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In recent years, more and more women have been very open about their shaving habits — or lack thereof. And while the growing trend to not remove your pubic hair is becoming more widely lauded and accepted, a new study claims that the majority of women still love to bare it all down there.
Published in the JAMA Dermatology Journal, the study surveyed a sample group of 3,316 women (between the ages of 18 and 65) and came to the conclusion that 62.1 percent prefer a bald vagina. Fifty-nine percent revealed that they wax, shave or trim their hair for hygienic purposes.
“Pubic hair grooming practices pose some potential risks of injury to women, most often related to shaving,” researchers behind the study claim. “Obese women are particularly prone to injury during pubic hair grooming, which is important to any practitioners who address gynecologic health. There are also known benefits to pubic hair grooming, such as decreased rates of pubic hair lice. Some surgeons believe that the current grooming trends are responsible for this increase because women are able to visualize their labia more easily now than in the past and are thus more motivated to change their appearance.”
Aside from vaginal pubic hair, the study noted that 22.4 percent of the women surveyed even remove their anal hair, even if they are not engaging in anal sex. That sounds like one long shower.
The study concluded that women from the United States are more likely to groom their pubic hair if they fall into the following categories: young, White and educated. Reason being, those who fit these groups may have the finances necessary to support their grooming needs. The study also noted that these women are likely to groom pubic hair based on what their partner prefers.
Despite women wanting to get rid of their pubic hair, several doctors told The New York Times that pubic hair serves as a barrier against bacteria entering the vaginal opening. By removing pubic hair to fit a cultural beauty aesthetic, both adult women and young girls are more susceptible to genitourinary trauma. The more you know…
h/t Jezebel
