Who cares about pubic hair?

A lot of people in Portland, apparently, judging by this cover story in Willamette Week, "The Fuzz That Was."

Cultural critics trace the recent depilation craze to trends in erotica and fashion. Strippers have been going Kojak for the better part of two decades, while the influence of male bodybuilders, with their smooth chests and underarms, has filtered into gay and straight porn, and thereby into the mainstream. Also, the head-shaving trend among men, which started with NBA players then turned ubiquitous, has acclimated men to the notion of more intimate "manscaping." Among women, fashionable low-rise jeans and thong bikinis have shown more and more skin in recent years, leading to a perceived need to eradicate "happy trails" and perianal peach fuzz.

This topic came up at a party recently, with this guy arguing that the mad craze for shaved pussies is not aesthetically pleasing or arousing, and is women's misguided attempts to please men.

I say: to each your own! If you want to shave/wax/trim, or not, go for it.

I still love Tristan Taormino's classic column on the topic, "Who Does Your Pubic Hair?" especially because a few years ago she did a reading where she read it and had someone from the audience (a stranger) shave her ass while she bent over and read. It was awesome. Here's Tristan:

But when it comes to a coed freshly plucked from a Midwest farm to be Penthouse Pet of the Month or a celebrity showing it all off for Hugh Hefner's audience—do they call in a professional? I mean, did the Playboy editors recommend someone to style wrestler Chyna's vagina? Did the WWF diva do it herself with Lady Gillette? Or is her carefully coiffed cunt a product of modern technology—you know, like Shoes by Prada, Pussy by Photoshop?