USD
EUR
AUD
GBP
JPY
INR
Total: $0.00
Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout
How Old Were You When You Shaved Your Pubic Hair?
Let’s face it, the beauty standards for women are ever changing and are nearly impossible to fit into (pun intended). We’re told to be skinny, but not too skinny because only dogs want a bone. We’re told to gain weight, but not too much because we’ll be fat and unhealthy. We’re told to be strong, but not too strong, otherwise we will threaten our male peers. We’re told to be hairless beings, because what’s natural looks “untamed”. These are just some a few among sooo many other other criticisms we face as women, and I ask myself: will we ever win?
Let’s Talk Hair & Hirsutism
I wanted to take this time to talk about my first experience with “grooming” my lady parts as someone with hirsutism. Have you ever wondered what your pubic hair would look like if you didn’t have hirsutism? Would it spread out so extensively across your lady parts, inner and outer thighs? I have definitely thought about this many times. This is something no one really talks about, but don’t worry, it’s a conversation I’m bringing to the table today.
Allow me to set the scene: It was summertime in Houston, Texas. If you’re not from Texas, think about the hottest place you’ve ever been, multiply it by five, and then put on some lotion. Not only HOT but also humid. I was probably around the age of 11 or 12 and for any young boy or girl, it was the perfect day to go to the pool. Little did I know, this hot, summer day was about to change my life in a way.
I went to visit my grandmother who lived in a culdesac- she had the best located house on the street! It was right next to the playground, park, basketball court, AND pool. Everything a pre-teen could ask for. My cousin and I had plans to go swimming, so I put on my two-piece bathing suit and was ready to take a dip in the pool. I grabbed my flip flops, bag, and put on my shorts before we headed out.
You Don’t Shave Your Pubic Hair?
There at the pool, we met up with my cousin's friends. We all had planned to play Sharks and Minnows (that was the game). I took my shorts off and jumped in the shallow end to get used to the water. It wasn't as cold as I wanted it, but hey, it was better than nothing. As I stood up, my cousin was right there. He decided to ask:
"Aye Jazz, you don't shave?"
Now at the time I never shaved my bikini line, I mean I was 11. I had never shaved anything in my life, not my legs, armpits, bikini line, nothing. Like most young girls, I didn't think it was a big deal until my cousin said what he said.
I was really embarrassed.
And when he started laughing about it, I was feeling more embarrassed. But, in his defense, he kept it between the two of us and didn’t tell any of the other kids what was going on.
So what did I do? What any other girl my age would’ve done.
I hopped out the pool, put my shorts back on and ran.
I told him I would be right back and ran directly to my grandma’s house. I could hear all the other kids yelling:
“Aye Jazz, where you going??”
But I just kept saying I would be right back.
I ran across the culdesac and rushed into the house. My Grandmother was sitting in the living room watching TV with my aunt. I'm sure they were gossiping about some mess. I interrupted and asked my grandmother if she had a razor I could use. She told me that she didn't know and went to go look. I was hoping this wouldn't take too long, as a kid I didn't want to miss out on playing Sharks and Minnows. She got up to go into her room and came out and handed me a razor. She didn't know I never used a razor before, (although when I was much younger I did cut myself with one in the bathtub thinking I was doing something), anyway I took the razor, and went into the bathroom.
Was My Pubic Hair That Bad?
When I took my swim bottoms off I had to look at myself in the mirror. I thought to myself, how bad was it for my cousin to say something about it? And why did I think it was ok?
What I did notice was the pubic hair along my bikini line being hairy and super spread out across my crotch area. My pubic hair was spread out at least a good 2 ½ inches from the edge of the panty line seam. I didn’t think something so natural could become such a big deal. Then again, I had just hit puberty so my body was changing in ways I didn’t expect.
I took a face towel and lathered it up with some water and soap. Man, do I wish I had my Raw Shea Butter Shave Stick back then, maybe it would’ve made this shaving session a little bit easier. *sighs*
Since I was in a rush, I knew I did a bad job. In some places, I didn’t push hard enough on the razor and left some hair. And the contrary, in other places, I pushed too hard and bled. It was my first time shaving my pubic hair. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing.
I cleaned up the hairy bikini line real quick and ran back to the pool. Once I got back, I had made it just in time for the games. I came back to 8 kids and no one had noticed or even said anything, I was in the clear. We played for a couple of hours and then headed back home. As I was drying myself off, I felt an itch on my bikini line. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was enough for it to annoy me. I made my way into the bathroom and looked at what I had shaved earlier….My skin had become so red and irritated, it stung just to touch it. I couldn’t use my underwear, I had to just throw my shorts on top. Maybe I used a dirty razor? Or it could’ve also been from the chlorine touching my fresh cuts.
The next week, I started getting all this ingrown hair along my bikini line. Knowing what I know today, I definitely didn’t shave right. I didn’t have the information on how to properly shave, what direction, or how far to go to avoid any issues that could arise when you don’t shave using good technique. I should’ve just asked my aunt for help, but being a hard-headed kid in a rush to play, I thought I could do it myself. I could have at least asked her what to apply after shaving pubic hair. From then on out, I had ingrown hairs around my bikini line and saw hyperpigmentation and scarring for a very long time following that. Thinking back, that was the first time I unknowingly realized I had hirsutism.
How Old Were You?
Now that you know my story, I want to hear from you all. How old were you when you first started removing pubic hair? Or any other type of hair on your body? Are you still removing it or have you stopped? What made you start shaving in the first place? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Jasmine Nelson
CEO Umber by J. Lenay
