The Vagina as Commodity: What Does the Pubic Depilation Phenomenon Mean?

Posted on Comments

“This particular cosmetic trend — I’ve dubbed it the Deforestation of the Pubic Delta — is really a byproduct of the pornification of culture. In the same way, trends like breast augmentation, body piercing and tattoos for women have been mainstreamed by the pervasive porn aesthetic.
“When you turn sex into a commodity, the marketing mentality takes over.”
— Robert Stacy McCain, Feb. 22, 2010

In recent years, anecdotal testimony has suggested that “sexually active” young American women are more or less expected to shave or wax their pubic regions to a condition of utter hairlessness.

Exactly when this trend began, and when it gathered such momentum that the unshaven woman is considered a bizarre novelty, I’m not sure. But further confirmation arrived this morning on Twitter when, responding to a “who to follow” recommendation, I stumbled into this conversation involving several young people:

Everyone who has written about this phenomenon agrees that the hairless vulva trend began in the world of pornography, and there are many observers who see this as a matter of women trying to live up to erotic expectations created by the porn industry.

As such, you might expect feminists to denounce this trend, but the ethos of “pro-sex feminism” seems to require that they endorse every manifestation of hedonistic promiscuity as “empowerment.” So the spectacle of women rendering their crotches as hairless as a fourth-grader’s in order to satisfy the porn-influenced expectations of their boyfriends — no, feminists don’t want to criticize that trend.

We must view this trend in the context of a shift in which traditional norms have crumbled in a comparatively short time frame.

The venerable ideal of pre-marital chastity, for example, has given way to the expectation that everyone will participate in the Hook-Up Culture. A person who is not sexually active by the time they’re old enough to get a driver’s license is considered abnormal, and no one seems to imagine it possible that a virgin could graduate college. If everybody is screwing around promiscuously, it becomes impossible even to discuss promiscuity as a phenomenon, because it’s simply what everybody does. Screwing around becomes a normative expectation.

Attendant to this expectation is the understanding that sex is now a matter of competitive performance: In an environment where everyone is presumed to have had multiple previous partners, lovers are striving to out-do their partner’s previous lovers in a sort of erotic sweepstakes pageant, with the goal of impressing one’s partner as exceptionally skilled at various sexual routines.

Only in such an environment can there be a ubiquitous fashion in genital grooming, and one wonders why young women — who otherwise are taught to emulate feminist ideals by resisting male demands — go along with this trend so compliantly.

Increasingly, it seems, women are encouraged to view their sexuality as a commodity in the consumer marketplace, and this attitude has become so common that no one even stops to consider just how weirdly unnatural and unhealthy this attitude is.

 

 

Category: Sex

88 comments

  9. So when I first saw ads for the Brazilian Blowout, I asked myself, “Why would any woman want *that* hair blown out straight?”

  11. Now, calm down, dear! One really wouldn’t want an apparently stained hiney-hole to befoul the the otherwise pristine visual of a nicely shorn fanny, now would one?

  13. Many Brazilian girls begin waxing as soon as they have something there to wax. Why do you think it’s often called the Brazilian wax?

  15. So many trends these days started in porn: pubic shaving, French fingernails, pierced clitorises and nipples, stiletto heels, etc – a telling commentary on the state of Western Culture, eh?

  16. When I was there in the late 60s only the older women did that. The “German Pit” was alive and well across the generational divide, however.

    Wearing nylons without shaving your legs could get painful when they removed those things of an evening.

  17. You mean metrosexuals, surely.

    Where I live, you start in on “manscaping,” you don’t dare go shirtless in public. Might as well do up your nails and wear lipstick.

  21. 44 isn’t old enough? Granted I look young for my age, but not that young.

    Again, go fuck yourself. You’d say the same to me if I called your wife/girlfriend a prostitute, after all.

  22. Oral sex makes a good lead-in to sex. To be blunt, if you can give her an orgasm before penetration, she’s much more likely to see the event as a positive experience, which greatly increases the probability of future engagements.

  24. Actually, from what I’ve seen, Asian women or at least Japanese women are less likely to depiliate, for the simple reason that genitals in Japanese porn have to be blurred by law, so the presence or absence of hair doesn’t matter so much.

  25. I’m in the acquaintance of a fellow who claims a “merkin” is what someone from the States calls himself…

  27. As far as I’m concerned, people who make bogus generalizations about those who remove pubic hair are clueless idiots that haven’t had sex in so long that they’ve forgotten what it’s like.

    Sorry if you’re offended!

  30. Ahh, but you are very sorry. Stereotypes exist for a reason.
    In Germany, prostitutes used to wear ankle bracelets as ID. A number of the wives of servicemen saw that, and not knowing the cultural significance, and thinking they looked nice took up the custom and then wondered why they were being propositioned. The bracelet didn’t make them pros, but it sent a message they didn’t want sent, so they stopped sending the message.
    If no one but you and your wife see the result why should you take offense at something? You’re simply being silly and stupid in your reaction. Alas, you opened your mouth and removed all doubt.

  33. So you get to make snide generalizations, but when I do it back at you, you whine and project like a leftist?

    You’re welcome to whatever opinion you want, but you don’t seem to think I’m allowed to have an opinion of your opinion.

    And you dare to call yourself a conservative.

  34. Stereotypes are based out of ignorance as much as anything else. As I posted elsewhere in this thread, Brazilian families often start their girls waxing as soon as they have something there to wax. So by your logic, Brazil is filled with prostitutes and loose women. See how stupid that sounds when you connect the dots? You’re making a bogus generalization that insults lots of people you don’t even know.

    This is the kind of crap that loses us votes.

    There are lots of types of Republicans in this country. Republicans have tattoos. Republicans shave their pubic hair. Republicans are gay. Republicans are bisexual. Republicans are crossdressers. Republicans smoke pot. Republicans drop acid. Republicans take nude pictures of themselves. Republicans watch porn. Republicans are atheists. Republicans are agnostics. Republicans practice BDSM. Republicans practice polyamory. There are Republicans that practice all kinds of behaviours that you do not approve of. Yet they are still Republicans.

    When you insult people like this, then have the gall to ask for their vote in November, what do you think their reaction is going to be? Probably the same as my reaction to K-Bob: “Fuck you.” They stay at home instead of going out and supporting a party where people regularly insult them, and how can you blame them?

    You can disapprove of an activity without disapproving of the people that practice that activity. As Hunter S. Thompson said, “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Most Republicans of the types I listed would likely openly admit if asked politely that their lifestyle isn’t for everyone, or even for most people. They just don’t want to be openly insulted, is all.

    And guess what? You need the votes of these people. They’re the people that stayed home and didn’t vote for McCain or Romney. And people like you are the reason they stayed home.

    So thanks for nothing, and get a freakin’ clue already.

  35. Hah! You must be staring into a mirror, sir.

    For starters, I’ve always been clear that I am most definitely not a conservative.

    But setting that aside, neither did I create a grievance to nurse. Nor did I assume some generalized comment applied to me (or mine), personally. You must be a real hoot when the comedy shows come on. By your logic, they must all be talking about you.

    You are of course, entitled to your opinion and grievances as you will. As for me, life is too short to manufacture conflict where none exists. I wish you good luck with it, but I suggest it will not bring you happiness.

Comments are closed.