Shaving it all off down there the 'in' thing for men, women both

“Hey, Martha, what do you think of that medical study that says, increasingly, young women shave off all their pubic hair?

“And supposedly guys are doing it, too!”

“Hey Martha” stories are what we old newspaper fogies call reports sure to get everyone talking – even if those reports don’t exactly change the world.

Many in the newspaper industry call those same stories “clickbait” when they see them on the Internet.

But this is serious scientific research published in Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA. It reports that among more than 3,300 women surveyed, 83.8 percent report grooming their pubic hair.

What makes this study worthwhile is that it included a nationally representative sample of women, ages 18 to 65, and of all races.

It found that younger women, those with higher educational attainment, and those more sexually active (and with partners who prefer little to no hair) groom more often and more thoroughly, sometimes taking it all off.

White women reported the highest tendencies of grooming among races.

Women shave for their doctors as well as their mates

The survey reported that women shave because it is hygienic and makes oral sex easier and more pleasurable, among other things.

It also reduces chances of body lice. This can be a problem among people who have multiple partners.

Some women said they shave before seeing their doctor.

Almost 38 percent of those surveyed said they never have removed all their pubic hair. But more than 20 percent of the sample said they have shaved it all off more than 11 times.

It’s important to note that such grooming can be dangerous, particularly for obese women, the study’s authors noted.

“Knowledge of grooming behaviors is important for health care professionals because these behaviors reflect cultural norms and a source of patient morbidity,” the authors wrote.

Idolization of the vagina driving shave trend

Popular culture has made shaving in the nether regions hip.

“Much of what is believed to be the driving factor for grooming is a cultural trend, epitomized by representation of genitalia in popular media,” the authors observed.

Some women want to create the perfect labia. Genital cosmetic surgery is an emerging trend.

“Some surgeons believe that the current grooming trends are responsible for this increase because women are able to visualize their labia more easily now than in the past and are thus motivated to change their appearance,” the authors explained.

Women want their vaginas to look nice.

Straight guys shave it off, too

Gay men have been stereotyped as pubic hair groomers for quite some time. But by no means is it true that all gay men are groomers. Many gay men prefer hair down there and even identify as “bears.”

Bears can have clean-shaven faces, by the way. For gay men, being a bear is an attitude as much as anything else.

The shaving craze isn’t only affecting young women or a segment of gay culture.

A 2017 study showed about half of men trim down there or shave it all off. Like women, grooming among men is associated with increased pleasure during oral sex.

The study appeared in the American Journal of Men’s Health. It concluded that grooming pubic hair among men was “common” and peaked during ages 25 to 34.

The study surveyed 4,200 men ages 18 to 65.

Teens: Not shaving down there ‘just plain gross’

I once worked with a guy who has had an extremely successful career in journalism. He is a good-looking guy, straight, but not what one would describe as “Metrosexual.”

Ty was just sort of his own person, maybe a little “granola,” back when I knew him.

He wrote a column many years ago that implored heterosexual men to shave “down there” if they wanted to be popular with the ladies. At the time, the idea was rather groundbreaking. I think the column made him sort of famous.

A few years ago, a close friend with children ranging in ages from 15 to 19 at the time, and of both sexes, told her they shave everything off.

“They said ‘Mom, to do otherwise is just plain gross,’” I recalled her telling me as we shared a laugh and an “Oh my.”

I once had someone I dated present me with a “Barber in a Box.” This person was used to dating younger people who appeared to be seemingly hairless.

Judging from both scientific and anecdotal evidence, they must be hipper than I am.