Letters to the Editor
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This is Pathetic
I can't believe the huge response this got from Salon readers.
This passionate preoccupation with pointless nonsense goes a long way in explaining how we in the U.S. have found ourselves standing in the ruins of a second Bush administration. (no pun intended) And to think all this in the same publication that pokes fun at the conservatives for their preoccupation with a "cigar dance."
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All the guys I'm dating want me to shave down there
With all the problems in the world right now, it is very nice that Salon encourages its readers to laugh a little. It is important not to let ourselves be drowned in misery, but to maintain a happy spirit. Thank you, Salon. Oh, and by the way, it is good for women to do things that make them feel sexy, or their partners.
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I got your "bush administration" right here...
Pardon me, but I believe the preferred phrase is "pudendal cleft administration".
Anyway, settle down there, Sparky, we're just having a little fun, and believe me *nothing* is more fun than passing judgement on other people's muff-maintenance habits.
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For crying out loud!
This isn't about the "infantilization: of women, subjugation of women, control or domination, or any of the other hysterical rablings I've just been reading.
It's about anatomy and sex.
If you're so sure that female pubic shaving is a terrible affront to womankind, then I suggest the following test: perorm oral sex on two women, one with 'full bush', one shaved.
You'll immediately see, I think, the reason so many men appeciate a shaved or closely-trimmed bush. Men want to please women (really! It's true!), and it's easier to do without a tangle of shrubbery in the way.
Alternatively, go lick someone's full head of thick, curly hair....and then lick the lovely, smooth side of their neck.
Which is more enjoyable?
It's that simple.
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Lady Chatterly's Lover
Mmmm, garters, button shoes, can I have a high-waisted empire dress to go with that as well? Making hay out in the hay fields.... Now that's a fetish I can get behind!
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Vive les differences
A point I would make is that the glorious *chatte femme* (leave it to the French to call a bush a bush), among European women in particular, left in its natural God/Goddess-given state, is a unique identifier for a woman -- the thrill of discovery for men is great, or at least, it is for me. Long or short, lush or delicate, black, brown, blonde, ginger? Fantastic! Shaving such a bounty is not only a slap to Mother Nature, it nullifies a vital, visible/tactile part of a woman and robs her of some of her sexual individuality. Of course, in this Borg-like age, many of us want to give up our individuality anyway. Compulsively getting rid of body hair is just another manifestation of a collective neurosis -- this desire to look the same. I'm surprised the Army isn't shaving bodies at boot camp as well as heads.
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RE: Not Easy To Improve On Nature
No Name Given says
“A woman in her natural state is not only sexually desirable, but also real, and never fails to arouse me.”
You are right the “natural state” for a grown woman is to have a very furry muff.
No other part of her body will be shaved either. Her hair will have never been cut, and only ever combed with her fingers. Her fingernails will only be trimmed if she chews on them and her teeth will be rotten. Also she will probably smell pretty bad as bathing has only been “the style” for the last 150 years or so. She may even have a tick or two.
Arousing isn’t it?
So before you complain about women who shave being unnatural best think about how “natural” or “real” you really want the woman you are with to be.
Humans have been improving on nature since we stood upright.
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I wouldn't dump him? Right.....
You wouldn't dump a guy who asks you to put your hair up instead of wearing it down. -- No Name Given
Uhhh. I absolutly would. Without a second thought. The only man to attempt this kind of control turned out to be physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive.
Now, I realize anecdotes don't equal data. However, if a man were to ask me to alter my appearance to suit his taste, he'd find himself kicked to the curb as a matter of general principle. He's more than welcome to encourage a look he likes, but asking for a specific one (outside of scene space) is just creepy.
Oh, and there are plenty of young men out there who, when they get their heads out of the glossy and made-up entertainment/porn sphere, learn to love the bush. I've had many become quite disconcerted when I've decided to do a full shave. However, they will (and do) deal.
My advice? When it comes to appearance, do what please you. If you feel like shaving, do it. If you don't, screw it. Don't give in to people who try to limit your choices.
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Late Comment
Wow, there's been almost as much response to this one as to the previous day’s article that started a debate about believing in God. At this point, I’m not sure that I’m really adding anything new, but this topic is too interesting to pass up.
Anyway, from one guy’s point of view, I think that it’s really a matter of personal style – really just another hairdo. A woman may prefer one look over another based on how that look impacts her appearance, or at least her perception of her appearance. If grooming, to whatever degree, or not grooming down there makes a woman feel better about how she looks, wonderful – go for it.
Similar to other aspects of personal appearance and style, some women may look a little better with one style or another, but almost all women will be perfectly fine with any style they choose in the eyes of most men. Perhaps there are a few guys other there with a particular fetish for one style or another, but I’ve honestly never seen anything that didn’t work for me.
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It's all a matter of taste!
I'm a 36-year-old man, and I like a smooth (or at least well-trimmed) pubic region on women. It has absolutely nothing to do with "the infantilizing of female genitalia," which strikes me as kooky at the very least. I come from a large family and have changed many a diaper (on infants of both sexes), and to me an infant's genitalia is no sexier than an infant's nostril. I believe my sexual desires are healthily aimed at sexually mature women (and pretty much exclusively toward those who might feel a reciprocate attraction toward me), so my appreciation for shaving is based upon an appreciation for female genitalia as a whole. An excess of pubic hair simply gets in the way of up-close inspection and appreciation of the region. Many women I've known have expressed an increase of pleasurable sensation in the absence of the pubes, but others have noted no real advantage, especially in view of the maintenance required. But from my perspective, cunnilingus is both easier and more fun when the hair is out of the way. It does not have to be completely absent, but if you're carrying around what my male friends refer to as "70's bush," then your lack of attention to this region might be perceived as, at the least, an equivalent form of aesthetic lapse as an unmowed lawn overrun with crabgrass.
My wife is a natural redhead, and is justifiably proud of her fiery thatch. She does not want to trim it, and I do not insist that she do so. But if she did, she'd get even more attention down there than she does (and she gets a fair amount; I like it down there!). Also, the attention might be more enjoyable for her if I didn't have to pause frequently to remove stray hairs from 'twixt my teeth.