The earliest evidence of women shaving comes from ancient Egypt, where both men and women shaved their entire bodies for hygienic and aesthetic reasons. Women used a variety of tools for hair removal, including bronze razors, pumice stones, and depilatory creams made from ingredients like resin and beeswax.
All in the name of beauty, of course. The practice of removing female body hair is not new, it can be traced back to ancient Rome and Egypt. Some of the first razors, made of copper, were used in Egypt and India around 3000 BCE.
The 1940s and World War II brought a shortage of nylon, so women were more likely to shave their legs because stockings were harder to come by. Bikinis became mainstream in the late 1940s, and coupled with the popularity of Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine, encouraged the hairless pubic area.
About 67% of women said they do it because they feel more feminine, 63% said they like to feel soft, and 62% said their partner liked it. Women who didn't shave said they opt out because of the side effects, like itching and bumps, or because their partner prefers them not to.
By the late 18th century, hair removal still wasn't considered essential by European and American women, although when the first safety razor for men was invented by French barber Jacques Perret in 1760, some women reportedly used them too.
Furthermore, throughout the following several thousand years, pubic hair grooming was a woman's decision and removal of it was not widely practiced throughout the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Victorian era all the way until the late 1900s.
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Pubic hair plays a role in reducing friction during activities such as sexual intercourse. It also plays a role in preventing dirt and pathogens from entering the genitals. A person can safely remove their pubic hair if they wish to, but they do not need to.
China. China isn't fully westernized, so Chinese notions of beauty differ greatly than American ones (which is refreshing). In China, underarm or leg hair is nothing to be worried about; body hair is considered completely natural and acceptable in their culture. As a result, hair removal just isn't very popular there.
As for the curliness of pubes, Brian Steixner, M.D., Director of the Institute of Men's Health at Jersey Urology Group in Atlantic City, suspects it's because curly hair does a better job at trapping the pheromones secreted from sweat glands around the groin area.
There are a number of hair removal options they could be using, some of which are temporary and others that are permanent. Temporary options include shaving (by far the most popular method), waxing, depilatory creams, tweezing, and trimming.
In Ancient Egypt, body hair, especially pubic hair, was a symbol of the uncivilized, depicted as dirty and unhygienic, hence why many women opted for hair removal. They also followed the trends set by Cleopatra, who removed all of her body hair, including from the top of her head, to signify social class.
From the Stone Age to Darwinism
Waxing didn't become a normatively feminine act until the early 20th century, before that the story was VERY DIFFERENT: Removing body hair was something both women and men did in the Stone Age, through ancient Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire.
In 1920, when a young woman cut her leg shaving, it wasn't just an accident. It was national news, because shaving your legs was just that unusual: Shaving legs: national news. How did women shaving their armpits and legs go from a freak story in 1920 to the mainstream by 1950?
Should you shave your pubic hair every day? It might be tempting, but you definitely don't want to shave down there every day — this could lead to increased irritation. “It's best to give the skin some time to recover,” Dr. Garshick explains.
It's fine to say to her, “I'd like it if you shaved sometime, and I was wondering if you'd be open to that,” and maybe even suggest shaving her yourself and making it a sexy activity—as long as you understand, it's her choice in the end.
Pubic hair growth begins at the onset of puberty when estrogen and progesterone levels increase. After menopause, when estrogen levels decline, pubic hair - along with the hair on the head - stops growing. Not everyone will experience pubic hair loss after menopause, it may simply turn grey or simply thin.
Your pubis is your own business. But pubic hair was put there to protect your genitalia from friction and infection. It is more hygienic not to shave it (although depilation does make pubic lice homeless).
A clear majority of women prefer a simple trim. While there will be eternal debate over whether or not the balls and anus should be smooth, most women agree that as long as things are kept in order, the style of trimming isn't a deal-breaker.
In the Australia, shaving has tradition: it is by far the most popular method for removing hair from the intimate area and armpits. It's quick, easy and affordable. While manual razors can cause skin irritation and even cuts, there are electric shavers specifically designed for removing hair from your bikini zone.
Women began shaving their hair in 1915. This was the period between World War I and II. Before then, women removed unpleasant hair just in the neck and face. These parts were the only women body parts not expected to be covered by clothes, as the clothes they wore at the time were much less revealing.