Trend questions purpose of pubic hair

Bare is better. That seems to be the consensus of many college students from SCSU. Students, both men and women, are taking up the habit of removing their pubic hair by either shaving or getting a bikini or Brazilian wax. 

"In order to look good in a thong or a swimsuit, you need to shave or wax down there," senior Danielle Nobbs said. "Not only do you look better, but it feels better. I feel so much cleaner when I get rid of that hair."

The terminology
A bikini wax is when wax is applied to remove the pubic hair along the inside of the upper thighs and upper groin area. Shaving or waxing these areas allows women to wear more revealing swimwear and lingerie A Brazilian wax means going completely bald.

Some women also like to shape their pubic hair into various designs.

"Hearts are popular around Valentine's Day," said senior Beth Simmons.  "Also the landing strip is popular."

Simmons explained that the landing strip is when all of the pubic hair is shaved except for a narrow strip of hair down the middle of the groin area.

Not just for women
This trend occurs more often among women, but according to USA Today, increasing numbers of men are removing their pubic hair also. 

"I shave completely down there," said senior Chris Baldwin. "I prefer women who shave, so I figure they would prefer it if I shaved also. It's a trend that's common and acceptable among college males and females. Shaving seems cleaner and more maintained."

Brandon Ratcliff, a SCSU student, agrees.

"I don't shave but I trim," he said. "I like to clean it up and make it look presentable for the opposite sex. I prefer women who don't shave completely down there but leave a landing strip. Completely bald makes me feel like a pedophile. Also oral sex is much better with someone who shaves."

Not everyone who shaves their pubic hair has a boyfriend or a sexual partner.

"I don't have sex but I still shave," said Lesley Christianson, a junior at SCSU. "I like how it feels, and besides I look at it this way: it's like having a summer home and mowing the lawn every once in a while in case you have visitors."

The process
Catherine Noll, a hair stylist and owner of Studio 505 hair salon in St. Cloud, is an expert on the subject. She gets many requests from her customers who want the Brazilian wax.

"It doesn't hurt as much as you'd think," she said. 

The first step for a Brazilian wax is to trim. Then powder is sprinkled on the pubic area. Warm wax is applied with a stick, a small area at a time. When the wax has cooled and hardened it is pulled away from the skin removing the hair with it. Stray hairs are tweezed. The procedure takes between 30 minutes to an hour.  The cost starts at about $30.

According to the Web site iVillage.co.uk, the wax job lasts between three to six weeks depending on the individual's regrowth rate. Hair grows quicker in the summer, so waxing occurs more frequently at that time of year. Repeated waxing results in sparse regrowth.

Pain for gain
Danielle Nobbs goes to Studio 505 to get her bikini wax. 

"Catherine always gives me a glass of wine to relax before we start," she said. "Then she tells me to slam it. She kids me by saying, 'it's not good for customers to hear screaming; it's bad for business.'" 

Nobbs explains that this is all worth it because she likes how a Brazilian wax looks and feels.

"It's not only about how it looks," she said. "It's about bringing my sexuality out in the open.  Women are brought up that sex and their private parts are bad or dirty.  This kind of gets things out in the open. My private parts are not hidden anymore, and I shouldn't be ashamed," she said.

The generation gap
The reaction of this latest trend is not so positive among some older women. When told about it some are surprised and appalled.

"Why would you do that?" said Lori Viola, a 47-year-old St. Cloud resident. "I trim down there and shave between my thigh and groin area so the hair won't stick out of my swimsuit, but why would you shave the whole thing?  When we had babies long ago we were always shaved and hated it. It was an itchy experience when that hair started growing back."

"That's sick," said Jane Zimmerman, a 47-year-old transcriptionist at the St. Cloud Hospital. "I wouldn't do that for a million bucks. That hair must be there for a reason. You need that for a cushion when you do it."

A medical opinion
Kathleen Mahon, a Physician's Assistant at the St. Cloud Hospital, said that shaving the groin area does not seem to produce a higher rate of infections or problems.

"The only complication we've seen with this is problems from ingrown hairs," she said. "There is no known need for pubic hair."