Brazilian Wax - The History
Genital waxing (or tearing out the fluff) has been common place in many societies for centuries (Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt and especially those in arid or desert predominantly Muslim and Arab countries).
Albanian and Mediterranean women, Arab, Turkish and Turkish women have been waxing down there for centuries. They often used sugar-based waxes made with lemon, however present variations include oils and scents to reduce the discomfort.
The practice of waxing in these cultures was for personal hygiene and/or religion as body hair of any sort on women is considered socially unacceptable. This is in stark contrast with the requirements of women in North and South America as well as Europe today which are mainly cosmetic.
Waxing the genital area completely is relatively new to western cultures, developing mostly in the 20th century. In the United States, for example, the habit of waxing or even shaving the pubic area did not become common place until the late 1990s. However, as of 2006, this habit has become popular and really taken off in the recent generation of American and English women, along with the more recent and expensive laser hair removal technique.
The waxing originated in Brazil for women wanting to wear the then-new thong bikinis, which was not widely popular inside the United States or Europe at the time.
Waxing gained in popularity through the 1990s, with several celebrities, such as Paula Yates and Gwyneth Paltrow, extolling its virtues.
In 1999 the TV series Sex and The City shot the Brazilian to international prominence when one of the characters was the unsuspecting victim of a Brazilian wax and found the experience surprisingly pleasant.
1999 also saw the release of the film American Pie, where one of the characters prematurely ejaculated when discovering that his female partner had a completely shaven pubic area.
Full body waxing, including genital waxing, has been popular in the gay community for some time, and is now becoming popular with heterosexual males. In the male version of the Brazilian wax, men will sometimes leave a sculpted patch above the penis untouched (since this area can be particularly sensitive to irritation).
