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

Heading into the twenty-first century, designers, celebrities, and cosmetic companies
again publicly recognize pubic hairstyles as fashion. Common names for popular pubic
hairstyles include the Landing strip, the Brazilian, the European, the Sphinx, the Heart, the
Playboy strip, and the Moustache (Morris, 2004). In 2003, Gucci created its own pubic style by
putting out a controversial advertisement featuring a model pulling down her panties to reveal
her pubic hair in the classic Gucci “G” emblem. Fashion designer Hussein Chalayan made a
bold statement in 1998 when he featured a collection of simple tunics that resembled burkas.
Each garments hem was proportionally raised until the last model simply wore a face covering
and an obviously undepilated mound of pubic hair. The previous model is wearing a half-tunic
but has pubic hair that is depilated on the top and sides, leading the audience to question whether
or not the pubic hair has a taken a similar, but opposite role as the burka. If this were the case
then the model with the longest tunic would be fully depilated, and if pubic hair is seen as a
garment, this would make her the most clothed/naked person in the group. Deborah Driggs,
Playboy’s Miss March 1990, co-authored Hot Pink: The Girls’ Guide to Primping, Passion, and
Pubic Fashion. A press release for the book declared pubic hair grooming as a fashion device
and described pubic hair using characteristics such as style, color, texture, and shape, all of
which that could be used to describe a garment. In 2006, Miss Geschick and Lady Lapsus came
out with a pair of panties called Winterfell, which features a design that resembles thick, black
pubic hair. Women’s Wear Daily Beauty Biz, a seasonal insert featuring new cosmetics, included
in 2008 and 2009, two pubic fashion products. The first product, Bikinelle, is a device used to
help modify the pubic hair to form a heart shape. The second product, Betty Beauty, is a pubic
hair dye that comes in a variety of colors. American culture today speaks freely about
experimenting creatively with pubic hair, allowing the possibility for trends to be set and others
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