Everything about Pubic Hair totally explained
Pubic hair is
hair in the frontal
genital area, the
crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the legs; these areas form the pubic region.
Although fine
vellus hair is present in the area in childhood, the term pubic hair is generally restricted to the heavier, longer hair that develops with puberty as an effect of rising levels of
androgens. Pubic hair is therefore part of the
androgenic hair.
Development of pubic hair
Before
puberty, the genital area of both boys and girls has very fine vellus hair, referred to as
Tanner stage 1 hair. As puberty begins, the body produces rising levels of the
sex hormones known as androgens, and in response the skin of the genital area begins to produce thicker, often curlier, hair with a faster growth rate. The onset of pubic hair development is termed
pubarche. The change for each
hair follicle is relatively abrupt, but the extent of skin which grows androgenic hair gradually increases over several years.
In males, the first pubic hair appears as a few sparse hairs on the
scrotum or at the upper base of the
penis (stage 2). Within a year, hairs around the base of the penis are numerous (stage 3). Within 3 to 4 years, hair fills the pubic area (stage 4) and becomes much thicker and darker, and by 5 years extends to the near thighs and upwards on the abdomen toward the umbilicus (stage 5).
Other areas of the skin are similarly, though slightly less, sensitive to androgens and androgenic hair typically appears somewhat later. In rough sequence of sensitivity to androgens and appearance of androgenic hair, are the armpits (
axillae), perianal area, upper lip, preauricular areas (sideburns), periareolar areas (
nipples), middle of the chest, neck under the chin, remainder of
chest and
beard area, limbs and shoulders, back, and buttocks.
Although generally considered part of the process of puberty, pubarche is distinct and independent of the process of maturation of the gonads that leads to sexual maturation and fertility. Pubic hair can develop from adrenal androgens alone, and can develop even when the
ovaries or
testes are defective and nonfunctional. See
puberty for details.
There is little if any difference in the capacity of male and female bodies to grow hair in response to androgens. The obvious
sex-dimorphic difference in hair distribution in men and women is primarily a result of differences in the levels of androgen reached as maturity occurs.
Pubic hair and
axillary (armpit) hair can vary in color considerably from the hair of the scalp. In most people it's darker, although it can also be lighter. On some individuals, pubic hair is thick and/or coarse; on others it may be sparse and/or fine. Hair texture varies from tightly curled to entirely straight. Pubic hair patterns can also vary by
race and
ethnicity.
Patterns of pubic hair, known as the escutcheon, vary between the genders. On most women, the pubic patch is triangular and lies over the
mons veneris, or mound of Venus. On many men, the pubic patch tapers upwards to a line of hair pointing towards the
navel (see
abdominal hair), roughly a more upward-pointing triangle. As with axillary (armpit) hair, pubic hair is associated with a concentration of
sebaceous glands in the area.
Cultural
Pubic hair in art
In ancient Egyptian art, female pubic hair is indicated in the form of painted black triangles. In classical European art, it was very rarely depicted, and male pubic hair was often, but not always, omitted. Sometimes it was portrayed in stylized form. The same was true in much
Indian art, and in other Eastern portrayals of the nude. In 16th century southern Europe
Michelangelo felt able to show the
male David with stylized pubic hair, but female bodies remained hairless below the head. Nevertheless, Michelangelo’s male nudes on the
Sistine chapel ceiling display no pubic hair. In
renaissance northern Europe, pubic hair was more likely to be portrayed than in the south, more usually male, but occasionally female.
By the 17th century, suggestions of female pubic hair appear in pornographic engravings, such as those by
Agostino Carracci. By the late 18th century female pubic hair is openly portrayed in Japanese
shunga (erotica), especially in the
ukiyo-e tradition.
Hokusai's picture
The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, depicting a woman having an erotic fantasy, is a well-known example. Despite this
Fine art paintings and
sculpture created before the 20th century in the Western tradition usually depicted
women without pubic hair or a visible
vulva.
It has been alleged that
John Ruskin, the famous author, artist, and art critic, was apparently accustomed only to the hairless
nudes portrayed unrealistically in art, never having seen a naked woman before his wedding night. He was allegedly so shocked by his discovery of his wife
Effie's pubic hair that he rejected her, and the marriage was later legally annulled. He is supposed to have thought his wife was freakish and deformed. This theory originated with Ruskin's biographer, Mary Luytens. It is much-repeated. For example
Gene Weingarten in his book
I'm with Stupid (2004) writes that "Ruskin had it [themarriage] annulled because he was horrified to behold upon his bride a thatch of hair, rough and wild, similar to a man's. He thought her a monster." However, there's no proof for this, and some disagree.
Peter Fuller in his book
Theoria: Art and the Absence of Grace writes, "It has been said that he was frightened on the wedding night by the sight of his wife's pubic hair; more probably, he was perturbed by her menstrual blood." Ruskin's biographers
Tim Hilton and John Batchelor also believe that menstruation is the more likely explanation.
Francisco Goya's
The Nude Maja has been considered as probably the first European painting to show woman's pubic hair, though others had hinted at it. (Lucas Cranach's 'The Nymph of the Spring' c.1537, Washington National Gallery, has distinct pubic hair.) The painting was considered quite pornographic at the time.
Gustave Courbet's
L’Origine du monde (
The Origin of the World, 1866), was considered scandalous because it showed the exposed female genitals in their totality with thick hair.
Examples of
male pubic hair in
contemporary art are harder to find.
In Japanese drawings pubic hair is often---such as in
hentai---omitted, since for a long time the display of pubic hair wasn't legal. The interpretation of the law has since changed.
Ironically, it's also in Japan where pubic hair is seen as something highly attractive. However, in many
Middle Eastern and
eastern European cultures, pubic hair is considered unclean, and for matters of both
religion and/or good
hygiene, women in those cultures have removed their pubic hair for centuries. Some examples of regions where this is typical are ancient
Persia,
Turkey,
Albania and ethnic-Albanian portions of
Kosovo, and in many other cultures throughout the
Mediterranean.
Modification of pubic hair
In Islamic societies, removing the pubic hair is a religiously endorsed practice.
Trimming or completely
removing pubic hair has become a custom in many cultures. A preference for hairless genitals is known as
acomoclitism. The method of removing hair is called
depilation (when removing only the hair above the skin) or epilation (when removing the entire hair). The trimming or removal of body hair by men is sometimes referred to as
manscaping.
Removal of pubic hair isn't common in East Asian cultures. However, with more exposure to Western attitudes, pubic hair removal is gaining acceptance.
Reasoning
Some arguments for modification of pubic hair have included:
Style
The modification of pubic hair can also be considered a statement about one's style or personal lifestyle as can leaving it unmodified. The fashion designer
Mary Quant was famously proud that her husband trimmed hers into a heart shape.
Some styles include:
None — Lots of trimming and/or maintenance
Natural — No trimming and/or maintenance
Trimmed — Hair length is shortened but not removed or shaped
Triangle — Hair removed (generally waxed) from the sides to form a triangle so that pubic hair can't be seen while wearing swimwear . This can range from the very edge of the "bikini line" to up to an inch reduction on either side. Hair length can be from an inch and a half, to half an inch
Landing strip — Hair sharply removed from the sides to form a long centred vertical rectangle, hair length about quarter of an inch
"Chaplin" moustache — A shorter, square version of the landing strip
Brazilian waxing/G-wax - Pubic hair completely removed except for a very thin remnant, centred, narrow stripe above the vulva approximately an inch in height, and the hair length in the sub-centimeter range
Full-Brazilian/Hollywood/Bare — Pubic hair completely removed
Faux Hawk - Hair is styled in Mohawk fashion without shaving the hair
Mohawk - Shaving the hair on the left and right leaving the middle to be spiked
Dyed — colouring hair to match hair on the head, or to give it a unique look (for example, red--in the shape of a heart)
The Butch/The Bull - Trimming all the hair very short except for a small perpetual long patch(a.k.a. rat’s tail) resembling a popular hairstyle among lesbian women.
Others — V-shaped, heart-shaped, arrow, initials, etc. These are usually variations of the Brazilian/G-Wax, where a design is formed of the pubic hair above completely bare vulva.
Health issues
The health issues of pubic hair are controversial. Some studies show that removal of pubic hair may cause fungal infection of genitalia, especially in women.
Gallery
Image:Goddess nut.jpg|Egyptian painting of the sky goddess Nut, showing her pubic hair as a black triangle
Image:Dream of the fishermans wife hokusai.jpg|Hokusai's print The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife
Image:Goya Maja naga2.jpg|Francisco Goya, The Nude Maja
Image:Origin-of-the-World.jpg|Gustave Courbet's L’Origine du monde
Image:Buttock Hair.JPG|Pubic hair spreads to other areas in the lower region of a human as well
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pubic Hair'.
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