Today I want to talk about pubes.
For many people, deciding how to groom their pubic hair is an issue fraught with anxiety, and women in particular are bombarded with images of completely smooth, hairless thighs and bikini lines that we are supposed to emulate and admire. We’re told to shave it, pluck it, wax it, sculpt it—it doesn’t really matter what method we use, as long as we’re rid of our unsightly hair. This standard is so pervasive that women’s pubic hair is now widely slandered as unhygienic (patently false), barbaric, and, above all, pornographic.
*pics of pubes after the cut*
Property of Petra Collins
This afternoon, I was browsing Jezebel and came across this article about artist and designer Petra F. Collins, whose Instagram account was deleted after she posted this photograph, which shows her bush peeking out of her bikini. According to Instagram, the picture violates their terms of use, and, though I understand that this is a crotch-shot, the picture is not nude, pornographic, or sexualized.
via HuffingtonPost.com
It seems that it being a crotch-shot wasn’t an issue at all, actually; I easily found the above photo of Miley Cyrus floating around on Instagram, and even though it shows just about as much mons as possible while still technically being non-nude, Instagram appears to be in no rush to delete it. No, then, it seems that the problem is the pubes.
via JustJared
I decided to search #pubes on Instagram, and even though the tag has over 17,000 posts, I only saw one recent photo of a woman with pubic hair. This picture of Liam Payne (you’re welcome, 1D fans) first popped up in the tag over a week ago and has now been posted 80 times (yes, I counted). Instagram apparently has no intention of deleting either the photograph or the accounts associated with it, making it clear that their priority is not censoring pubic hair itself, but censoring women who have pubic hair.
By accepting and promoting the women who conform to the standard of hairlessness while concurrently demonizing only female pubic hair as pornographic, our culture again portrays women’s bodies as both inherently sinful and shameful. Female bodies are presented as a never-ending project; our natural state something to be suppressed and quelled, lest someone see just how unruly we can be.
Unruly Bodies 
I really enjoyed this! Such an intriguing search and very insightful how you deduced that women’s pubic hair is the culprit (I mean, when isn’t it?) I like how you tied something as ridiculous as pubic hair (it’s ridiculous to me, anyway) to the sinful nature of women’s bodies. I don’t think I’ve ever regarded pubic hair as “another” way women are inherently sinful, but you make a good point. I really enjoyed the article you linked as well.
Oh wow. Yeah. Now I am definitely pissed off at Instagram. I personally think Miley’s photo is more offensive than Petra F. Collins pubic hair shot. Miley is almost NEARLY naked and is at risk of violating Instagram’s tems of use. But whatever. Especially since you pointed out the fact that Liam’s photo displays him with his pubic hair visible, it is society that is rejecting the natural state of a woman. I would ask why, but this obviously all ties into the Manscaping article, which explains the ideology of women being considered “wild” and their pubic hair obviously ties into their “wildness”. Smh. I enjoyed the article you linked, especially since Petra F. Collins expresses the same frustration and anger I do concerning of what is chosen to be censored in the media. I just hope that along with she, people begin to realize that it is SOCIETY enslaving them to think that viewing women in their natural state is wrong.
Your voice in this post is so sassy, and I love it, and you totally should feel sassy. Almost all social media outlets have strange priorities when it comes to censorship. Notoriously, Facebook has deemed women breastfeeding as explicit imagery, but Facebook groups that support raping women, racism, and homophobia are perfectly kosher.
Censorship on Instagram is a weird thing. You’re totally right that certain types of nudeness are acceptable, but as soon as their a wisp of pubes or if your in the least bit fat they get the hook and your account is deleted. I’ve done the same sort of hashtag search, and while Victoria’s Secret Models were okay with unique and interesting captions like “do want to bang” or “look at her boobs,” women’s pubes are quickly blocked from view. Man bush is also everywhere (as long as there’s an 8-pack above the nest of hair).
It’s terrible that we police body hair in almost every media, and by doing so we simply perpetuate hairless bodies.
I will close, rather non-linearally with some helpful words that I often repeat to myself when I’m feeling like I need to slather myself in some skin burning Nair: my mom, a zoology major in college and overall awesome person, always told me as a little furry pubescent girl not to feel self-conscious of my body hair. Her reason: because I am a mammal and humans are mammals and mammals need hair, otherwise we wouldn’t make it through winter.
Not much to say about this, save that it is indeed, as A. said, so sassy. Your voice comes through so clearly with a critical sharpness that made this really great to read. Great post!