The Incidence, Attitudes and Practices of the Removal of Pubic Hair as a Body Modification

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the incidence, attitudes, and practices of the removal of pubic hair as a body modification.

Design

A voluntary, anonymous survey was conducted among adolescents and young women 12-20 years of age seen in gynecology clinics in Houston, Texas.

Results

There were a total of 171 adolescent participants surveyed, of whom 70.4% of reported routinely shaving or waxing their pubic hair. More traditional body modification methods were evaluated, and 3.5% reported tattoos and 57.1% reported piercings. Sexually active participants were more likely to remove pubic hair routinely. The areas of the body where the participants felt there was “too much” hair included the genital area, upper lip, and abdomen. Of total respondents, 14.7% reported feeling “pressure” from friends or family to participate in body modification such as tattooing, piercing, or removal of pubic hair. The decision to participate in body modification was mostly influenced by friends and family.

Conclusion

Based on this study, removal of pubic hair as a body modification is common. The results of this study demonstrated that removal of pubic hair was more common in sexually active participants compared to non-sexually active participants. Therefore, providers should additionally be aware that removal of pubic hair may be a warning sign of sexual behaviors or impending sexual activity.

Introduction

Body modification involves any change to a previously unaltered part of the body. Body modification among adolescents has traditionally focused on behaviors such as tattooing and body piercing. Recent studies demonstrate that 4%-26 % of adolescents/young adults have tattoos and 10-51% of adolescents/young adults have body piercings excluding the ear lobes.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Although tattooing and body piercing are the 2 behaviors most commonly studied under the category of body modification, removal of pubic hair either by shaving or waxing may also be considered a type of body modification.³ There are no published studies specifically addressing the removal of pubic hair in adolescent females or young adult women. This study was designed to describe the incidence of body modification (including tattooing, skin piercing, and removal of pubic hair) in adolescent girls and young women at 1 institution and to describe the practices and attitudes involved in this behavior.