Right? I know I should be chagrined for (over)sharing all that, but the shaved-cooter phenomenon is a topic I can never shy away from ranting about discussing.

It's a huge thing in erotic romance right now, Tep-- it'll often constitute this whole scene where the hero cajoles the heroine into shaving or waxing--ostensibly because it'll feel better for her when they're doing the deed.

Seriously, how on EARTH can a little bit of hair make sex feel NOT good? I can accept a lot of things in fiction (if not in real life), but you have to make me believe it. And I most emphatically do not believe that a woman's pubic hair makes sex feel less good than it could. Feh.

But it also often incorporates a voyeuristic or control aspect, especially when the novels have a D/s aspect and the hero orders her to keep herself shaved for him.

The kinky people of my acquaintance are all far more exhibitionistic than I am* (which is to say, I'd wear a ski suit if I could; I don't need strangers seeing me without clothes, and I *never* take off my underpants at a play party ever ever EVER) (and I'd really be okay if other kinky people would wear more clothes than they do, but that is, admittedly, All My Issues). Er, anyway, every woman I've seen w/o undies is totally shaved, and all I can think is, I get kink, I get d/s stuff, but -- do you all have to *conform* to some sexist issue? Can't your power exchangey stuff be unique? Make her wear a propeller beanie or something!

No one ever goes for it.

*(The Boy is also rather an exhibitionist, and the first day we were at the beach -- with his entire family -- he told me that he almost just took his wet swim trunks off while he was on the back porch, out of habit.) (He didn't actually do it, which I think ultimately enhanced the vacation by removing that potential awkwardness that can arise when your son/brother/uncle gets naked on the porch.)

Hah! Possibly because you're blonde, dear. Often blondes have less body hair in general. As someone who has, ahem, seen, several...yes, most have more than that. And some of us are on the hairier end of the spectrum, and what with society being on the "ew hair, gross" kick right now....

Yeah.

I hadn't realize until, I dunno, college maybe, how little hair a lot of women have, not just in the cooter region, but on their legs. I hate to shave (takes forever), so I epilate the lower legs and only do anything to the uppers if I'm going to be swimming, which is rare. All my hair is thick and curly, except for the hair on the top of my head, which is thick and only slightly wavy. (Seriously: even my eyebrows are curly. And yet? I didn't get the curly hair, my sister did. Yet her eyebrows are straight, and I suspect she could have gotten away with never shaving. Me, on the other hand, I swear, I got all the fucking body hair my brother was supposed to get.)

Seriously, how on EARTH can a little bit of hair make sex feel NOT good? I can accept a lot of things in fiction (if not in real life), but you have to make me believe it. And I most emphatically do not believe that a woman's pubic hair makes sex feel less good than it could. Feh.

Dude. Trust me. It can. Too much can get in the way in ways that are NOT comfortable. But you don't need to shave it all off to fix THAT.

Me, on the other hand, I swear, I got all the fucking body hair my brother was supposed to get.)

Both of my kids are hairy, although Nate's fair and Abby's dark.

But what really got me was some second grader telling MY daughter that if she didn't do something about her brows, she was going to wind up with a unibrow.

When Abby told me that, it was all I could do not to turn the car around and go after the little twit, but it's probably bad to go postal on a seven year-old.

Lillian is going to curse us for her hair. She has all this thick, fine blonde hair on her shoulders. When she was born, I thought it was the sort that falls out, but nope. Girl looks like she's part werewolf.

For me, sex does feel different hairless. I'm not talking fully hairless everywhere, but Brazillian hairless. Makes your skin more sensitive. Still not worth the initial pain as far as I'm concerned, but I can see the appeal. But again, I have no issue with what women choose to do--I have an issue with women being expected to do these things in order to be considered sexy. I mean, seriously, how much more stressful would your first time have been if you thought you had to wax everything first? Ack!

She has all this thick, fine blonde hair on her shoulders

Hubby's first nephew had thick brown hair down his face, shoulders, and back. Yes, think baby chimp. It's all gone now, but was startling.

Persey got through surgery OK. I can pick her up at 3:30.

I went back and reread what I wrote about the reasoning within novels and realized I wasn't quite as precise as I should've been. When I said "ostensibly" it wasn't because it doesn't feel better or at least different, but more as the reasoning for the guy to suggest it-- as a major reason he uses to convince the heroine to do it. Then as the story goes on, it becomes clear it's something he wants or requires.

Which is the part that annoys me. Wax/shave or don't, makes no never mind to me, but don't tell me it's something I have to do as a requirement. Feh.

Can you tell that romance has been annoying me as of late?

And yay, Persey! You must feel so relieved, Laga.