How's YOUR pubic hair etiquette? Tracey Cox reveals what's changed over time and what men and women really think about grooming 'down there'
- Tracey Cox questions whether woman should shave their pubic hair or go natural
- She takes a look at the history of our pubic hair trimming etiquette over time
- Asks men and women to share what they really think of grooming 'down there'
Along with banana bread, jigsaw puzzles and nature shots, something else dominated our social feeds during lockdown.
'Anyone else given up on keeping things tidy, erm, down there?', women asked each other.
'Am I the only one enjoying not having to be '"sex ready'?", single women rejoiced.
While men sported beards and happily ditched shaving; women did the same with their 'ladygarden'.
Pubic hair has a purpose.
It helps regulate body temperature and traps discharge, dirt and debris. It also traps moisture, keeping the vulvar skin hydrated.
But to bare or not to bare remains a divisive issue.
Tracey Cox takes a look back at the history of pubic hair etiquette for answers to her question: Are were reverting back to our unshaved 'ladygardens' as a result of lockdown? Picture, Stock
Should it stay or should it go?
Plenty of women - in the public eye and out of it - have spoken out in favour of keeping fuller pubic hair: women don't like being told what to do with their own bodies in 2020.
But around half of all young women in the UK remain hair-free and a survey last year found 80 per cent of women aged 18 to 65 remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Some younger women aren't even aware there is an alternative, like trimming or leaving a 'landing strip' at least.
'Going completely bare is what everyone does. We don't even think about it,' one 19-year-old girl told me. 'It is a hassle though. And it's expensive. I blame porn.'
After some research Tracey, pictured, discovered the removal of pubic hair has varied throughout history - first starting during the Egyptian times before having some hair down there became fashionable again in the Middle Ages
The porn industry has always been held accountable for equating bare genitals with 'sexy'. True, the traditional porn 'stars' are nearly all free of all pubic hair.
But elsewhere - especially under the 'amateur' categories - there's now plenty of trimmed and not-so-trimmed styles in evidence.
The older the woman, the more likely she is to have at least some hair. We tend to trim or remove hair on the actual bikini line, but leave it fuller elsewhere.
A lot of men actually prefer the natural look - only to meet with opposition from their partners.
'I'd say the majority of blokes want some hair left,' one professional waxer told me. 'It's the women who want it all off.'
One study of 1,000 men found 63 per cent of men prefer females to sport some pubic hair ('though not much').
Pubic beauty styles change
There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to treat your pubic hair - it's all down to individual choice.
Some women don't like the feel of pubic hair and feel 'cleaner' without any. Some don't care either way, so do whatever their partner prefers.
The truth is though, infections related to pubic hair removal can be serious.
Here's something else that might make you cancel that waxing appointment: there's new data that links pubic hair removal with an increased risk of some STIs (herpes and HPV).
Lockdown was something else that might have changed your mind.
Lockdown locks
Beauty salons closed up shop early in the lockdown.
Forced to let their pubic hair grow back, lots of women decided they quite liked it. Single self-isolating women embraced the joy of not having to be 'sex ready'; all women enjoyed saving money. Shaving, waxing, lasering - it's all very expensive.
It's also time-consuming.
When beauty salons re-opened after lockdown, therapists reported a distinctly unenthusiastic demand for waxing appointments. Who can blame us?
Getting rid of hair 'down there' frequently hurts and the aftermath isn't pleasant either: shaving causes irritation, waxing ingrown hairs.
Being hair-free is a hassle and it's humiliating: you try going on all fours, naked from the waist down, in front of a stranger.
We seem to be in the middle of a pubic hair revolution right now - and I'm loving it!
All hail the mighty bush!
You'll find Tracey's new supersex couple kits on lovehoney.co.uk and traceycox.com.
Most watched News videos
- 'Satan took over me': Hamas terrorist confesses of raping woman
- Tourist is filmed napping in his tent on the beach with a crocodile
- Camilla hands out gifts at Royal Maundy ceremony on behalf of King
- Starmer and Rayner embrace as they launch election campaign
- Three men seen running out of Beckenham station after knife attack
- Queen Camilla greets children after traditional Maundy service
- Heartless criminals steal van terminally ill boy uses
- Sally Nugent hilariously finds out 'hedgehog' is a hat bobble
- Police surround Kennington tube station after reports of stabbing
- Russian plane spiralling out of control crashes in sea in Crimea
- EasyJet pilot aborts landing at London Gatwick Airport due to storm
- Terrifying moment driver overtakes van and narrowly avoids crash