This is a delicate subject to write about, but many people try to understand. Why do Japanese women not have the habit of shaving their lower parts? Is there a specific reason for letting pubic hair turn into a forest? In this article, we will understand the whole subject.
Japanese women are not the only ones with the habit of not shaving their pubic hair. Chinese women and other nationalities from Asia, Europe, and Africa also have the same habit. For some reason, Westerners created the idea that shaving hair is a sign of hygiene, but they forget that hair grows to protect the parts.
Just as a completely shaved man in Brazil is something shameful and strange, Japanese women feel the same way if they are completely unprotected. Although pubic hair is not trimmed, underarm hair and beards are seen as a lack of hygiene in Japan and should be trimmed.
The real question should be: Why do Westerners shave their pubic hair!
How did the habit of not shaving pubic hair arise?
Like most Japanese customs, China had some influence on this subject. However, we must look at the reality of our ancestors, where I highly doubt they trimmed their hair.
Currently, in all countries, women have the decision to shave or not their lower parts. Often it is shaved thinking of pleasing the man or following local customs. In the West, it is even more common to shave due to the heat, where sweat can cause itching and even fungi if there is no hygiene.
It may not be very related, but in China, there was a proverb from Confucius that says hair is sacred:
身体发肤，受之父母，不敢毁伤，孝之始也。
Our Bodies – All our hair and skin are received from our parents, and we should not presume or harm them. This is the beginning of filial piety (Chapter 1 of the Book of Filial Piety 孝經);
This proverb doesn’t mean much, but it can give an idea that the Japanese and other Asians consider their pubic hair as an important part. Let’s understand more about this later.
Why do Japanese women not shave their pubic hair?
The real reason is simple, Japanese people do not care whether it is shaved or not. However, there are various comments on this subject that can give a good idea of why Japanese women do not shave their pubic hair:
Puberty – For Japanese women, pubic hair is a sign of puberty; removing it completely is like a sign of immaturity or a refusal of adult life.
Onsens – Imagine a completely shaved Japanese woman in an onsen, while others are fully covering their parts? The forest serves as protection! If someone does this, it can generate gossip and draw undue attention.
Prostitution – There are reports that Japanese prostitutes in the past shaved their pubic hair during the Edo Period. Women do not shave their hair to avoid being associated with prostitutes.
Lack of necessity – In Japan, there is not that hellish heat all year round like in Brazil; Japanese women do not feel bothered by hair, so they do not have the need to remove it.
Hair signifies adulthood and maturity; it is something to be proud of and not to get rid of.
Shaved hair is like a White Tile in Mahjong
There is a Japanese term to refer to shaved or sparsely haired pubic parts (prepubescent) called paipan (パイパン). The term is also often used to refer to problems where hair is not growing (Glabrous).
This term originated from the Chinese [白板], which is also a white dragon tile in the game of Mahjong. This tile is an all-white tile that eventually became the representation of the absence of female hair.
The term paipan became popular after the fetish for shaved genitals entered Japanese culture due to Western pornography. The impact was quite low on Japanese culture, and the market for hairless girls did not become profitable in Japan, thus showing that Japanese people prefer women with pubic hair.
Interestingly, pubic hair does not usually prevail in adult animes and mangas, probably due to the enormous difficulty of drawing them.
For informative purposes, I will leave a list of vocabulary below:
| 陰毛 | inmou | pubic hair |
| 恥毛 | chimou | pubic hair |
| お毛々 | okeke | pubic hair (slang) |
| マン毛 | mange | female pubic hair |
| ちん毛 | chinge | male pubic hair |
Are Japanese women’s lower parts trimmed?
By nature, not many hairs tend to grow on Japanese people, to the point that there are men who never needed to shave. For this same reason, more than 50% of Japanese women have never needed to trim or cut their lower parts.
The website News Post Seven and an online research agency state that approximately 26% of Japanese women usually remove the hair that remains on the bikini line. Another 23% of Japanese women usually trim to make it shorter, while 7% completely remove their pubic hair.
I hope this article has clarified once and for all your doubts regarding the culture of pubic hair in Japan. It is very delicate to write such an article, but the curiosities involving these customs are quite interesting.
What did you think of the subject? What is your opinion regarding Japanese women not trimming their hair? If you liked the article, leave your comments and share it with friends. Also read:
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