Talk about over-specialization!

Tyrel Starks, assistant professor of Psychology at Pace University, has a study that focuses on pubic hair.

My report below comes from data collected from the first week of our six-week study, and is entitled PUBIC HAIR: To Trim or Not to Trim.

The human is perhaps the only mammal noticeably concerned with the decision to remove its own hair. We trim, pluck, tweeze, wax, shave and sugar. We thread our brows and we Nair our legs. But the preoccupation may not be completely unwarranted. Research suggests that what we do (or don’t do) with our body hair really does matter to those whom we are so trying to attract. Men (at least the ones who are attracted to women) seem to find women more attractive when they trim or shave their pubic hair. Women (at least the ones who are attracted to men) have a more flexible aesthetic; some studies suggest that women find men with manicured pubic hair are more attractive than those who don’t, and others say it doesn’t matter. Meanwhile, there’s cultural variability to be accounted for. Women in Britain and Cameroon, for instance, simply prefer hairier guys.

…In the first week of our six-week study — a study in which we ask participants to update us on what’s going on in their sex and dating lives each week — we asked participants to tell us a little bit about what their own down-there hair care protocol is. The verdict among the group of women and men who have responded so far: trimming one’s pubic hair is the preferred look. More than half of our sample consider themselves Trimmers, only 10% of men and 20% of women leave their pubic hair alone, and about a third of women report shaving their pubic hair completely while none of the men do.

We asked participants, male and female (most of whom find men sexually desirable), if they preferred that their partners trim, go bare or be natural. Not surprisingly, it looks like our respondents (so far) are again in agreement: trimming is winning. And men seem to have the more pronounced preference on this one.

We want to know how this sits with you. Is it accurate? Are you #trimming? This week is the last chance to enroll in our dating study, which closes Monday April 14. As more people respond to our study’s week 1 questionnaire, we’ll be sure to update our grooming stats and bring new material to the table! Meanwhile, along with their week 2 update, we’ll ask our respondents about selfies! How many are really sending and receiving those self-pics? What are people taking off and keeping on in them? And how much does that pic need to look like yourself anyway?

If you are interested in finding out more information or participating in this Pace University study head here.