Campus Confidential
Traci Tyler
Issue date: 9/4/09 Section: Opinion
It's a question that burns everyone's mind as soon as puberty hits and things begin to change: to shave or not to shave the hair down there?
Clearly the undergrowth is natural; everyone, except those with certain disorders, has it. However, in today's streamlined society, where smooth hairless chests, arms and legs have become one of the accepted standards of beauty, bare or neatly trimmed genitals have started to become the norm. Many men will state that they love their women bare, and women agree that at least a trim makes things more pleasurable all around.
A few years back in a very frank discussion about the subject, my friend Mike asked another friend and I whether or not we shaved. Upon learning that yes, the path was indeed clear, he asked if we could talk to his girlfriend, who he had never broached the subject with, about joining the club. Obviously this didn't happen, because just like you can't (or at least shouldn't) tell someone they need to pluck their unibrow, you can't tell your friend's girlfriend that he would like her to trim the bush.
The choice to shave is personal, or at the most, one you discuss with your partner. It can be a matter of hygiene, aesthetics, sensation, accessibility or even because it makes you feel attractive. I believe a courtesy trim is at least in order if you don't want to go to the extreme one way or another. Once the deed is done, however, you have to keep it in good condition.
My friend Caroline recently related a hilarious horror story to me about her new boyfriend. She had been a little lax with the razor at the time, and as sometimes happens, she was in an awkward state of growth when they had sex for the first time.
"I gave him rug burn," she said, her expression serious. I laughed and told her to move the action up to the bed next time. She shook her head and in her most solemn voice, she said, "No, with MY rug." Just as facial hair can chafe and burn when rubbed too harshly against another's skin, so can that of your pubic region.
That's the thing about shaving. It's kind of like planting a garden: once you do it, you have to keep it maintained or it can get out of control, and before you know it, the scrub has taken over.
Keep it clean, Western.
Clearly the undergrowth is natural; everyone, except those with certain disorders, has it. However, in today's streamlined society, where smooth hairless chests, arms and legs have become one of the accepted standards of beauty, bare or neatly trimmed genitals have started to become the norm. Many men will state that they love their women bare, and women agree that at least a trim makes things more pleasurable all around.
A few years back in a very frank discussion about the subject, my friend Mike asked another friend and I whether or not we shaved. Upon learning that yes, the path was indeed clear, he asked if we could talk to his girlfriend, who he had never broached the subject with, about joining the club. Obviously this didn't happen, because just like you can't (or at least shouldn't) tell someone they need to pluck their unibrow, you can't tell your friend's girlfriend that he would like her to trim the bush.
The choice to shave is personal, or at the most, one you discuss with your partner. It can be a matter of hygiene, aesthetics, sensation, accessibility or even because it makes you feel attractive. I believe a courtesy trim is at least in order if you don't want to go to the extreme one way or another. Once the deed is done, however, you have to keep it in good condition.
My friend Caroline recently related a hilarious horror story to me about her new boyfriend. She had been a little lax with the razor at the time, and as sometimes happens, she was in an awkward state of growth when they had sex for the first time.
"I gave him rug burn," she said, her expression serious. I laughed and told her to move the action up to the bed next time. She shook her head and in her most solemn voice, she said, "No, with MY rug." Just as facial hair can chafe and burn when rubbed too harshly against another's skin, so can that of your pubic region.
That's the thing about shaving. It's kind of like planting a garden: once you do it, you have to keep it maintained or it can get out of control, and before you know it, the scrub has taken over.
Keep it clean, Western.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
LaLaLa
posted 9/04/09 @ 3:01 PM CST
I have one question....why should women bear the brunt of this? Why aren't guys being told to shave? Any woman that has ever gone down on a guy will probably tell you about how nasty it is getting his hair in your mouth. (Continued…)
LaLaLa
posted 9/05/09 @ 12:02 AM CST
Thanks for responding. I get what you're saying and thanks for the clarification.
This just makes me think of the observations I've made when seeing people going out to the bars or whatever. (Continued…)
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