The ancient Egyptians around 1150 BC removed all their hair from their armpits to their pubic hair using sugaring. Far it was they who wanted to be animal-like. While people had been removing hair since the cavemen, the Egyptians began the format closest to waxing.
The woman who had started it all was Janea Padilha, a diminutive sixtysomething grandmother from the Bahia region of eastern Brazil—one of seven enterprising sisters (along with Judseia, Jussara, Juracy, Jocely, Joyce, and Jonice).
Several hundred years ago, women used sugar and lemon as a paste for a Brazilian-like method of grooming the hair around their private areas. It was considered a practical technique for keeping the pubic area clean and hygienic, especially in very warm climates.
Anthropologists have suggested that hair removal (including arms, face, and pubic region) was for a multitude of reasons including hygiene (e.g. to avoid pubic lice), aesthetics, fashion, class symbolism, and cultural symbolism.
Greece and Rome – 400 CE
Later in history, in Ancient Greece and Rome, it was considered uncivilized to have pubic hair, so men and women used tools to pluck the hairs individually or singed them off with fire. Other forms of hair removal included razors, sharpened stones, and even forms of depilatory cream.
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. Egyptian women removed their head hair and considered pubic hair uncivilized.
The Talmud prohibits men from shaving their body and pubic hair because such activity is considered feminine behavior, violating the prohibition of: "A man shall not put on a woman's garment." Male Ashkenazi Jews followed the Talmudic law as they lived in a European society in which such shaving was regarded as ...
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Roman Empire
Early Romans viewed lack of body hair as a symbol of high class citizens. Many paintings and sculptures of ancient Roman women reveal that even pubic hair was removed. Hair removal was done via flint razors, tweezers, creams and stones.
Full Body Hair Removal of the '80s
With more exposure came a growing desire to remove hair around the bikini line, in addition to other areas of the body like the legs and armpits. Brazilian waxes, a beauty treatment consisting of removing all pubic hair, became a standard by the '80s.
When it comes to pubic hair, people groom it using a variety of methods including shaving, waxing, trimming, and laser removal. These methods can lead to ingrown hairs and infections though, so most gynecologists warn against them and recommend trimming or letting it be instead.
The 1960s and 1970s were a time of sexual liberation, and the concept of letting your body be natural and free also extended into pubic hair. Most everyone, not just hippies, rocked a full bush and even felt confident showing off their underarm hair au naturel.
Getting a "Manzilian", the coined term for a male version of a “Brazilian wax”, consists of removing mostly all, or all of the hair from the crotch area. Unlike shaving with dull or painful razors for body hair removal, waxing will help you to enjoy glowing, healthy skin for several weeks.
While bikini waxes remove the hair around the sides and tops of where your bottom bikini would lie, a full Brazilian wax takes off all the hair from there, your labia, and your pubic bone - basically everything up, down, and around!
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.
Pubic Hair Trends
According to the researchers, when asked if they removed their pubic hair, 80% of women and 39% of men removed their pubic hair near the time of the survey. Also, 3% of women and 21% of men had never removed their pubic hair.
Pubic hair holds on to residual urine, vaginal discharge, blood and semen. Bacteria line up all along the hair shaft just lunching it up and creating odor. (Very appetizing, I know.) Trimming your pubic hair reduces that surface area for bacteria, thus reducing odor.
The Sunnah is to remove pubic hair with a razor and to pluck armpit hair with a tweezer (ouch), but most scholars agree that what matters is removing it, so other depilatory substances are permissible.
Amongst Muslims, hair removal is part of an impulse towards general purity and cleanliness and includes the trimming of nails and the removing of armpit and pubic hair. Both men and women should remove armpit and pubic hair at least every forty days.
Sunnah is the prophet Muhammad's way of life and viewed as a model for Muslims. Muslim men and women are required by the Sunnah to shave their pubic hair and axillae. Also, Muslim men are not supposed to shave their beards, but are encouraged to shave their moustaches, according to the Sunnah.
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.