Letters to the Editor
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the younger generation
I'm a single woman in my 30s and I live with 3 guys in their 20s. I just recently had this discussion with my roomates and I was shocked to learn that all of my roommates expect a woman to be completely shaved. (This had nothing to do with my own vagina - one of them was discussing a girl he was dating.)
I dated a guy in college who asked me to shave, and I did because I was young and naive and too insecure to stick up for myself, but it always made me feel a little creepy because I was skinny and flat-chested, and with no pubes, I really did look like a young girl. (I'm not saying women who shave are insecure, but those who don't want to shave and do it anyway have some problems asserting their own needs, which was me back then.)
Anyway this always struck me as a weird quirk of my weird controlling ex-boyfriend, so I was surprised that the guys I live with - who are really good guys - felt this way. We've had long discussions about why they like it. One of my roommates says it's easier to go down on a woman, and he backs it up by shaving himself. We've talked about whether or not it's driven by porn (possibly, they agree) or pedophilia (unlikely, they say). We've theorized that maybe they're subconsciously attracted to the hairless look because it signals youth and vitality. At first I was a little offended that they expected women to shave completely, but as I've grown to see their point of view.
That said, I keep mine trimmed and use Magic Shaving Powder on my bikini area, which is a great alternative to shaving or waxing. Magic Shaving Powder is designed for black men's beards, but works very well on pubic hair without the irritation of Nair or similar products. I highly recommend it.
I think the LW should do whatever makes her comfortable, but don't automatically assume that a man is a pedophile if he likes his women shaved. And if you decide to shave, try the Magic Shaving Powder.