happily sits in his pram while I get it done) and it’s all neat and tidy with no more regrowth, for only about $300 (less than what I paid a beautician for a year’s worth of waxing, and this will last me for years!).
Good luck!
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I did nothing…. both times. My wonderful Middwife couldn’t have given a hoot (she is a lovely friend too so she would have told me!) and I couldn’t care less about the Dr, I was just happy he missed the whole thing both times ;P
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Don’t worry about it. I planned to trim about two weeks before I was due… my son had other ideas and he arrived early, so I gave birth all natural. Didn’t affect anything. The Ob and midwives won’t care.
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There is no obligation to tidy yourself up for delivery. The Dr’s / midwives wont even notice. It’s all about getting bub out.
However, I personally wanted to tidy up. I couldn’t reach anything, so hubby did it for me & he painted my toes!
A beautician would be happy to get you sorted beofre your birth! Dont go with the creams, everything’s a bit more sensitive when you’re pregnant and they dont recommend those creams down there anyway.
Good luck, exciting times x
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I was due for my regular Brazilian a week before my bub was expected to arrive. I woke up the morning of my waxing day with contractions 8 minutes apart. They were still 8 minutes apart (and not that painful) at 2pm so I decided to go to my 3pm appointment. I got my Brazilian done and a quick shoulder massage to relax a little, all while I was having contractions.
To be honest it was a bit more painful than usual but I was more worried about timing the contractions in case they suddenly sped up. They didn’t and I gave birth to my son 40 hours later.
Eight weeks after bub was born I was really glad I got my waxing done when I did as I had to wait until 6 weeks after birth to get it done again. Which makes for a hairy and itchy bush if you aren’t used to the growth!
On a side note, I get mine done because I like the feel of it and it gets itchy when it isnt waxed. My husband doesn’t care either way and I wasn’t concerned about what the midwives would think – I’m sure they are used to seeing a variety of ‘grooming’.
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I always used to wax but found it hurt too much when I was pregnant, plus I was also more aware of the cost as I knew we would be going back to one wage after baby. When my waters broke though I freaked out at how hairy I was was and attempted to tidy myself up a bit with a razor…my husband’s words when I went in bedroom after to tell him we had to go to hospital “what have you done to yourself?!” Wasn’t very tidy. Anyway, now, after having 2 children, I will occassionally have it all off, maybe every few months for something different. My husband is younger than me and does prefer it, I prefer to see some hair there, but not in the business section, if you know what I mean. Makes it neater, it physically feels better, no little hairs get in the way when making love and for what ever reason it makes it feel more hygienic. But I think it should be up to each girl what they do, and am absolutely mortified about the pressures younger girls are feeling to be hairless. Let’s hope the trend changes again soon to something more realistic (it’s expensive to keep up full waxing!)
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Beware dilapitory creams, ESP why you are heavily pregnant and have to do it blind or in the mirror! I remember getting it everywhere without realising and then looked like I had mange when i turned up to the fancy pants private hospital a few days later to give birth… Not my finest hour!! But it was very funny!!!
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I can’t be bothered with my pubic hair.
It takes all my time and effort battling my chin whiskers.
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I hear you, sister.
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Amen
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Absolutley
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all about mo removal here…
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PCOS you are my enemy. I am starting to think that the hair I am losing from my head is being reincarnated lower down on my face…
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You’ve changed the article now, but I saw both Laser and “Lazer” written previously, which is a common error because of the way we pronounce it.
Laser as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation – so it’s not open for creative spelling, or being “Americanized”.
As for pubic hair – each to their own. There’s no point in criticising other people’s choices (especially if you are never going to have sex with them! ha).
I do think it’s a shame though if girls are made to feel weird for being natural.
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Yes can I +1 this.
Sometimes on this site I see American spelling. This is an Aussie site, and we use correct English.
PLEASE! I hate lazy American spelling.
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I agree. I am always correcting my kids (who watch the Disney channel). It’s wee not pee, poo not poop, nappy not diaper etc.
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Australians are now begining to say root instead of the good old word barracking or even cheering, I also saw period on mamamia used the way Americans do to emphasise a point
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I’m sure there are many of us who would happily root for Australia
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Replying via iPad auto correct is based on American spelling, so maybe that is why we are seeing it more!
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