Men shave or groom their pubic hair for reasons including better hygiene, aesthetics, increased sexual sensitivity/appeal, comfort (less chafing/sweat), and to reduce the risk of lice, often motivated by partners' preferences or a desire for a cleaner feeling, with grooming becoming very common for sexual activity. It's a personal choice, but studies show a high percentage of men groom for sex, making it a significant factor.
Men report grooming their pubic hair for various reasons including sex and hygiene, comfort, and curiosity. Reasons for pubic hair grooming by age are reported in Figure 1. The majority of men report grooming in preparation for sexual activity with a peak prevalence of 73% among men aged 25 to 34 years.
Grooming Optimizes Hygiene
Shaving your pubic hair, or even slightly trimming it, helps keep your goods cleaner by exposing skin to soap and water that's normally covered by hair. Pretty simple.
Intimate grooming is when you trim or shave your pubic hair. A recent survey estimated that around 50% of men groom their pubes. So if you're into it, you're certainly not alone. But what are your options when it comes to intimate grooming (sometimes also called manscaping)?
Between 12 and 16 percent of women want you to shave it all. They want you completely smooth and pristine down there. What's interesting about this number is that it fits right in line with the number of women who like it unkempt. For everyone who likes a bush, there's someone who can't stand it.
Most women (64.3%) and men (62.2%) preferred complete removal of female pubic hair, and this preference was more pronounced in younger women and men. Most women reported performing depilation at home (55.8%), with 44.4% using hot wax and 40.1% using a razor blade.
No, you don't need to shave or wax. However, if there's something going on with your skin, shaving or waxing will make it easier for your physician to evaluate the area.
Japan: Women in Japan have preferred to shave only their legs and underarms, leaving the bikini and pubic area untouched. It is also quite common to remove facial hair and peach fuzz for a smooth, glass-like appearance.
Never shave these areas
Gen Z's approach to pubic hair is diverse, with a growing trend of embracing natural body hair, challenging older norms, but many still prefer some form of grooming like trimming over complete removal, with personal preference and comfort being key drivers, influenced heavily by social media trends. While some opt for "au naturel" looks, many in Gen Z trim for a "bikini-shaped bush," balancing naturalness with neatness, and views vary significantly, with TikTok promoting both naturalness and styling.
There's also a chance some hairs will become ingrown. This means that the hair that's trying to grow back gets trapped under the skin. This can lead to redness, pain, and tiny bumps in the area. Sometimes people can get skin infections from shaving.
Going back to a time when most of us roamed around half-naked, it has been suggested our pubic hair is curly because it does a better job capturing and holding the pheromones that are produced by our sweat glands.
Why do Muslims shave pubic hair? The wisdom behind the prescription of removing the hair from these two places – and Allah knows best – is that removing it helps one to attain a perfect level of cleanliness and prevents what could emanate from them of bad smells if the hair was left without removing it.
Some men also develop hair in a straight line that extends from their belly button all the way down to the pubic regions on the lower abdominal region. This vertical line of hair is known as a happy trail. It is called so as women find it attractive and for men, it is a sign of getting mature, older, and hot.
If you sense a little body odor, it's because your pubic hair is doing its job of trapping sweat, oil, and bacteria.
In previous years, traditional childbirth recommended hair removal on the pubic area before delivery. However, modern childbirth finds that it's not necessary to shave your pubic hair before delivery.
Some women feel pressure to ensure that everything is perfect before they go. The truth is that your doctor and their staff do not care if you are clean-shaven or not. They are medical professionals. They know that hair growth is natural and normal.
Ellen Marmur, most women do indeed have abdominal hair, often due, like most other physical attributes, to normal ethnic variation or hormone levels. “When you're in a high hormone state, not only is your progesterone and estrogen high, but also your testosterone,” says Marmur.
Grooming and Hygiene
You do not need to shave, wax or groom yourself differently if you don't want to. Your gynecologist has seen all types of bodies before, and grooming habits will not affect your appointment.
The answer is: it depends. For some men, shaving is the ideal solution—quick, easy, and painless. For others, waxing men's facial hair and body hair provides the clean, long-lasting results they crave.
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.
What pubic hair do men find most attractive? Preferences vary, and there is no single answer. Some men prefer natural or trimmed pubic hair styles, others like a smooth bikini line, while some enjoy creative designs such as a landing strip. The most attractive style is the one that makes you feel confident.
Seventeen per cent prefer a full bush, 18% prefer the area bare and most prefer a polite “clean-up” of the general genital vicinity. More than 71% of male respondents say they've never been turned off by a partner's pubic or butt hair.