It's My Vagina

This blog post has been sparked by a conversation I had with my friends at dinner last night. Two of my male friends, let's call them Metro and The Caveman, currently disagree on how women should deal with their pubic hair. The Caveman is in favour of a full on bush (though it must be a tamed bush), whilst Metro believes that women ought to be as hairless as the day they were born. It was only towards the end of this conversation that I realised: when did it become okay for other people to dictate how women styled themselves down below!? 

And I don't mean just men telling us what to do, but Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow too! 

At some point in the late 1990's it became fashionable for women to be completely pube-less. This trend continued to grow in popularity up until around now.The negatives of shaving became apparent and a new torture form was introduced into our lives: the wax. With styles ranging from the bikini line, to a Brazilian, a Hollywood or for the most adventurous of us all: The Bollywood. Gemstones and hairdyes were introduced. Before I knew it, the beautician was offering to shape my pubes into a heart, dye it pink and add a couple of gem stones - all because it was valentines day. Call me old fashioned, but I'd rather not style my vaj into something wouldn't look amiss in a Hello Kitty shop. 

It's been well documented that waxes are relatively embarrassing procedures. Stripping down from the waist and being covered in hot wax by a stranger is all very well and good, until they start ripping hair follicles from your body and telling you to get on all fours. I've been bruised twice, and someone even made me bleed. This is not an activity for the faint hearted. Despite all that, I'm not actually bothered by the whole procedure. I'm (hopefully) being dealt with by a beautician who has seem more vaginas in her life than I ever well - and at the end of the day it's all over and done with in under 30 minutes. 

And this was all considered normal. And then the rumblings began. Women started to question who they were actually doing this for. Magazine articles began stating that women who went hairless were 'bad' and that they couldn't call themselves 'feminists'. Gwyneth Paltrow took to her blog to inform the world that she is currently sporting a massive bush, and Cameron Diaz has appeared on numerous chat shows telling us that ''WE NEED OUR HAIR GOD DAMN IT''. Once again we see that its not only men that dictate how we should look, but also women. 

So yes. I took a moment and considered what they were saying. Yes, if you are going completely hairless because that's what your boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife/partner/fuckbuddy prefers - then maybe you should consider what you want. But if you decide that you're going to continue styling yourself in that manner because it makes them happy - then so be it. Maybe you personally prefer a completely hairless look. Perhaps you're vagina has more rhinestones on it than Dolly Parton's cowboy boots. Equally, if you've decided to let nature take its course and are currently sporting a Gwyneth, then so be it. 

Fundamentally, they're your pubes - do what you want with them.