Would you shave your pubic hair to cure cervical cancer? I would. And plenty of you out there are no doubt hair-free already, so it’s not such a big deal at all.
The problem is, of course, that shaving your pubes won’t cure cervical cancer at all. And yet the Canadian Cancer Society is asking women to do just that, despite concerns that their latest campaign is inappropriate and largely futile. As Jezebel reports:
According to the Globe and Mail, the month-long campaign, known a “Julyna,” was inspired by the event Movember, which involved men growing mustaches and asking friends and family to pledge money toward prostate cancer research. For Julyna, women are asked to solicit donations from loved ones for waxing or shaving a design into their pubes.
Interesting. But as far as I’m concerned, in rather poor taste.
Now, let’s get one thing straight: I’m no prude. I enjoy discussing vaginas as much as the next person. And yes, I did support Feel Them Up Friday, an online breast cancer campaign that encouraged women to examine their own breasts, which received some criticism for its use of ‘sexual’ language. But FTUF had a purpose – to use non-threatening, colloquial terms to demystify breast examination and persuade women to check themselves out. And it was successful. More than one woman discovered a lump that might otherwise have gone unnoticed, and has FTUF to thank.
But Julyna offers no immediate benefits to women. The pubic region is not like a lotto scratchie, in which you remove the surface and discover if there’s something sinister underneath. Only a pap smear can do that. Shaving one’s pubes is completely missing the point, let alone the region.
What’s more, there is the very real issue of causing offence to those living with the deadly disease. The Movember campaign successfully reduced the shame associated with prostate cancer by linking it with something innocuous and humorous – a funny moustache. But linking a disease of the female sex organs to the highly sexualised behaviour of ‘shaping’ one’s pubic hair has the exact opposite effect. Would a conservative middle aged mother with cervical cancer feel good about being associated with cheekily shaved pubes? I think not.
And finally, as a fund-raising exercise, there are clearly limitations. Would you approach your boss or work colleagues or the mums from your kids’ school to ask for sponsorship for your heart-shaped pubes? Well, depends on what field you work in, but for most people I suspect the answer is ‘no’. And as Jezebel quotes:
“… as gynecologic oncologist Joan Murphy puts it, ‘Shaving your pubes to any different shape, I don’t think that’s going to bring discussion around the water cooler.”
So what do you think? Is Julyna a brilliant initiative? Or is linking cervical cancer with kookily trimmed pubes a little bit off?
Top Comments
Just say No! Here is my suggestion. For all the women like myself who find the practice of removing pubic hair there painful/get rashes/time consuming etc etc and really don't want to do it but keep doing it because you feel like you are the only one who isn't doing it and men pressure you, then please let us all stand firm and united and start saying No. That is the only way we will end this trend. If a guy doesn't get it that get angry or tell him to get lost, even if it is your husband. If they can't respect you on this then they don't deserve you.
If for some reason you are doing it for your own personal choice then that's your business. But if you are one of the many women feeling coerced into this practice, then start shouting NO! And also do you want your daughters (if you have them) to have to inherit this practice to, because none of us had the gumption to tell these men where to get off for pressuring us about it!
For those of you saying it's fine, and you are shaved/waxed and you are "tired of this debate" etc. Well that's all very fine for you. I grew up at a time when a guy was just grateful to see a naked woman, never in anyone's wildest dreams would we have thought of shaving/waxing or trimming there. Fast forward to 20 odd years later and I am single and don't want to do this but now guys constantly pressure me about it or make me feel that they are putting up with it, so obviously I look gross to them. Same guys that 20 years ago had never even occurred to them that a woman would ever be shaved or trimmed there, and none of them seemed to be saying no to sex.
For me even doing my bikini line I get rashes/boils etc, doesn't matter what method I use (i have tried them all) so I don't want to think how awful it would be for me if I got a brazilian. Even if it causes you 0 pain there are a million other things you could be doing with that time, the money it costs etc, not too mention the discomfort, which I realise you probably get used to but still it is still an issue.
Every single one of you who is saying, oh but I choose it, and you are making a big deal, well how will you feel when your own daughters feel forced to do this too, because mum never said no to it? Because the fact is the more women who do it the more women like me who don't want to get made to feel like we are some disgusting freaks. Is it really so essential to you that you don't mind what the rest of us have to go through? If we women were actually united on this issue and said no to removing the hair then guys would stop pressuring women because everyone would be the same.
And this campaign is very offensive, it is normalising a practice that for many women like myself we find painful/time consuming/expensive etc.