Episode 24 Pubic Hair Grooming as Cultural Practice with Lyndsey Craig

Lyndsey Craig (photo courtesy of Ms. Craig)

Anthropology graduate student Lyndsey Craig examines pubic hair removal practices across 72 societies, and how the practices are tied to cultural concerns about hygiene and sexual activity.

Whereas most literature on public hair removal practices focus primarily on Western cultures, in particular how women are included in and affected by marketing, pornography, and pop culture, Craig and biological anthropologist Dr. Peter Gray performed historical, cross-cultural research across dozens of non-Western societies. They found that whether and how pubic hair was removed depended on a diverse array of cultural messages about hygiene, fertility, sexuality and beauty.

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For more information on Lyndsey Craig and her research:

Ms. Craig’s researchgate page: www.researchgate.net/profile/Lyndsey_Craig2

Pubic Hair Removal Practices in Cross-Cultural Perspective: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327654779_Pubic_Hair_Removal_Practices_in_Cross-Cultural_Perspective

Websites for co-workers, organizations, or research referenced in our conversation:

Image by Eveline de Bruin from Pixabay

Dr. Peter Gray: https://www.unlv.edu/people/peter-gray

eHRAF World Cultures collection of ethnographies covering all aspects of cultural and social life: https://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/ehrafe/

“What do women want” 

Playboy magazine study

Pubic hair removal among Saudi women

Twelve Female Characters Who Keep Shaving Despite Constant Peril

Other research by Ms. Craig:

Does facial hair have a place at work?

What do our cars say about us?

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