Pubic hair in porn is on the rise. You might love it or hate it, but it's back!
I was asked to collect some adult model perspectives on this for a reporter from VICE (I am a director and producer of adult content, a.k.a. pubic-hair-in-porn expert). Since my models had a LOT to say on the subject, and only a few tidbits appeared in this article- am going to publish some of the quotes that I rounded up. I am impressed by the passion that led to some pretty verbose answers on:
• The fading full-shave trend in porn (and outside of it?).
• If/why they choose to keep their pubic hair and if they ever had concerns about it career wise.
• How they groom and if/why they would choose to fully shave/wax at any point.
The quotes below are a semi-random assortment of their thoughts on these questions and the subject in general:
Olive Glass:
Although I think the shaved look has its charms, I feel like very few women can actually pull it off. If you have light colored, fine pubes, then it's going to look great. If you have somewhat coarse, dark hair- like most of humanity- its going to be prickly and uncomfortable to upkeep.
I think the trend has faded due to social media, honestly. There are so many people posting images of their bodies, their pubic hair, armpit hair, leg hair, etc, and having discussions of what is 'socially acceptable' that the image of the soft, hairless, young woman is getting thrown out for an image of a stronger, less classically feminine model. While there is no right way to trim your hair, other than what you like personally, I think it's an awesome new trend towards acceptance of our bodies.
I always kept my pubic hair, even years into my work as an adult performer, just out of comfort. But when I decided to actually pursue a broader career in mainstream porn for the first time ever I decided to try shaving my pussy. I felt weird; too naked. I would go to the co-ed sauna in the town I lived in the NW and I didn't want to go nude even though it was allowed, just because I felt weirdly bald. it made me feel like I was fetishizing myself by not having pubic hair. When I finally made the big move to LA to build my career up even further, I decided to grow my bush back out and start with a clean slate. I was ready to defend my position of keeping my pubes, but it turns out the only inquiries I got from adult companies was 'can you grow it out even more?'
I like to shave my pussy lips, a little on the sides and a bit up top, just to keep it looking groomed and not too 'I just got back from a 3 month festival in the woods'.
I would only shave again if I was paid enough to compensate for the time it would take to grow it back out.
Pepper Hart:
My bush is not as cute now that I've grown it out but I keep a little because it's red. I shaved it all off for personal reasons before porn but now I think it's best to share the ginger bush. Especially so I can change my real hair. My pubic hair is kind of long and stringy. I've tried to ask men for goatees for advice but they've been too flabbergasted to explain maintenance.
Ana Molly:
Thoughts on full shave: It was so pervasive and consistent for years that I was literally shocked when I let the bush grow half an inch and got compliments and thank yous from men. Fans, photographers and lovers all say they like "something down there". It feels like it's shocking them in a good way, probably because bald pussy has been so pervasive.
I keep my pubic hair now as a preference, but when I stopped shaving it was a real gamble. Having bush was such a small niche just 5 years ago, I did lose some photographers I'd worked with who still prefer shaved but some I still shoot with the 1 or 2 times a year I shave. It's been surprisingly lucrative to have a full bush, natural hair color and no tattoos. I can only assume it's because we're collectively bored with the typical porn girl look.
Left alone, I'd probably trim but not shave. As it is, I get more work with more bush or none at all. I spend less time and money when I skip shaving and I'm all for that!
Willow Hayes:
The previous fully shaven norm is something I'm glad has been fading out. There's something very juvenile and discomforting about an entire lack of public hair if you ask me. I can understand wanting to be clean, but public hair starts to exist at a already rather young age. Embodying anything even younger than that is just off putting.
For me personally I have done both hairy shoots and shaven shoots, but I don't recall ever going full out and shaving everything, and I don't feel that any of my choices were detrimental to my career. I built quite the fan base doing hairy work, actually, and the rest of it was just usual business. But I don't believe I've ever been asked to shave entirely everything or ever lost an opportunity because I personally preferred not to. I just don't think it's what they're looking for anymore.
I feel generally what's necessary these days is keeping the outer labia shaven and keeping up top well-groomed to whatever extent the performer feels they prefer. I've worked with girls who use a trimmer for a very close shave, and some who let the top get a little more full. Neither have seemed like an issue in set. I do wish that unshaven was less of a fetish now and still more of a widely societally accepted choice. There's definitely times in my personal life where I just don't want to keep up with it and give it a rest but the stigma has changed and it's just not what guys seem to be okay with anymore. Ultimately people will like what they like whether it's on their own body or their partners and there's nothing wrong with it either way, but I feel supporting women and how they choose to keep their bodies should be more widely accepted and celebrated.
Raven Snow:
I think women should do whatever they want with their bodies. There have been times that I've shaved everything just because it feels good, but I personally prefer the aesthetic of a full bush. I'm happy it's becoming more mainstream. Models are often used as sort of the "default" or beauty ideal and many women are then pressured to conform to something they aren't comfortable in. I think it's very important to feel comfortable and sexy in your own skin, especially as a model or adult performer. I'm all for diversity in anything, and that goes for the multitudinous ways you can style your bush. It's clear that there's a market for just about anything.
I never considered it a bad career move because I have always gotten attention because of my bush. It's been a niche market for years. It's pretty clear that with the internet, anything is possible and there's always someone interested in whatever you have to offer. For me, a big part of that is my bush. A big, awesome, fluffy part.
The only maintenance I consider to be vital is cleanliness. Plus, if I'm freshly showered my bush is at it's peak fluffiness which is how I like it. Whatever you got, somebody is probably gonna wanna see it. I have shaved under some circumstances, it really just depends on what I'm doing and who I'm working with. Since the bush is part of my "package" I have to be conscious of what jobs I might have in the future that require me to have a full bush.
Valentine:
Thoughts on old shave norm-
I believe the old shave norms have begun to fade due to demand. The “new woman” is a more self assured and matured. Whereas the “old woman” was a little more naive and innocent. Unaware of her body and its limits. Porn has taken a shift over all. Hair used to be the norm. It moved away from it. Its now making a come back.
Keeping vs shaving-
Whether its modeling in photos or porn there will always be a “desirability” around what the provider of content is supplying to its consumers. If someone shoots primarily one style of vulva, they will prefer that over the other. If someone has versatility built into their portfolio or video collections, then it wont be considered as “obscure” as one would think. I do personally know a lot of production companies in the industry gauge their preferences on the specific model. If they have “room” for something different amongst their norm. Alternatively hair is still frowned upon and women are asked to shave or risk losing gigs. Its all about aesthetics and at the discretion of the company itself.
Necessary grooming-
I feel like the new norm is to keep a little up top on the “mound” and shave or wax everything underneath. I personally go back and forth with this look. But sometimes prefer it all off. It can provide more detail of the vulva and vagina itself. So close ups aren’t obscured by hair. The glistening and smoothness of a bare cunt to some is the ultimate shot. The little bit of hair as “maturity” to a performer. Whereas some like the “natural” look and texture and even sounds of hair being rubbed or the seemingly “feral” look a performer might present.
Personal thoughts-
As someone who has a prominent clit thats larger than her labia, I prefer to keep things pretty hair free or close to it. It gets uncomfortable when I have hair that feels prickly or pokes inward towards my clit. I think hair on others is definitely a personal choice that should be celebrated. If someone has a specific look they’re after when choosing performers; understandable. However, giving someone the option to have a little hair or more, I think provides a sense of autonomy over our bodies and shows the hiring company is forward thinking. The truth of the matter is, there is always something for everyone. And assuming trends will remain the same (as in a hairless or little hair preference) stifles growth to a clientele that might like just the opposite and have been anticipating something catered towards their interests. Hence, niche “hairy porn”.
Penny Lay:
I love having a full bush because it makes me feel like a 70s porn star, because it feels like I have a science experiment going on in my pants where I'm collecting data on the length of my pubes, because I feel like the painting Le Monde, and because somehow having NO PUBES causes my pee to go everywhere.
However, I shave for porn because it's less friction for me, there's less pulling of the pubes. I'm just really sensitive down there. I also personally like how soft I feel and how I can see the color change in the skin around my pussy.
I've heard other performers going back to the bush because they can get jobs in what is kind of a niche market now. I go back and forth in my personal life because I hate torturing my skin down there with constant shaving. I'm excited for the return of the bush.
You care what I think as the performer, I'd say is the difference. That is related to me being able to commodify my body on my terms. The bush is a symptom of that more than it is a fad or preference. What is deemed attractive isn't necessarily the bush more than it is my control of the subject. I get to be the subject instead of an object that has to conform to the centralized industries' cookie cutter porn star. I think it's an improvement.
Hedera Helix:
-Thoughts on full shave norm and why it may have faded:
Well, I understand what may have been the initial appeal of full or partial shave. It gives the vagina a more smooth and supple look, but more importantly you can see everything. No longer was the pussy and all of its treasures hidden away behind varying degrees of bush. However, I feel like during the 80's and 90s as women started making their hair bigger and their eyebrows smaller, the trend of pubic hair became "messy" looking, and therefore must be kept trimmed and tight at all times, and the former mentality was lost. As the masses became obsessed with cleanliness and sterility, those messy pubes of yours were seen as a haven for all sorts of bacteria, turning you into a perceived cesspool of disease. This mentality gave douching much validity as well, remember. Thankfully nowadays with a better understanding of body ecology, it has become general knowledge that pubes are absolutely fine, we grow them for a reason. Now pubic hair is becoming a simple option rather than a necessity, and many women are opting to choose not to shave. Nothing revolutionary, just greater understanding for the body and using it to make choices for ourselves. What's beautiful about Lily's work for Yanks, is that she turns the tables and caters to the models desires rather than the general preferences of mainstream pornography. I think that's what we're going to start seeing more of as well, and why pubic hair will make it's way out of the fetish niche and into a wider scope of viewers.
-Why I choose to keep, and is it bad for career:
Since my involvement in pornography is more along the lines of a hobby and general enjoyment rather than a career, I don't have much to add about how it affects my status. But mostly my answer to why I don't shave or wax or why I think it shouldn't even be a career decision is mostly because of the answer above. The more we fetishize or condemn pubic hair, or any trend for that matter, the more we lose control over our own body for the sake of other's pleasure. And that's just sad.
-What grooming I think is necessary and under what circumstances I would shave or wax:
First of all, I don't think any grooming is necessary. It won't affect us from finding true love because we didn't get that bikini line waxed, or get that promotion because our eyebrows are a little too bushy. The way we decide to present ourselves is completely our choice, and we should regard body hair with the same mentality as why we wear certain color or scents. We all want to be attractive, and many women will like full bush or smoothy smoothness because it makes them feel sexy. Actually, as I was writing these answers I was talking to my fiancee about going on a splurge today and getting my 2nd ever Brazilian wax. I used to be scared of them, the idea of ripping out the hair on your genitals, I repeat your GENITALS, was the most horrifying grooming experience in my mind. But one day I tried it, and I found my understanding was completely misguided. The waxing almost even felt good, especially around the anus and vulva, and I very much enjoyed the feeling of my fiancee's penis as he slid through newly soft lips. Do I favor waxing? Nah. Is it worth it to me to spend the money every month for some stranger to pour warm wax on my privates? Hell no. But do I have a better understanding of both sides of the razor? I think so. Even when I do get my wax, I definitely keep a big triangle of pubic hair flowing free.
Stephie Staar:
So I shave and keep it smooth. I prefer not to wax or shave but that becomes uncomfortable with lace panties. I also receive more flack from viewers and photographers/designers when I'm not ideal flawless pink down there. I think when porn changed to having more faces down there flossing became less popular. I also thing that "youth" plays a huge part in it. Most men like younger women unless they are young themselves and having little to no hair gives that prepubescent feel to genitalia.
Verronica Kirei:
Thoughts on the full shave norm-
My thoughts have always been if it makes you happy, then do it. I think the full shave norm has started to fade in the last couple years. Honestly, I think it's starting to fade because people are bored of the same ol same ol....variety is the spice of life!
Keeping vs shaving-
I choose to keep it because I like it and because I am lazy! Shaving or waxing takes more effort than just leaving it haha! There has only been one time that I've thought about it affecting my career and that was when I heard some photographers don't shoot with models that have hair. I think that is a silly rule but to each their own. I don't work with those people and I don't think about my pubic hair anymore.
Necessary grooming-
I like the look of trimmed bush but saying it's necessary is a bit much for me. I don't think anything is necessary because there is always going to be people that love or hate it. You can't please them all, so just please yourself.
Lily Campbell (Me):
I think that the widespread trend of hairlessness in porn birthed the fetishization of having pubic hair. A fair number of "hairy" porn sites sprung up, served and thrived in this market.
Nowadays, it is the new normal to have maybe 1/3-1/2 of the models I shoot prefer to keep either a full bush or just trim occasionally. A lot of them assume though that they'd need to shave it off to be in porn and sometimes show up with pretty bad razor burn as they aren't used to hair removal. A near equal amount though are adamantly against shaving or waxing anything at all and will only trim up a little if requested. Body hair is definitely a divisive issue, with folks mostly either loving or hating it.
Seems to me people have very strong opinions about body hair, both having and viewing. It's getting to be less and less of a fetish with it being more normalized. I think it's been particularly in the last couple of years where it's really gotten to be more prevalent. I think it's been helped along by LGBTQIA visibility and an overall movement for folks to love their bodies and themselves.
I have models who span the range of loving their pubic hair or hairlessness, or going one way or the other depending on what gets them more work modeling wise. It's tough to go back and forth though as it takes a while to grow out!
Models in adult, and women in general, are learning more and more to love their hair. It's an extension of us accepting ourselves more, but it's also a societal trend. When we do something to help us feel beautiful and empowered- great- whether that be keeping fully smooth or going full out hairy nature goddess. It's up to us now; the standard for beauty is that you are uniquely you and the you feel empowered and beautiful. That ideal is becoming more attractive in society I think, and it crosses over to porn.
I am a director of ethical and feminist erotica- here is a NSFW/18+ trailer of my work that I posted to d.tube recently:
Lily Campbell
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