A brief history of hair (down there)

Those smoothoperating Ancient Egyptians aimed for entire body hair removal using pumice, sugar or beeswax.

Regarding it as “uncivilised”, women of the Roman empire would painstakingly tweeze those short and curlies away.

By the Middle Ages, pubic hair was routinely shaved to combat lice. Enter the pubic wig – or merkin – sported to create the appearance of a luxuriant rug.

Those supposedly buttoned-up Victorians considered pubic hair alluring. Witness the abundant shrubbery in the erotica of the era.

The bikini’s arrival in 1946 prompted a swift tidy up of the region.

By the late 1960s and early 70s, feminists had rejected the notion of body hair removal, preferring to let it all hang out.

In 1987 the Brazilian “J Sisters” started offering extreme waxing at their Manhattan salon. “In Brazil, waxing is part of our culture because bikinis are so small,” explained Jonice, one of the seven sisters.

In 2000, Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw was shown getting her first Brazilian: “She took everything I’ve got!”

“Pubes keep the goods private, which can entice a lover to come and take a closer look at what you have to offer,” wrote Cameron Diaz in The Body Book (HarperCollins), published in 2013.

In 2014, fashion brand American Apparel displays mannequins with full bushes visible beneath sheer lingerie in a NYC store.

By 2017, the #noshavenoshame movement has taken hold, as a new regeneration of Instagram influencers wear their body hair with pride.