Did it once, out of curiosity. Felt weird. Did not have a significant-other at the time. Itchy as all hell when it grew back. No desire to do it again.

(30 now, probably 24–25 then)

What do I think of it? It’s your hair, do what you like. Tried it twice but it itched to hell both times despite taking care. If a partner asked me to I’d do it if she knew a way to stop the itch.
Male, 21.

I just braid mine. I always wanted to be a rasta man

Sometimes they do that to you before surgery. Other than that, I can’t imagine why one would allow it.

It certainly looks better… I always wonder how you would shave balls because of the loose skin..hmmm

Don’t know, don’t want to know, don’t care.
Other people’s hygiene is none of my business.

I like the area trimmed not bald.

@Facade – very gently

I think they have a lot of times on their hands.

Men should remove or trim hair on their body below their head, for personal grooming purposes (aesthetics), in my opinion.
I’m a 17 year old male.

I’m so curious to know if the men who don’t shave and don’t like the idea of it, if they want their female SO’s to be trimmed and shaved down there? If I can piggy back the question? Is there a double standard?

I’m a woman and don’t think people should be shaving if they get ingrowns or itchies, a nice trim is better.

I’m with @doggywuv. if it’s not on your scalp, trim or shave it.

they sure like itching.

@JLeslie I don’t like women shaved “down there” either. Trimmed is nice, but not required. “Styled”, like making it into a single line or some other pattern, is just weird.

@JLeslie There most certainly is a stereotype. If woman says she never shaves or just trims a bit, people are quick to call her nasty and whatnot. But if a man doesn’t, no one bats an eye.

@Facade say what? Who the hell is “quick to call her nasty” for not shaving/trimming? I mean, if she’s wearing a bikini and pubes are poking out, that’s one thing. But beyond that, it’s no one’s damn business, and I’ve never heard anyone (other than 13-year old boys still discovering the wonders of Porn) make reference to the woman’s character based on her pubic hair.

@MrItty I’ve heard many men say that about women.

HERE’S THE REAL QUESTION: Why are we interested in looking pre-pubescent? That’s like feeding a pedophile fantasy. ewwwwwwwwww.

@Facade Talking to yourself again, I see… ;)
Anyway, I think it’s pretty gross for males or females to let it go completely.

@SheWasAll_ That’s not the fascination. It’s cleanliness and convenience.

@Facade I’m of the opinion that you hang around some pretty revolting men. I quite assure you, my male friends and I have never ONCE discussed female pubic hair with each other. Ever.

@lefteh explain how shaving pubes is “cleanliness”? If that was true, we’d all shave our heads and faces and arms and legs and chests, males and females alike.

As for “convenience”... eh. The minor irritation of pubes getting in the way during certain activities is nothing to the inconvenience of the discomfort I imagine shaving that region regularly would be.

@MrItty keeps your teeth clean?~

@eponymoushipster LOL

@SheWasAll_ I think the human species is going through a second neoteny

And having an aesthetic appreciation for child-like characteristics doesn’t have to involve a sexual attraction (pedophilia).

@SheWasAll_ I have said the same thing in the past about why are adults making themselves look prepubescent. Totally shaved Brazillian is odd to me on a woman, and I think men who like it have been watching a lot of porn. Or, maybe younger men and women just think it is normal to shave everything? I guess it could just be trendy and not really have any other meaning.

@doggywuv when it involves a purely sexual part of the body, yeah, it does.

@MrItty Would you say that Michelangelo’s David is sexual, because his penis (a sex organ) is exposed?

No, because the statue is more than the penis. We’re only discussing the shaving of the vagina and the scrotum. Show me a statue of just a vagina or just a scrotum/penis, and yeah, that’s a pretty damn sexual statue.

@MrItty A man’s genitals are a hot, sweaty mess of bacteria and grime. This gets all caught up in the hair and festers and it’s so gross I have to stop talking about it.

The less hair; the better. someone’s mouth might get hairy if you catch my drift, and that’s icky. C’mon :[

@lefteh uhm. no. The man’s genitals are washed every day in the shower just like every other body part. If you (or your man) don’t wash that area, that’s disgusting.

Well yeah, you wash them, that doesn’t mean they don’t get gross during the day.

@AlyxCaitlin riiiiight. Sticking a penis in your mouth or your tongue against the vagina is all well and good, but a hair in the mouth, THAT’s icky! :-P

@lefteh no more so than does any other body part.

Some adults have indeed removed all body hair since time immemorial for cleanliness sake. This isn’t a new thing.

Just keep things tidy, fellas. Thanks.

@MrItty I can’t find an image of such a statue.

But imagine a statue of a flaccid penis. I wouldn’t consider it sexual. I mean, penises are used for urinating, not just for sexual intercourse. Surely some non-sexual art has been created about sex organs.

@MrItty “Hang around” would be the wrong words, but you’re right, they are revolting.

Having shaved down there, it’s pretty freaking sweet. Trimming the bushes really makes the tree look bigger. Also, cleanup is easier.

EDIT: But it does kinda itch for the first day or so.

@doggywuv the pubic hair isn’t on the penis (flacid or otherwise). It’s (for the most part) on the scrotum, which is entirely sexual.

@MrItty Other body parts don’t have highly concentrated, long, curly hairs that rarely see the light of day and are under at least two layers of clothing.

@lefteh burhkas?

Shaving is rough business- razor burns, little nicks, bumps, ingrown hairs and itchiness but the feel is pretty damn nice during sex and it makes oral sex really enjoyable. I still stick to my ideas of most people close trimming instead to avoid all the 3 day after sad happenings.

As for cleanliness, it really is better to not have stuff stuck on the hair. Sweat is stinkier on hair than when wiped clean off smooth skin, same with other fluids. For those who don’t want to shave or close trim, I suggest using babywipes, they’re great!

@MrItty Damn, you have me stumped :|

@lefteh I don’t know what human beings you’re thinking of, but the adult males I know have hair ALL OVER the body, not just in the crotch. My legs and arms and chest are generally covered by one or two layers of clothing all day long. Yours aren’t?

@MrItty The penis can definitely have hair on it. Trust me lol Come to think of it he was just a hairy ass man

@hungryhungryhortence I thought everyone used wipes…

@Facade I did say “for the most part”

@MrItty If your arm hair is as thick as your pubic hair, something has gone very wrong.

@lefteh uh….huh. So now it’s not that there is hair there, it’s that there is a greater density of hair there. I’m failing to see how that makes it more “germ-ridden” or whatever phrase it was you used.

@Facade – EEEEK! Just like that old guy who flashed me on the bus at 12. Looked like a frackin’ tarantula leg. Damn right I screamed! Eww!

I said highly concentrated before my last post. You’re a very argumentative person. I’m disengaging.

I shaved below when I had my vasectomy. It itched like mad growing back.
For the record, I don’t care if a woman shaves.
53.

@lefteh sigh. What is it with this site, that its members always perceive “disagreement” as “argument”. I will never understand.

@aprilsimnel how traumatic! poor girl lol

@MrItty your way of “disagreeing” is very argumentative

@Facade I disagree. :-P

@Facade: I wish but, no. Thing is, every man I’ve introduced them to has become an advocate so I like to introduce a little packet of them to the top of the toilet tank and then move on to the refillable container. They make for a nice clean up between bathing, clean up after sex and makeshift washcloths for removing makeup and freshening up armpits.

GUYS, PLEASE USE BABYWIPES. We think your asses are cute and your junk fun to play with but not when gnarly and not-so-fresh smelling.

@hungryhungryhortence The women of the world thank you for your services of training men =P

@hungryhungryhortence I’m not a fan of ass play. So is it safe for me to not buy baby wipes?

@Facade & @hungryhungryhortence I have honestly never once heard of men using Baby Wipes to cleanse the pubes or butt-area. Huh. Fascinating.

I’ve shaved it a few times but it was just awful when coming back so I stopped and let it grow a bit. I just keep it trimmed now. 17, male.
I see nothing wrong with it, nor do I see anything wrong with females shaving or not- it all comes down to personal comfort.

@Sarcasm: Babywipes aren’t in anticipation of just ass play, they keep your sweaty scrotty from getting funky and hairy rumpus clear of stuffs that would soil your underwear.

@Sarcasm NO! Go get some now! Clean you ass!

scrotty?

We’re in our 50s. Neither I nor my wife shave. I find it to be a bit wierd. I think it’s something that porn has caused, and I think the younger generations have taken it on as normal. They come up with all these justifications about cleanliness and avoiding hairs. Whatever.

There’s room in the world for all kinds of people. If the sex bunnies are running around bald (if not balled), who am I to have anything to say about it? I don’t think anyone needs to justify a preference. You can explain why you prefer it, but where does attacking someone else’s preference get us?

I think that shaving is part of an effort to partake in the cult of youth. It makes people look like children. Whether that encourages pedophilia or not, I can’t say. I doubt it, though. I just think it’s a cultural oddity. It’ll come and then it’ll go. Have a good time, kids!

@daloon It makes people look like children.
really?
So if you were to look at a 24-year-old woman and an 8-year-old girl, the only difference you see is that one naturally has pubes?
I’ve never understood this “shaving pubes makes you look like a kid” point of view. I’ve never looked at the body of a naked adult and thought “She doesn’t have pubes? I hope she’s over 12!”

She shaves for me, why shouldnt i do the same for her? Its also a lot cleaner shaved, and it doesnt get as hot down there. yay no more sweatin ye balls off :P

Btw it only gets itchy when its growin back, so if you stay on top of it, you wont have a problem. And always shave with the hair down there else it will get super itchy and hurt.

@Sarcasm I agree. Little girls do not have hips and breasts. Some adult women don’t either, but that’s not the point

I honestly think the divide between ‘natural’ and shaved comes down to age. People my age (42) and up are more than likely not shaved, while the younger set are more likely to take shaving those areas as a given. I think easy access to internet porn has fueled the thinking that it’s normal to shave. It doesn’t bother me one way or the other.

To add to the wipes advice… don’t use baby wipes, use the wipes specifically designed to be flushed down the toilet! They sell them in the toilet paper section of the grocery store. Very convenient, for a multitude of purposes.

I try not to.

I don’t mind whether it’s shaved or not. I do, however, dislike pubes in my mouth. Female, 28.

This question has surprisingly started a controversial discussion of some sort.
Maybe I haven’t been on Fluther long enough to witness things like this, hence my surprise

@doggywuv I’m a bit surprised as to how much this thread has exploded as well.

For the record, folks, I’m a fan of keeping it all trimmed, and I don’t care what other guys do.

I don’t care if people trim it. But I think it would be weird to shave it off and a little unattractive. Yes, I’ve seen gay porn where some people have it all shaved off. It kinda turns me off. TMI, I know, but it had to be said.

I’m male and 18.

No one should be arguing about this. No one has to shave/trim there. It’s entirely your own choice.

@MrItty if you really dont think you sweat down there more any anywhere else you really hadnt learned much in health class in school did you? Why is it do you think that ticks often once on humans go to the genital area? ITS WARM! We sweat a lot there, just like are armpits, but unlike our armpits that also have a lot of hair, we arent putting deodarant on our gentials. Well i dont know about you, but im not. Soooo it tends to sweat a lot. I dont care if you shower everyday or not, its still getting nasty during the course of the day.

Also as stated above the obvious advantage it is in oral sex. You said “riiiiight. Sticking a penis in your mouth or your tongue against the vagina is all well and good, but a hair in the mouth, THAT’s icky! ” the thing is, by removing said hair, it makes the penis and vagina, a lot cleaner of a place, so yea, not icky at all. Btw, have you ever had a piece of hair stuck between your teeth? Its fucking horrible.

Well, I am obviously in the minority. I shave my balls regularly. It just feels better. I also shave the shaft of my penis, and trim the hair of my pubic triangle as short as possible. I don’t shave the triangular mass on my lower belly because it is an itchy mess when it grows back in. I once shaved my entire body a couple of decades ago, just for the experience; ass hair coming back in is painful when you sit down.

I don’t shave my ‘peculiars’ because I am a pedophile; anyone who says that is a fucking clueless moron with no idea as to why a man might want to shave his goodies.

So why do I shave them? Well, for one, it feels better during masturbation, it’s cooler in the summer, and most importantly, my wife likes ‘em that way. I’d shave my legs if she asked me to, simply because if it makes her happy, it makes me happy.

I also shave my chest and my underarms in the summer months, keeps me cooler. I shave my eyebrows off every once in awhile to keep them from looking like two woolly caterpillars living on my forehead. =)

@ thanks for the link about hair removal through the ages, that was very enlightening.

@evelyns_pet_zebra When you say: “I don’t shave my ‘peculiars’ because I am a pedophile”, I think you might mean something different.
Maybe another way would be to write: “Shaving my ‘peculiars’ doesn’t mean I am a pedophile. I’m not.”

@evelyns_pet_zebra What a good hubby :)

I trim it usually. don’t have much a problem shaving though if a girl likes it better that way. It looks gross if you just let it go wild and no one likes pubes stuck in their teeth, it’s just courtesy really.

@evelyns_pet_zebra I’m with you on the balls. it’s tricky though and it always makes me nervous, I shave everything else in the morning, (face chest, etc) but I’m a horrible morning person and one wrong move down there makes for a horrible week….

@filmfann yeah, I meant to say shaving my peculiars doesn’t mean I am a pedophile thanks for clearing that up. You may have saved me from defending my poor choice of words to the entire fluther community.

@aprilsimnel thanks for the link about hair removal through the ages, that was very enlightening. I’d read that, and forgot who provided the link, that’s why it makes no damn sense ^ there. Stupid fifteen minute editing rule.

@ABoyNamedBoobs03 it helps to pull the skin upwards, keeping it taut, and to use light strokes with the razor. Sometimes it is best to get that smooth shaved look over a period of a couple days.

@Facade maybe they can put that on my tombstone, He shaved his balls because his wife liked them that way. }:^)

As previously stated, many guys (and a few girls, I guess) prefer shaved because in the event of oral sex, there is less likely (and by less likely, I mean basically never) risk of getting hairs in your teeth. It has nothing to do with pedophilia. It’s just alot less off-putting than shoving your face in a mystery bush and hoping not to get any special surprises.

I never gave it much thought, really. Don’t Aussie men shave the same way as men do “up here?”

Female, 29.
I like a man trimmed. Not bald, but manicured. I don’t have the patience to read through all 7zillion answers on this thread, so maybe I’m the first person to mention a little manscaping is a good thing. I don’t like over-grown bushes in yards or on people.

@JLeslie Alas, there is a double standard as with many things in life, especially around grooming and what not.

To answer the esteemed question, which has warranted over 87 answers by now, which is amazing to me, I don’t think very much about men who shave down there. In fact, I don’t think about men very much at all (I prefer thinking about women), and should I think about a man, it won’t be about what he has done, or not done, with the hair down there.

Notwithstanding, should a gentleman choose to self-groominate down there, please be advised that tis better to trim than to shave. I’m sure the itchy factor has come up in the previous answers, I just don’t feel like reading 90 answers to this type of question before dinner.

If you require a little rhyme or word association to remember this golden rule, it could be, e.g.: “Oh behave! Trim, don’t shave.”

Lot’s af arguments about hygiene, but in the end most men who shave down there do that to make their Willy look bigger.
Hope to start a new argument with this :)

Oh, and if you must trim it – never dye it. Ever see the “Sex and the City” episode with BOZO THE BUSH?

I’m a man and I’ve been using baby-wipes for years, out of my own volition, I might add, just for my own sense of not being stanky. If I won’t be showering anytime soon, I like to use the wipes. For the record, I groom down there, but not completely as I think it looks silly. And I also usually do not wear underwear. And I wear deodorant, but not anti-perspirant as I think it’s un-natural. People are funny, eh?

@tb1570 Way, waaaaaay too much information.

When you all say shave, are you using an electric razor? If you get itchy when it grows back can’t you just add an attachment that gives you a minimum of 5:00 shadow and then it won’t itch? I’m asking, I’m not stating.

Trim at least. I don’t care if they’ve been shaved, but I do care that they’ve been trimmed. Less hair means less smells and increases the odds of me licking that area. From what I’ve heard and seen, a lick on the balls can be quite pleasurable indeed, but a pube in the throat is the worst thing on Earth.

To be honest I am not turned on by men that shave down there. I like the natural look on a man and hygene isn’t an issue providing the guy keeps himself clean. I have never been with my partner and thought there was something dodgy going on down there. You shouldn’t have to shave it all off in order to keep it clean!

Personally I get rid of all of my hair down there. It has nothing to do with my partner (he doesn’t care what I do as long as it’s clean!) or looking like a child. I just find it easier to get rid of it all than trying to keep it in a nice neat shape. I’m probably just lazy!

I would assume back in the caveman days the hair was there to keep the area clean and safe ironically. Hair protects us. Eye lashes help keep things out of our eyes, hair on our head (and chest for men) helps protect from the sun.

If thats what they want to do. I personally can’t stand the way it feels against my skin when it grows back..ouchies!

@casheroo thats why ya gotta stay on top of it, and not let it grow back :)

@uberbatman yes, but it eventually has some stubble, which i find very irritating to my bits. I personally prefer the guy to just keep it trimmed

@casheroo fair enough.

I’m 35, and I think it’s a significant turn-off.

I’m 25, have female parts that I don’t shave
if a person wants to shave ‘down there’ I’m assuming it’s because they want to
and I will care a lot more about WHY you asked this question and what it means you’re trying to elicit from us…like ‘oh clearly he must be gay’ or ‘clearly he’s a freak’...or something…well sorry none of that here, from me

@Sarcasm I should have said that “it reminds me of children.” As I said, I find it weird. Disturbing.

Obviously other people like it and don’t have the same associations with it. However, if I think that people are trying to remain childlike in doing this, while I’m sure others don’t feel that way, that doesn’t mean I’m wrong or right, and it doesn’t mean people don’t have access to all their hidden motives.

Of course, I do the minimal amount of shaving possible. I’ve had a beard ever since I could grow facial hair. I do trim it, and I do shave my neck, but that’s it.

I’ve heard that facial shaving started back somewhere in Greece. It was a sign that someone was in the military, and I think it also suggested that the men might be homosexual. Can’t remember where I heard that, though.

The other thing I’ve heard is that facial hair (and perhaps other hair) traps pheromones that make men attractive to women (again, apparently at a subconscious level). For the societal standard to move to hairlessness is, for me, strange. I like hair. I like naturalness. I usually hate the smells of deodorants and perfumes and colognes.

I think that shaving and deodorizing have become a part of demonstrating civilized behavior. It’s not like I’m a fan of locker rooms, though. Nor bad breath or BO. But if you regularly bathe and clean your teeth, it seems to me that these things can be taken care of. Anyway, that’s just me, and I feel like I’m in a minority here. Not that that’s unusual.

@AlyxCaitlin totally agree with the hair comment

@MrItty regarding hair in one’s mouth- I can tell you it’s definitely icky when it sticks to the roof and ends up near your soft palette. Causes all kinds of awful gag reflexes and no one wants that! Keep ‘em short at the least.

@evelyns_pet_zebra doesn’t shaving generally encourage and stimulate hair growth and density? If you do it often enough, you’ll have even woollier caterpillars for eyebrows!

In terms of heat factors, it makes sense scientifically. More hair means more insulation and less evaporation of perspiration. That means more humidity and a better environment for bacteria! So I would agree that it’s partially about hygiene. On the female side, I certainly feel cooler, and generally more sensitive. Certainly a matter of personal preference in the end.

@Beta_Orionis I think pretty much that shaving makes hair grow back faster and denser is not true. When you start to go through puberty you start to shave and that myth can persist because a persons body hair is growing in with more density from the hormones. When you shave and the stubble begins to grow it might feel thicker or more dense because there is a blunt cut of the hairs, and they are all pretty much the same legnth at that stage so it feels thicker.

@Jleslie Perhaps I’ve succumb to the illusions produced by noticeable differences towards the beginning of regrowth, but I remain skeptical. I know on my legs, there is now noticeable difference in density, which has a correlation with the increase in frequency of shaving. In my case, the hairs seemed to have split at each follicle and now grow in pairs or triplets and they grow back more quickly. Obviously, this not may be caused by shaving, but it still makes me wonder about the universality of the “shaving myth” and remains rather intriguing.

Either way, I don’t think it reduces hair growth, so shaving one’s eyebrows wouldn’t necessarily reduce the bushiness. (excepting the period of time it takes for the them to grow back)

@Beta_Orionis welcome to Fluther. Lurve

I personally don’t care if a man shaves or not. It’s their body; not mine!~ Of course, I seriously don’t want some icky hair stuck in my mouth. That’s just plain nasty!
Btw I’m a female 16 years and 11 months.

@Beta_Orionis that is a myth. If it were true, I should have a head of hair like Bob Marley, as I shave my cranium on a daily basis and have done so since 1996.

@cyndihugs obviously you don’t understand that only people under 12 yrs old count the months. You are not 16 yrs and 11 months old, you are just shy of 17. =)

@evelyns_pet_zebra What can I say…I’m a kid at heart. (:

@evelyns_pet_zebra That’s an excellent point, but you can’t deny there’s a difference in follicle properties depending on location, so it might not be a myth in all cases! I’m holding out for imperical evidence in either direction.

@Beta_Orionis Are you talking about the “when you shave it comes back thicker” thing? That’s an illusion of perception caused by the fact that hair grows faster before it reaches a certain point, where it slows for head hair and seems to halt for body hair. (If I remember correctly the slow down point for head hair is around an Inch)

Men should trim down there but the results should look natural.

I always thought the purpose of pubic hair was more cushion for the pushin . . .