Sure, pubes are haute couture and art world approved, but what about making it into everyday women’s underwear? Yes and no. Alita Terry, owner of Organic Skincare and Wellness NYC, tells Vogue that she hasn’t seen a change in the types of hair removal her clients are requesting, apart from the fact that business usually upticks with warmer weather. However, she has noticed that more members of Gen Z are choosing to eschew body-hair removal—pubes included, as well as leg hair and happy trails. “They have completely redefined gender and beauty,” she says. “So I’m not surprised they have redefined what their private areas should look like.”
Body-hair removal has a longer history than many might think, and changes in trends are complicated, says Mithu Sanyal, author of the nonfiction book Vulva. “The idea that we just started doing Brazilians in the ’90s, it’s just not true,” she says. “Even in ancient Greece, people were doing things to their pubic hair.” Pubic hair also has a physical function, she adds: to protect the vulva and to spread your pheromones. “It’s there for a reason.”
Which leads us back to TikTok. While the pubes exhibited in the Maison Margiela show and Poor Things were merkins, the full bush Sujindah talks about in their viral video is homegrown, not hand-embroidered. Over the summer, Sujindah saw an Etsy review modeling a bikini with a full bush, and it struck a nerve. “When I stumbled upon her review under a listing, it changed my perspective on public beach attire,” they tell Vogue. “I’ve never really been a frequent beachgoer until last year, and her presentation of swimwear truly stripped everything I’ve seen while being in that space. I’ve always been an advocate for showing up the way you feel like, and I was just in awe that someone showed up that way in their bikini. Very cunt. It reminds me that we often do not see it as much as we really should.”
The image even inspired some art of their own: Sujindah sent it to their creative partner, Evangeline, as a creative reference for their project Epicene. “I’ve always adored the inclusion of pubes in high fashion and photographs I grew up seeing on Tumblr, so I found it also very artistically inspiring,” Sujindah says. Take it as a reminder that art and life inspire each other, even when it comes to pubes.