What’s thick, unwieldy and a political minefield? No, not Donald Trump (well, yes, but try again). I’ll give you a clue or two: Yoko Ono suggests smoking them, Janelle Monáe consults hers on scripts and, if the internet is anything to go by, Gwyneth Paltrow’s seem to come and go more than the trains at Paddington station. Of course, I’m talking about pubic hair, which you may or may not know as one’s bush, muff, rug, short and curlies, lettuce, thatch, and pubes — or, crucially, a lack thereof.
Rarely seen but often scrutinised, thanks to this year’s catwalks and red carpets, the fuzz that grows between our legs has become an unavoidable topic of conversation. Beginning with hand-sewn merkins worn by models at John Galliano’s Maison Margiela Artisanal 2024 show, come April Julia Fox was spotted sporting trompe l’oeil bikini bottoms with the word ‘closed’ (a reference to her Roe VWade-inspired celibacy) scrawled above a faux vulva and furry follicles. Elsewhere, Princess Nokia sang ‘It’s Time to Care (for Your Pubic Hair)’, Doja Cat’s sheer Dilara Findikoğlu dress at the Grammys championed lots of hair down there, and the aforementioned Monáe admitted to calling on her fluff for advice. So is the big, bountiful bush well and truly back? Or is it all simply chatter?
