Body hair removal has a longer history than many might think, and changes in trends are complicated, Dr. Mithu Sanyal, author of the nonfiction book Vulva, tells Vogue. “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 her viral video is home-grown, 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 beach goer 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 to also be very artistically inspiring,” Sujindah says. Take it as a reminder that art and life inspire each other, even when it comes to pubes.
