Yes, pubic hair does have a purpose. Above all else, it lessens friction during sex and prevents the transmission of bacteria and other pathogens. Some people prefer to let it grow, while others trim it, shave it, or wax it. What you do with yours is up to you. Read on to learn more about why it grows, how it affects hygiene, the risks associated with removal, and more.

A nationally representative study out of the University of California, San Francisco found that nearly 84 percent of the 3, women surveyed had groomed their pubic hair, and 62 percent had removed it all at least once. Shaving with a nonelectric razor was the most popular method of grooming, followed by trimming with scissors and shaving with an electric razor. Even the current natural-is-beautiful, pro-body-hair movement is a cultural product and one that tends to focus on the hair of cis white women , at that. Women and femmes are far from a monolith, however. Beauty standards interact with gender identity, race, sexuality, relationships, and, yes, simple convenience to influence how we approach our pubes. And while ultimately we may not be able to separate our bush-care choices from beauty ideals, we can stop attaching moral judgments to pubic hair.

We cannot guarantee that the page will display correctly in your browser. If you grew up in the nineties or noughties, then you probably started shaving your pubic hair as soon as you started secondary school. This means that owning and loving your perfectly imperfect body is back in. Essentially, the days of pubic hair shaming are officially over. If you want to wax, wax away.

To go bare, bushy, or something in between has been a personal decision women have weighed since the s when pubic hair styles became a thing. But in this particular moment in history, women are becoming aware and outraged over unreasonable beauty standards more than ever before. Scores of people who didn't think much about gender five years ago are now proudly identifying as feminists.