ver the years, your relationship with your pubes has no doubt evolved. You probably started your hair removal journey in your teens with an old razor nicked from your dad that you used to dry-shave your bikini line. Then you might have aged up to Veet’s small wax strips, taking several minutes to muster the courage to yank off each section. Eventually, you upgraded to a 
salon, bravely progressing through the menu with each appointment. Our personal journey with our pubes is always changing and so too are the trends.

In the last year, pubes have incited widespread discussion for both their excess and their absence. Earlier this year at the Grammys, Bianca Censori graced the red carpet with her husband Kanye West in a fur coat that she then dropped, revealing absolutely nothing underneath. Technically, she was wearing a thin sheer dress but calling it clothes is like calling clingfilm a blindfold. Noticeable was Bianca’s lack of pubes; she had gone for a Hollywood wax, which involves removing the whole lot. The response to Censori’s move was predominantly negative, with many people commenting that the juxtaposition of a fully clothed Kanye next to her made the whole thing feel weirdly controlling. The Hollywood was not exempt from the conversation – the lack of hair felt doll-like and infantilising. Her pubes were making a statement and people didn’t like it.

While hair removal can be traced all the way back to Cleopatra, who liked to remove all her body hair with sugar wax, modern depilation trends have tended to follow the popularisation of swimsuits. As bikinis got smaller the need for less and less hair followed. And in the ’90s – when high-leg bikini briefs were the epitome of cool beachwear – the Brazilian wax (where just a small ‘landing’ strip or triangle on the mons pubis remains) rose in popularity, subsequently encouraged by Carrie Bradshaw getting one in Sex And The City (albeit accidentally and apparently horrified to be left with so little hair down there). Fast forward to today and – say what you will about Censori – the Hollywood is now the most popular wax option in most salons. Beauty bookings app Ruuby has seen a 13% uptick in Hollywood waxes compared to 2024.

The Hollywood has notably – and unfortunately – found favour with another group. Many podcast bros have shared that they ‘require’ a woman to have hairless nether regions and this has been one of the driving factors behind a counter trend in pubes – the big bush. Trending last year on social media was ‘full bush in a bikini’. What started with a viral Etsy review that encouraged people to embrace their natural hair developed into a rallying cry across TikTok and Instagram, urging users to resist societal pressure to remove hair and instead embrace the natural plumage of their pubage. And the bush made a splash in fashion too when Maison Margiela’s models walked the catwalk wearing merkins for the brand’s spring 2024 couture show, with Björk then modelling the look on the front cover of Scandinavian Vogue. A Hollywood may be popular but in Hollywood itself it seems a big bush is in fashion. 

For those rocking pubic hair, it’s not in spite of the disgust of a certain type of man but because of it. There’s something powerful and sexy about so proudly rejecting a beauty standard. And within this trend is a growing number of people who are customising their hairiness – women who shave their arms but have a bush like a forest. Or those with a monobrow and hairy pits who keep it bald between their legs. ‘Young consumers are moving away from all-or-nothing grooming. Instead, it’s about choosing where and how to groom,’ says Artina Rianberg, product innovation specialist at vegan hair removal and bodycare brand Estrid.

And it’s not just what you have but how you get there. In 2024, laser hair removal became the UK’s most searched-for non-surgical aesthetic treatment. At Strip (the ‘hair removal experts’) the team has seen its Hollywood laser treatment bookings jump by 18% in one year, with Brazilian treatments increasing by 23%. And it’s not just women: male Brazilian laser treatments more than doubled over the past year. As for those not opting for permanent hair removal, modes of at-home maintenance are likewise evolving. Disposable razors have gone the same way as plastic straws as consumers opt for more sustainable brands and subscription services, such as FFS Beauty and Estrid. And many women are more aware of the ‘pink tax’ – the added cost of buying products marketed to women – so are making a play for ‘manscaping’ shavers.

Much like our clothes or the hair on our head, our pubes are more than a fashion choice. Whether we realise it or not, they make a statement – they can signal the kind of person you are, the values you keep and even the kind of partner you don’t want near your bush (or lack thereof).