Spring has sprung in Syracuse, and now that the temperature has passed 50 degrees, students start thinking about breaking out the bikinis. However, we may have forgotten about one area during these long winter months: pubes.

The question begs to be answered — why are vaginas gaining the same amount of publicity as any other spring fashion trends? Women should be able to make decisions without being bombarded by the media.

Earlier this year, American Apparel featured mannequins in sheer underwear with unnatural amounts of pubic hair. The stunt caused controversy and sparked attention. Women being used in this way for a publicity stunt is just as degrading as men weighing in on how vaginas should look. Even though American Apparel was edgy and liberal, the fact that they had to play on women’s body parts shows the fascination with women’s sexuality.

The common misconception is that being hairless is being hygienic, but that is not exactly the case. Being hairless is just being sexy, as per today’s media. When voluptuous stars are shown in skimpy bikinis, bronzed and hairless, that look becomes desirable.

Women do not want to be unhygienic, but the information is not there and the advertisement industry is certainly not helping the cause. Aside from waxing, companies are pushing shaving cream and razors, two products that would not exist without the stigma against pubic hair.

A solution that many women have turned to is laser hair removal. This “solution” is a permanent one. Think of it like the tattoo of pubic hair. If a woman gets all her hair removed and later decides she looks like a 10 year-old, there is no going back. She will forever be prepubescent.

But things are changing. Cameron Diaz recently preached about pubic hair preservation on Chelsea Lately. She said that because as humans we used to be covered in hair, there must be a purpose for pubes.

Recently, trends have turned, and a fuller look is on the rise. Lady Gaga was featured on the cover of the Winter 2013­–14 issue of Candy magazine with nothing to hide. And on the television show, “Girls,” actress Gaby Hoffmann appeared with hair on her nether region.

Hoffmann has stated that she did not stay hairy to make a political statement. This reinforces the idea that everyone should relax about nudity and whether women have bushes or not should not matter.

Going au naturel is not necessarily a bad decision. Pubic hair protects against friction that can occur when you are getting down and dirty. It also acts as a shield against bacteria and other pathogens.

According to KevinMD.com, freshly shaved pubic areas are more susceptible to herpes infections due to the microscopic cuts open for infection. When irritation is coupled with the moist environment of a vagina, bacteria thrive.

Letting the bush grow untamed could be piggybacking off the organic lifestyle. “The bald look of the Brazilian has become déclassé, more suggestive of a naked Barbie doll or a reality television starlet,” Marisa Meltzer wrote in a January 2014 New York Times article.

And even though the entire subject of pubic hair can be tracked as a trend, the attention drawn to the state of women’s vaginas is standard in today’s society. The obsession with women and their sexuality does not stop with abortion and birth control laws. It dwindles all the way down to the topic of pubes.

On the subject of uprising trends — the Paleolithic diet is big right now too, and hey, cavemen relished in their natural beauty.

Meg Zukin is a freshman television, radio and film major. Her column appears every Wednesday in Pulp. Email her at mtzukin@syr.edu and follow her on Twitter at @margaretTZukin. 

Published on April 2, 2014 at 1:00 am