Social pressures and health consequences associated with body hair removal

Williamson, Heidi

doi:10.12968/joan.2015.4.3.131

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Further, the costs of hair removal continue to have little impact on women’s choices. These costs are not only financial, but are evidenced in the increase in hair removal related injuries over time, particularly to the groin area, and rising viral infections such as molluscum contagiosum (Williamson, 2015). Despite these contradictions, choice, and taking individual responsibility for those choices, remains the dominant explanatory framework for the beauty practices women engage in (Stuart & Donaghue, 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating the hairless ideal in Āotearoa/New Zealand: Choice, awareness, complicity, and resistance in younger women's accounts of body hair removal

Terry

Braun

Jayamaha

et al. 2017

Feminism & Psychology

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Hair removal amongst Western women is ubiquitous, and research continues to highlight the ongoing conformity of almost all women with hair removal practices. Often women are presented as either cultural dupes, following the expectations of the Western hairless ideal without question, or highly engaged participants in the rigours of beauty work, using it for their own agentic purposes. This paper seeks to explore the various ways that younger women (18-35) made sense of their own and others' hair removal practices. We report on a thematic analysis of data generated from an online (mostly) qualitative survey with 299 female-identified respondents. Four themes were constructed from these data: (1) women should do what they want with their body hair, (2) removing hair is socially shaped, (3) begrudging complicity, and (4) resistance to hair removal norms takes a particular kind of woman. We discuss the ways in which women described their practices and thinking where they seemed simultaneously complicit with and resistant to idealised notions of feminine embodiment.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating the hairless ideal in Āotearoa/New Zealand: Choice, awareness, complicity, and resistance in younger women's accounts of body hair removal

Terry

Braun

Jayamaha

et al. 2017

Feminism & Psychology

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“…Along these lines, our results showed that societal and gender norms were the main reasons for women's PHR, specifically and very significantly, the partners' preferences (even constituting an indispensable requirement) and hygiene. Regarding the fashion of hair removal practices in Western society, Williamson [49] highlighted the potential negative consequences of PHR on health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Women’s Attitudes and Concerns Regarding Pornography and Their Sexual Experiences: A Qualitative Approach

Fernández-Ruiz,

López-Entrambasaguas,

Martínez-Linares

et al. 2023

Healthcare

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This study explores female university students’ attitudes toward and concerns about pornography, based on their experience watching it and on sexual encounters with men. It used a qualitative descriptive design. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants between March and April 2020. Thematic data analysis was performed using COREQ reporting guidelines. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) the sexual learning process, (2) the role of pornography in women’s sexuality, and (3) sexual experiences. Participants reported how they learned about sexuality and how pornography influenced sexual experiences. Self-esteem issues and societal norms regarding hair removal and difficulty saying “no” to unwanted or humiliating sexual practices were found. The young women were not comfortable with women’s representations in mainstream pornography. They blamed pornography for negative sexual experiences and claimed it influenced them and young men. Participants usually assumed submissive roles during sex and permitted aggressive sexual behaviors. The study reveals valuable information on how young women learn about sex and their difficulty in refusing unwanted sexual activities and even aggressive practices. Sexual education programs should include assertiveness training to improve sexual health, consent, and well-being.

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“…Many sources offer commentary on pubic hair, often featuring information about how to groom or eliminate it. Many imply that pubic hair grooming is a matter of personal preference in the absence of scant information about potential health consequences related to various methods of removal (DeMaria et al 2014;Williamson 2015). These deserve more than a mere mention, again, couched in neutral, non-alarmist language.…”

Section: Concerning Genital Appearancementioning

confidence: 99%

Learning About What’s “Down There”: Body Image Below the Belt and Menstrual Education

Stubbs

Sterling

2020

The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies

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Stubbs and Sterling begin this chapter by discussing pubescent girls’ negative attitudes about their bodies ‘below the belt’ within the context of preparation for menstruation during pubertal education. As menstrual education presents mostly negative expectations for girls, the authors argue that it is a key contributor to girls’ negative attitudes about ‘down there.’ Instead, Stubbs and Sterling offer that menstrual education is a valuable opportunity to provide girls with a more accurate, positive, and embodied view of their genitals to access as they develop a sexual sense of themselves. The authors conclude with suggestions for improving this avenue of learning about ‘down there.’

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Social pressures and health consequences associated with body hair removal

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Negotiating the hairless ideal in Āotearoa/New Zealand: Choice, awareness, complicity, and resistance in younger women's accounts of body hair removal

Negotiating the hairless ideal in Āotearoa/New Zealand: Choice, awareness, complicity, and resistance in younger women's accounts of body hair removal

Young Women’s Attitudes and Concerns Regarding Pornography and Their Sexual Experiences: A Qualitative Approach

Learning About What’s “Down There”: Body Image Below the Belt and Menstrual Education

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