exploring a popular culture body modification - Athenaeum Home ...

the pubic hair will fall out, bringing the aged individual back to the hairlessness of a
prepubescent child.
Femininity
Recent research on body hair removal has found that Western women view body hair as
unfeminine and unattractive (Toerien & Wilkinson, 2004). Ruth Barcan notes that historically,
“a hairy male body has signified virility, power, and sometimes nobility,” and because of this
women‟s body hair is seen as masculine (2004, p. 144). This genderizing of hair that began with
Greek civilization has stood the test of time, and is the reason why feminists from the Second
Wave Movement retained their natural hair growth (Barcan, 2004). Third-wave feminist Amy
Poehler rekindled the connection between feminists and pubic hair in a 2006 issue of Bust
magazine when she said, “Right! I want female comedies to be like, full, giant '70s bushes right
now, not tiny little pubic mustaches” (Soloway, 2006, p. 53). Similarly, Poehler made fun of
Britney Spears‟ exposed, hairless vagina on an episode of Saturday Night Live, announcing that
“there was a time when a lady garden was as big as a slice of New York pizza” (Meyers, 2006).
Unlike messages found in other popular media, Poehler is resurrecting the Second Wave
Movement idea of strong women having natural, undepilated amounts of pubic hair. Even more
so today, feminists recognize the feminine ideal of resembling a Barbie doll, complete with a tan,
perky breasts, and a smooth, hairless body. Poehler‟s satirical concerns are just a few examples
of a backlash against the struggle for perfection.
Previous research on body hair removal has analyzed female and male body hair removal
separately. Studies have used British, American, and Australian participants. Despite this
research, some studies failed to include pubic hair as a category and many recent studies that
have included it fail to portray the very important differences of the pubic area from other body
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