Last Updated on 14 August, 2025 by Cara Sutra
Natural dark curls, silky blonde fur, neat tufts or barely there at all. Is pubic hair sexy? Does it matter what you do with your pubes? For women, pubes are the central topic of an ongoing fight between popular culture purported by glossy magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour and our innate right to do whatever we want with our own bodies.
Why Do We Have Pubes?
Why have we even got pubic hair in the first place? It’s a sign that we’ve been through puberty and reached adulthood, true; but for those who choose to remove any trace of pubic hair from their body it can be an endless source of frustration (and expensive waxing and other salon treatments). One school of thought suggests that pubic hair is the last remnant of an evolutionary phase where we required more hair covering our body to retain heat. Another idea is that pubic hair captures pheromones in the sexual region; sexually stimulating personal scents which increase our chances of attracting and mating with a sexual partner.
In the 21st century, we have other ways of keeping our bodies warm, whether that’s your partner, central heating or that super cute jumper you bought in the Next sale. As for smelling attractive, a soapy bath or a scrub down in the shower followed by anti-perspirant or deodorant usually ensures that we don’t repulse anyone within a mile radius.
We have come to depend on other methods of attraction than our natural pheromones, such as body language, verbal communication, flirting techniques and physical and psychological compatibility to find a sexual partner. Sex isn’t merely about reproduction either; it’s an enjoyable adult activity and as such there is no desperate drive to connect your sexual parts with someone else’s before the alarm on your biological clock goes off.
It’s Your Choice
With these thoughts in mind, it soon becomes clear that pubic hair for both men and women is more a personal choice these days rather than a natural bodily need. There are always extremes in perception of course, where porn is a case in point. Pornography offers a very narrow view of women’s, and to an arguably lesser extent, men’s bodies.
Bleached anal areas, completely (or at least mostly) waxed genital regions and surgically enhanced breasts and facial aspects make up the vast majority of female porn stars’ bodies, and male porn stars are pressured to keep up muscular appearances and a hairless, plucked and primped form as well. I can only think of a couple of exceptions. The ‘bear’ stereotype in gay porn, where an all over covering of hair is deemed attractive, or what’s known as hirsute porn, usually heterosexual and specialist, where women display hairy vulvas that 70s adult mags would have been proud of.
Pubes In Porn
How does the pornographic representation of pubic hair, or more precisely a lack of pubes, compare to the average person’s opinion? Speaking with friends both within the adult industry, other sex bloggers and product reviewers, industry contacts and the like, as well as people outside of this scene, the porn view of pubes doesn’t seem to represent the ideals of the masses. In fact the porn stereotypes of women’s (and men’s) bodies are often referred to in conversation and in popular media with humorous references, as though porn stars bodies are caricatures rather than any representation of ‘normal’ people.
I’m not in the habit of discussing pubic hair with my male friends but my discussions on a superficial and beauty level with women has left me with the distinct impression that women are tired of being told what to do with their bodies. We have to be the maximum of a size 10 with generously proportioned breasts, cellulite-free bottoms and thighs, wrinkle free faces, silver-free hair and flaring womanly hips that somehow magically fit into jeans made to fit an 8 year old boy.
Multi-million pound business stay afloat globally purely because women are pressured to adapt their bodies to fit within this narrow ideal. Diets, diet pills, anti-wrinkle creams, hair dyes, ‘sculpting’ underwear, anti-cellulite creams, botox, cosmetic surgery and of course, razors, sugaring treatments and waxing equipment for the purposes of removing unwanted body hair all contribute to these.
Other Body Hair
Interestingly, all the women I have spoken to agree that they do not want underarm hair. This is generally seen as an ‘all-off’ area, unless you’re some kind of ‘wild European lady’ who really just doesn’t care and probably enjoys things like camping, surviving by eating insects and washing in communal showers (oh the horror).
There’s much more diversity when it comes to hair on the vulva region downwards, covering around the labia and perineum. Only a few I have spoken to have expressed a preference for everything to be waxed or shaved off, leaving a ‘Hollywood’ or all bare skin surface. It’s noted that this is very difficult to maintain, by some; others just prefer to have some semblance of pubic hair with the common statement that they want to still ‘look like an adult’.
I guess this is why a ‘Brazilian’ is the most popular choice of female genital waxing, leaving a slender, neatly trimmed ‘landing strip’ of hair. I’ve never understood the appeal of a ‘landing strip’, personally. Each to their own, of course.
I still feel like an adult with or without my pubic hair. I definitely don’t subscribe to the school of thought that suggests a removal of all pubic hair is a somewhat Freudian desire to look like a child, and that this then suggests horrific things about anyone who finds you sexually attractive without pubic hair.
Pubic Hair Prefs
Then comes the issue of what motivates your preference in pubic hair. Do you choose your pubic hair style based on what you think looks and feels best? Are you influenced by any external media to choose a certain type of pubic hair ‘look’, despite what you may have gone with otherwise? Perhaps your pubic hair maintenance routine is more likely to be determined by your partner, who asks that you keep it bare, neatly trimmed, or natural, depending on their tastes?
I personally choose to keep bare from the neck down, with regards to body hair. Bare with regards to clothes would be nice but not really doable at all times. What I can’t quite decide is whether I would have chosen hairless genitalia as my personal body preference if not for common ‘women’s beauty’ media and stereotypes – or whether I would have desired a more natural look without that influence. I just know that I choose and prefer a bare look and feel (for myself) – and this is definitely for me, not for any partner whether male or female.
The Decision That’s Right For You
When it comes down to it, surely the best choice you can make is one as unaffected by external matters as possible. None of us are immune to the pressures of society, culture and media but as long as our decision comes from a careful reasoning in our own minds, then I believe whatever choice you make is best for you. Not allowing yourself to be dictated to about your pubic hair choices – or any other body issues – will surely lead you towards being a more confident person, whether you have your clothes on or not. Where being sexy is concerned, surely confidence is the most sexy and attractive feature of all.
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