Dr. Doe: In middle school I had to draw body hair growth on female and male outlines. I think I managed something like *this*. The reality? Hair grows in many more places; and, for the record, there aren't just two main patterns.

-- Intro Cut Scene --

At around ages nine, ten, eleven, twelve, kids enter a developmental stage called puberty. The body changes quickly and awkwardly, often accompanied by stretch marks, growing pains, oily skin and body odor. Uteruses bleed, penises ejaculate, voices change and hair grows.

I remember finding these wispy hairs in one of my armpits. Not both of them - they didn't grow at the same time. Soon after the hair was growing thicker and darker: here, here, here, here, here! And then there was this one squirrelly guy on my right areola. Totally normal androgenic hair - triggered by the hormone androgen, which spikes during puberty. We don't know for sure what function it serves, but there are some interesting theories. 

Hair reduces friction for things like walking and sex. It creates padding for things like... sex. It would block germs that would otherwise spread during sex. The way eyelashes work by stopping pathogens from getting closer to the body openings. Warmth is another theory. There's also the possibility that hair is there to wick away sweat. Maybe it's meant to signal sexual maturity. Or there for aesthetics. 

In the 1500s, French women considered their pubic hair elegant. They'd apply scented ointments to get it to grow, and add silk bows and ribbons for decoration. My favorite theory is that androgenic hair is a pheromone hangout. The body releases these chemical messengers that then chill all smelly-like in the pubes and pits to say, "Let's mate!" or "No, I'm your sister." Let's not forget hair also receives environmental messages - reading touch and temperature, informing the brain what's up.

There's lots of reasons for us to have hair. Yet researchers estimate human beings have been depilating (removing their hair) for at least twelve thousand years. Shaving, trimming, friction, threading, sugaring, tweezing, waxing, powders/creams and drugs that dissolve the hair, anti-androgens that counteract the growth of it, electrolysis which uses heat and chemicals, and lasers.

With all the aforementioned advantages, why do people remove it? Hygiene. For example: no hair, no lice. There's also religious reasons such as tonsure, where the hair on the head is cut or shaved to signify devotion or humility. King George IV kept clippings of his mistress's pubes in a box as souvenirs of intimacy. There's also military expectations. Athletics. Swimmers and cyclists choose to groom to reduce drag, improve performance, and make medical care easier. 

The number one motivator for body hair maintenance? Fashion. An example of this is the 1950's Harper's Bazaar advertisement that sparked an entire century of smooth armpits. Another, the 1960's popular and entertaining fad of shaving pubic hair into shapes. Which many still do today, creating a $13 billion industry that invests a lot in telling you to "get rid of your hair." Maybe you like the way it looks and feels. The ease of kissing and oral sex when you're not worried about a loose hair in the mix. My hope is that the only reason you remove your hair is because you want to. Otherwise - leave it there. 

Place support a shame-free sexual maturation. If you don't understand why someone would "Bic their balls" or "boast a bodacious bush," Stay Curious.

Hey, body hair is a topic that I like a lot. So I made a playlist of awesome hair-related videos and resources in the description. Feel free to send me suggestions too, if you think there's something great I left out.


-- Outtakes--

*vocalizations*

No no, people out there. Be quiet.

These are the pubes. These are the pits.

*vocalizations*