CARPET BURN!

The evolution of women's pubic hair!

You have been on a few dates with a great guy. You tell yourself, I won't do it until the third date or after, I want to be one of those girls. The third or fourth date rolls around, he is a good kisser, he smells good, his hands are strong, and he buys you a $60 bottle of champagne and then...his hand reaches down your pants and you think, am I ready for this...? Did I wax?

Did you let it grow just to keep yourself from letting him get this far? Or were you smart- did you go against your better judgment and do some pre-emptive grooming?

That perplexing patch between all of our legs, it has receded over time, taken shape and completely disappeared in popular magazines and film. One often wonders if it's normal to produce pubic hair at all.

We have all seen the 70s films where it was a full blown shagadelic carpet. Then, the 90s came around and it got skinner and skinner, until it completely disappeared. I shaved, I waxed, and it always felt like so much work. When you microwave consumer wax it stinks up the kitchen. When you pull off those 5-inch plastic strips, it binds your fingers. An hour and a glass of wine later, you look more like you've been electrocuted than a sleek and shiny love doll. Nair stinks. And shaving makes my vagina look like a mine field.

I wanted to ask people, openly, what it meant to them, and in the process figure out how I felt about my love box, should I wax it or should I let it go? Not just to fit the mold, but see what I was missing. Perhaps I am just too self conscious or just lazy, can you be self-conscious and lazy at the same time? I also wanted to see if a professional could fix the crappy, uneven work I did on my Mound o'Venus.

It isn't just that I want to fit into some fantasy girl mold, though admittedly, that is a factor. The truth is, even feminists love pleasing men. For the same reason I want to have hair that smells nice, smooth skin and pretty clothes; I want to assume that feminine mystique that's beguiled storytellers for centuries. Frankly, I'm paranoid my cherry patch will be a disappointment.

I had developed women's lib theories about fulfilling a Nabokovian, pre-teen nymphet fantasy. I had theories about Barbie and her friend Skipper, not to mention porn wending its way into my sex life.

In my first video editorial, I learned that it is much better having a wax professionally done, I feel more confident and more comfortable. We all know what a hair across the ass feels like; imagine that 3 inches to the north. Whether or not I "treat" my lover to some St. Bald of ‘Gina is ultimately my decision, with no great impact on my identity or relationships. The times they are a'changin and in this seam of time- fad to lifestyle, norm to taboo-I have the freedom to go with the flow of the future, or become that quirky, hippie hybrid with a bush. At the moment, I think I will go with the former...eh, until I trap a guy in a relationship.