An Interview With a Bikini Waxer

Society’s gradual rejection of pubic hair can be traced from the full-bearded era (pre-History through 1975) to the hairless late 1990s and the pre-recession 2000s. While no one can be sure who started the practice of female pubic hair removal (probably prostitutes), what is clear is that it was in full swing by the mid 1980s. At this point in history, women were wearing those weird bikinis that went all high over the hips. They were thus forced to have the hair on the sides of their ‘bikini zone’ removed, lest it peek out from their clothing. Additionally, pornography (both in magazines and especially on video) gained in popularity, and, due to increased vaginal visibility, trimming became more prominent.

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, as late night Cinemax (skinemax) and XXX video store rentals were replaced by the internet, pornography became both ubiquitous and entirely hairless. In this era, many men shaved not only their pubic hair, but also their chests and stomachs. Paradoxically, it should be noted, men’s mustaches were expanded into goatees, for reasons that can only be explained by people like Fred Durst and the late Ken Caminitti. As Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” video brought school-girl fetishism to a high, high school boyfriends everywhere expected their girl’s swimsuit area to be completely bald. This generation, the dominant youth generation from 1999-2005, grew up with the assumption that all vaginas must be hairless, or else they would look totally gross.

The late 2000s recession made the act of shaving or waxing one’s vagina seem vain and childish. It was a sign that one’s priorities were in the wrong place. The prevailing train of thought was that people are if being laid-off, unemployment is high, and you still have money to pay for a wax, you are a bad person. While many of the Spears generation remained sans pubic hair (but with jobs), the younger generation was, arguably, the first generation in history to have more pubic hair than their predecessors. The end of the recession thus leaves us with a new generation who have an incredible amount of options. Seeking professional insight into the art of pubic maintenance in 2011, I spoke to Irina Gordon, owner of Dyanna Spa.

Vice: Are there certain types of women who get certain types of waxing done, or is it totally random? For example, do conservatively dressed women tend to prefer one style, while maybe those who dress more outlandishly prefer another?
Irina: One of our most popular services is Brazilian waxing, so in our experience full removal of the hair is the most common at our spa. As for shaping, landing strips, or completely bare- that is typically quite random. Every woman has a different preference, but the bulk of the hair beyond the bikini line is most commonly removed.

But can you tell by looking at a woman what style of pubic hair she has?
You really can never tell just by looking at a women about her pubic hair. The hair on the head has absolutely nothing to do with the public hair. For instance, if a person gets waxed regularly, then hair will be soft and grow back fine. However, if a person shaves, it will grow back coarse and ingrown.

I say “person,” not just “woman,” because over the past few past years, we have seen more and more men (many straight men as well) coming in for bikini and Brazilian waxes. It seems that it’s no longer just guys that like smooth skin but girls too, and they are pushing more boyfriends to go for a wax.

Do you think that women who are designing their pubic hair based on what they think men like, or for themselves?
Unfortunately, most women design and wax their pubic hair based on what they think men like, or what their boyfriends prefer.

That’s too bad. Do you think that different types of men look for different types of pubic hair?
It seems that most prefer tidy with no hair, however what the details are- i.e. fully waxed with a Brazilian or some kind of shape- that is random, because everyone has their own preferences.

That’s a good point. So what’s the most popular style now?
Over the past 5-10 years, Brazilian was most definitely the most popular type of waxing.

But has the Brazilian always been the most popular?
Well, these days people are starting to get more creative with the shapes, designs and even colors. This is especially true around the holiday season. We see everything from shapes to initials being requested.

That’s pretty innovative. It sounds like a really exciting time to be working in the field of waxing.