Pubic Hair, Gender, and Sexuality

January 31, 2024

Pubic Hair, Gender, and Sexuality

Photo by Michael Weinberg

Welcome to another installment of our “Keeping it Natural” series, where we explore how our physical selves intertwine with our identity. This week, we’re continuing our pubic hair series. It’s a topic that’s often shrouded in silence, yet speaks volumes about our journey of self-acceptance and expression.

At Natural Pursuits, we believe in creating a world where every individual can appreciate their body without the cloud of judgment or rejection. In this spirit, we turned to our international community to explore how something as natural as pubic hair shapes our perceptions of gender, sexuality, and self.

With over 180 responses from our Twitter poll, we’ve gathered a mosaic of experiences and viewpoints, each as unique as the individual who shared them. From tales of self-discovery and acceptance to reflections on societal norms and expectations, our community’s stories shed light on the diverse ways in which we relate to our bodies.

Together, we’re not just discussing pubic hair; we’re unraveling layers of identity, challenging stereotypes, and celebrating the diversity and beauty of our natural selves.

We asked Twitter to show us their pubic hair.

Boy howdy, did they respond.

How do you wear yours?

How our pubic hair becomes part of our identity

We were first approached by a community member who wanted to remain anonymous to develop and interpret our pubic hair survey. He offered this on his relationship with his pubic hair.

“Pubic hair has no gender or sexuality. It can appear on almost anyone, sometimes before a person has even started thinking about sex. In theory, this should go without saying, so I’m fascinated by the number of men who’ve told me a full bush makes them feel more “manly” or “masculine.”

I’m of two minds on this subject. On one hand, when I see my own body hair in the mirror, I do feel less like my timid inner child and more like the kind of mature, virile man I idealize; on the other, having a hairy dick doesn’t conflict with the more feminine or gender-fluid aspects of my gender expression, and it doesn’t change the fact that I otherwise look relatively young and boyish for a thirtysomething guy (a blessing and a curse). If your pubic hair makes you feel more you, however you identify, celebrate that! But don’t make any assumptions based on the presence or absence of hair on someone’s body.”

We wanted to know whether pubic hair played a role in shaping other people’s gender identity and/or sexuality, and our survey respondents were also split: exactly 50% said yes to this question, and 50% said no.

Community Opinions

“Comparing pubes as a teenager helped me feel bonded with other guys. I have also always been attracted to them—when you can see them poking over a guy’s underwear or pants. Because of this, I enjoy keeping my pubes natural and showing them off when I can.”

“Before I was out, I was very self-conscious of how hairy I was. I felt ugly. Then I started living openly as a gay man & discovered that lots of guys like my body hair. My pubes get a lot of compliments. It has helped me learn to appreciate being hairy & now I love it.”

“Partners started calling me daddy by the time I was 24 and that is directly related to my fur.”

“Being a kid seeing men with hair made me want to emulate that masculinity.”

“I used to literally box it in, drawing a clean line around it with a razor, clipping it to a specific length. Since I allowed my sexuality to blossom even more, it felt entirely natural to let my pubes grow too. Today it’s such a proud source of my masculinity that I can’t imagine containing it. Strangely—or perhaps not so strangely—I’ve been letting the hair on my head grow too. Maybe this is my Samson era.”

“It definitely opened me up to the various different kinks and fetishes that are out there; some I like and some I don’t. I’ve definitely found more that I like! It’s allowed me to make friends with similar interests as well. Who knows where I’d be if I continued to shave. I def wouldn’t be in the same queer social circles.”

“Gendered stereotypes around pubic hair frustrate and fascinate me.”

“The times I have shaved it all made me realise I like it gone and led me to realise I might be gender fluid.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily say gender identity as much as my identity as a *grown* man. I love how my pubes signal that my body has gone through the changes necessary to be sexual.”

“The first sex party I went to where I saw multiple penises back to back with different grooming styles, it opened my mind to the idea of options to explore with my own body.”