I want people to be comfortable with who they are

My journey with my pubic hair started before I even had any. Being a natural redhead I was asked “does the carpet match the drapes?” from people older than me. I didn’t understand what they were asking and why they were laughing each time it was asked.

Fast forward I met my first partner. Naturally they asked the same question. I didn’t know what to do. I was used to watching adult films and they took everything off. So naturally I did the same. Razor burn, ingrown hairs... I struggled for so long with my pubic hair and trying to do “what I should.”

I never really told anyone the answer to that question until I was comfortable. Why should I? but I did because I like making things like this normal. I want people to be comfortable with who they are and their differences.

I started my waxing career 10 years ago. I learned so much and fell in love with women. In the sense that we are all unique, strong, sensitive and most of us are shy about our Vulva. I was asked so many times if “I should take it all off?” I told them it’s 100% up to you, not anyone else. That half of the women I wax leave hair and the rest remove it all. I let them know I like to leave hair because I’m more comfortable, and to make them laugh… I told them it was bright orange.

– D, 32 years old, USA (she/her)

My body is respected and mine

As I think about my relationship with my pubic hair, I realize that it directly follows the rollercoaster of body confidence I've had throughout my life. Growing up, I remember being so intrigued by my mom's bush – how it came out of her bathing suit and was thick and curly just like the hair on her head. Because she didn't try to hide it or change it, I felt very normal when I hit puberty and my vulva began to change. Then I got into my first real relationship where my naivety was taken advantage of to the max. I was told that pubic hair was gross and I should keep that area clean and free of hair at all times. Needless to say, I was controlled and gaslighted for years, and I allowed my vulva to be someone else's possession and decision instead of mine. Eventually when I realized how fucked up that relationship was, my first act of rebellion (while still in the relationship) was to stop shaving my vulva. AND I FELT MOTHERFUCKING LIBERATED. I kid you not, my pubic hair was the beginning of the end of that relationship! When I started seeing someone else and he, very early on, mentioned how much he loved my hair down there, I became sexually free. We have open discussions about ways to play with it, shape it, and enjoy it. I'm no longer ashamed of having dark, thick, curly hair on my vulva. AND I have wayyyyy more fun during sex now because my body is respected and mine. What a full circle moment for me that I had never connected together until you asked for pubic hair related story submissions on Instagram. Wow, thank you for that.

M, 30 years old, USA

It's straight with a few waves – just like the hair on my head

I first shaved my pubic hair at 17 at the request of my boyfriend. I kept it that way for years until my mid 30s, where I decided it was such a hassle and started trimming it with an electric trimmer instead of blade shaving. During a random conversation with girlfriends' I discovered that pubic hair isn't always curly (as I assumed thinking full on 70s bush) and can be straight. Mind blown! So I stopped shaving mine and let it grow out. What do you know, it's straight with a few waves – just like the hair on my head.

I didn't love it fully grown out, so I now keep the sides and along my vulva trimmed the electric razor and have a landing strip down the middle that I tidy up with scissors but keep almost full length. My guy loves it, but more importantly, so do I. It's easy, low maintenance and no more waxing, razor burn or ingrown hairs!

I also have psoriasis that when it gets bad can show up in patches around my hip crease and scattered through my pubic hair, so keeping it shorter helps manage it, especially if I need to apply medication.

L – 40 years old, New Zealand

I trim it in stripes, triangles or hearts

I went through puberty quite late. I got my first period at 15 or so. Naturally my pubic hair came through quite late too. My mom told me to just trim it with tiny scissors when it got in the way. I didn't give it any thought after, I felt normal with my curly vulva. At summer camp that year my friends were talking about some girl from school. They said she didn't shave her vulva bare and laughed that maybe she trims it with scissors once a month. They agreed that she was probably dirty down there and had lice. Since that moment I was mortified that anyone would see my pubic hair. First thing I did when I came back from camp was buy a razor and shave it all off. It itched and was uncomfortable, but I kept doing it for years. A few months ago I realised I didn't want to shave anymore just because that's what's "normal" with my peers. Now I let my hair grow or trim it in shapes like stripes, triangles or hearts. I love the way it looks because I let go of the idea that it is dirty or ugly. Pubic hair is beautiful just like every part of us and I hope we can all learn to embrace that.

G – 21 years old, Belgium

I started to experiment a little

I think that at the age of 15/16 I started to shave the sides of the "bikini zone" because I didn't want my pubic hair to peak out of my swimwear in the summer. At first I was comfortable like this but when I was around 18 I thought that I should get rid of all my pubic hair because in school when I changed with my female classmates for the physical education lessons I noticed that most of them were wearing tangas and none of them had any hair. I also shaved all the hair in the bikini zone off. But recently I started to experiment a little with my pubic hair. First I tried for a kind of "triangle" look on the mons pubis but I didn't like the style. Right now I am not shaving my pubic hair but I am searching for a method to trim it a little so it's a little bit shorter but not completely gone.

E – 21 years old

It gives me a sense of freedom

At the age of 13 I began shaving my vulva, however I hated how it looked with red bumps and ingrown hairs. All of my friends were shaving, and the thought of a partner ever seeing my pubic hair was extremely embarrassing. A few years later when I became sexually active with my then boyfriend, I started waxing and my vulva would often get extremely irritated. I originally panicked thinking I had a sexually transmitted infection but following many years of various doctor and gynaecologist appointments I was diagnosed with recurrent thrush and bacterial vaginosis. For the past 8 years I have been given various pessaries, probiotics and antibiotics, however this is something I still live with today. It has continued to get worse following a miscarriage last year. I have been told this is rare but could be down to genetics, my immune system or a hormone imbalance. One thing that has helped is my pubic hair. Pubic hair provides protection from nasty bacteria and without it I would be struggling much more than I am now. For the past year I have left my hair alone, apart from trimming it down once a month. Having pubic hair will not remove my problem, however it gives me a sense of freedom and a lot less things to worry about. Fortunately, I am now in a relationship where my partner loves my hair and now, I think I actually prefer it!

C – 26 years old, Scotland

I am golden

I've been thinking a lot about what I wanted to share, what was the most important message for me to share. I've looked at the portrait every day, from the day I got it. To this day it warms my heart. There is so much diversity in vulvas which is such a beautiful thing.

Being a ginger, I remember the first time someone asked me if the carpet matched the drapes, called me fire crotch and had some prenotion about my sexual desires because of the color of my head- and pubic hair. This had me believing that there was something wrong with me and my pubic hair for years. I even questioned if my sexual desires were wrong because they didn't align with the color of my pubic hair. Looking at this portrait every day reminds me that I am golden.

A – 19 years old

Sometimes I shave, sometimes I don’t

When I examined my body more closely at primary school age, I was able to talk to my mother about my vulva. It was never a taboo subject for me. But when the first pubic hair grew I probably started to shave pretty soon after, influenced by the media. One of my ex-boyfriends insisted quite a lot on it.

Fortunately, my partner today doesn't care and so do I. Sometimes I shave, sometimes, especially in autumn and winter, I often let my hair grow for a while until it starts annoying me.

V – 26 years old

My body hair is mine and it is beautiful

I started developing earlier than most girls, and when I was around 9 years old I got my first pubic hair. I didn’t understand what was happening to me so I told my mother and she made me pluck it out. She had me do this for a while until I got my period that same year. Ever since I was young I looked at my body hair as disgusting or abnormal. Guys I’ve been with have told me to shave it or they won’t do anything with me. I’ve been told I’m not clean if I have pubic hair and that no one will want to be with me. I started shaving at a very young age and felt immensely ashamed if anyone saw any hair on my body. I shaved my stomach because I felt that it wasn’t normal to have hair there. But just last year I shaved my head and let all other body hair grow out. I did a full transformation and my view on my body hair has changed dramatically. I don’t shave anything on my body. Every bit of hair is grown out and is what it naturally looks like. I am no longer ashamed to have pubic hair or to have hairy legs when I wear a dress or to wear a tank top when my armpits look like a jungle. My body hair is mine and it is beautiful. I have learned that love shouldn’t be based on the length of my hair or the lack thereof. Who ever decides to love me will love me with or without the natural hair on my body. And if they don’t like it they can leave. I am satisfied with my hair and encourage all women to be at peace with the vulvas that have been given to us. 

J. - 18 years old

Treat it with kindness

Growing up in a household with a mother that was always walking around naked, I found comfort in being able to do so in front of my peers. It wasn’t until 4th grade, when one of my friends pointed out that I already had pubic hair (as I was an early bloomer.) From then on, I was extremely self conscious about having any hair down there. On top of struggling with some body issues, I thought I was some sort of freak. Having this “fat” vulva and shave bumps, from constantly trying to make sure I was “clean shaven” 100% of the time. It wasn’t until I reached the age of 15, where I was becoming sexually active, that it really did occur to me that I was no longer shaving for my own comfort, but for someone else’s. 
As the years progressed, I found solace in the arms of partners who praised my vulva. They found my larger outer lips to be “cute.” While I was so busy being worried I was deformed from having next to no inner labia and a much more prominent outer labia; I never had someone think I was anything less than normal. Best of all, a single partner once asked me to grow out my pubic hair. He told me “it would only make you that much more of the naturally beautiful woman, that you are.” Since then, I have never looked back, as those words, almost 4 years later have stuck with me. It’s amazing what one comment can impress on a young one’s mind. And what liberating yourself sexually, can do to your self confidence (when with those who respect your body.) I am now 24 years old, and I can honestly say that I have never loved my body more, just the way it is. I am so thankful for the people who reminded me how unique every vulva is, and how beautiful they all are, in their own way. These bodies we were gifted are for us, and those we choose to welcome anywhere near it. Treat it with kindness and remember what a powerful gift having a vulva is.

T – 24 years old

My hair

I have always had a lot of body hair. My hair is a lot and thick. Before I even discovered my vulva I was told to stop washing it with soap due to vaginal pH imbalance that used to make me suffer a lot. When I discovered my vulva I became very paranoid about how it smelled, because I wasn't using soap and have a lot of hair. I worried it smelled bad. In reality it didn't. However, I developed a vulva washing ritual that also involved making my partner wash his genitalia as often as I did. It wasn't until my mid 20's when I realised why my vaginal pH balance was still being disturbed. Why I was getting more infections than I would've liked. Not removing my pubic hair was what stopped the infections. I now get infected very rarely. Also, in my mid 20's I decided to stop getting anxious about: what if my partner asks me to shave my pubic hair. I explain why not and break the relationship if they insist. Men have made negative comments about my pubic hair, so have female members of my family. I don't keep all of my hair but what is shown on the photo. I just can't get used to the idea of leaving all my pubic hair on. I also had insecurities about my inner labia, because I compared it with my mother's and sisters, which looked different from mine and I therefore thought mine had a defect. I wish for a world where in sex education - where it exists - children and teenagers are told to explore their genitalia and inform them about differences, and health care is widely available. Whilst education should start at home, sex education needs to start at school, so future generations are educating their children.

A – 35 years old

The prettiest vulva I’ve ever seen

I’ve come a long, long way in loving my vulva. I remember the first time I thought there was something wrong with my anatomy. I was in 5th or 6th grade; my menstruation had already arrived and I began to grow pubic hair. I was scared. Why couldn't I just keep being a girl? Why did I suddenly become a woman? For me, those little pubic hairs filled me with fear and shame. I didn’t want to become a woman. Since that day, for about 9 years, I shaved my pubic hair non stop. 

The second time I thought something was wrong was in middle school. By this time I'd had one serious boyfriend and my first sexual experience with him. I was in my room and I decided to have a look in the mirror I felt devastated, why was my vulva so ugly and brown? Why couldn't she be 'normal', like the women that work in porn? I immediately called my best friend at the time and I told her I needed to get a labiaplasty surgery. I don’t even remember what she told me, but I think she thought I was crazy. Or at least I think I was. Because now when I look at my vulva I see one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen. 

For this I have to thank my ex-boyfriend, who was the most loving and accepting person that I’ve ever dated. One time, when we were having sex, he was about to get down on me and he told me I had one of the prettiest vulva she had ever seen. And that he didn't mind if I had pubic hair – he liked them. I remember I laughed. I mean; I’ve received compliments about my face, my legs, my butt – but my vulva? This was the first time. And how cool that my boyfriend didn't mind my pubic hair! What a relief.

I have to remind myself that sometimes people see things in me that I don’t see myself because I’m way too busy comparing myself with others. Even comparing my vulva. Now, I don’t think there is something wrong with my vulva, the colour of my skin and my pubic hair. I love the look of my vulva and I don’t feel I need to shave her in order to look sexy. Don’t get me wrong, if shaving your vulva empowers you, do it. But it sure didn’t empower me. I sincerely think my vulva is the prettiest and I don’t meant to brag nor to say everyone else’s is not as beautiful. This account has helped me big time to see that there’s as much diversity in vulvas as human beings and that’s amazing. Especially in a world that is constantly teaching us that we need to have a certain body type. Lastly, I want to tell you all that your vulva is beautiful, you don’t need to shave it in order to look 'pretty' or sexy, you don’t even need a loving partner to tell you. It is, because it is. It’s as rare and unique as you are and that’s enough. Sincerely, Paola. And yes, I put my name because I own it and I’m very proud.

Paola – 25 years old

My confidence and acceptance are growing

Ever since I reached puberty I’ve been conscious and insecure about my vulva’s look, smell etc. I started shaving in high school ‘cause I thought I had to in order to be desirable, even though I hated the stubble and itchiness. It’s hard for me to relax in intimate situations. Complications due to childbirth left me with a weak pelvic floor, which did nothing to improve my self esteem. I instead got more concerned about my partners’ (lack of) sensation during sex. Which is ridiculous, my own lack of sensation and vaginal pain is way more important. But it’s taken med eight years to come to that conclusion, and I still struggle with my priorities and feelings.

I first started letting my body- and pubic hair grow about five years ago, as a means to show my niece and children that you don’t have to conform to society’s beauty standards. And it made me feel free, and sexy in a way I haven’t felt before. I still occasionally shave or trim, but only on my terms. I’ve also mustered the courage to start seeing a urologist who specialises in pelvic floor muscles after childbirth.

I can’t say that I love my vulva, I don’t. But my confidence and acceptance are growing, so maybe one day. Thank you all for reading and sharing your own stories. It’s been a big part of my own self acceptance. And thank you Hilde, for making it possible.

P – 32 years old

Now I feel blessed

I feel very self conscious with my vulva's appearance. First of all, with my pubic hair: I wish I would have no hair at all, so I wouldn't have to have to wax it or trim it, because it makes my skin turn red and I have small rashes just where some pubes peek out of my undies. This makes me feel quite embarrassed when changing in front of other women at the gym. Secondly my labia: I don't hate them, although I wish they would be smaller. However, the thought of undergoing surgery horrifies me. And I am friends now with the fact that they are not perfectly pink. Initially I thought there was something wrong, and even my mother looked puzzled when I ask if some coloration was normal in my lady garden. But now, I feel blessed because I have a strong, healthy body, and joyful lady parts with real power!

AP – 29 years old

It’s kinda okay now

So I've always been ashamed of my vulva and actually I still am. When I was only 10 years old my pubic hair started growing and I got my first period. When I got older the hairs got more dense and they became thicker. They started growing down my legs and up to my belly button. I still hate it and I feel ashamed about it. But I learned to live with it and it's kinda okay now. But actually I still hate it to be naked, even in front of my boyfriend. Luckily he makes me feel comfortable and I know he likes my vulva and has absolutely no problems with it and those (probably not that disgusting) hairs. And I like that feeling. It makes me more self confident.

L – 22 years old

I have trichotillomania

I have trichotillomania, a disorder that causes me to compulsively pull my hair out. It is what's classified as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviour, a category that also includes dermatillomania (skin picking) and chronic nail biting. I don't remember a time in my post-pubescent life when I didn't have patchy, uneven pubic hair due to pulling. This has always been a point of insecurity for me, and I often feel obligated to shave in order to hide my disorder. When talking about the disorder, most use the scalp or eyebrows as examples, but hair pulling can be from any place on your body, including your pubic hair. Up to 4% of the overall population suffers from the disorder, mainly adults, and while I know from talking to them that many other sufferers pull from their pubic regions, very few are open about it, finding the same shame and insecurity. I hope that by showing my vulva as it is, others can see that they're not alone. 

For more information, check out http://www.bfrb.org/learn-about-bfrbs/trichotillomania

T – 24 years old

A message of love and acceptance

I want to share a message of love and acceptance. There is so much shame surrounding such a beautiful part of us! It may be the symbol of femininity, but we are told to pick, prune and pluck them. Since a young age I have always been so conscious of pubic hair and was horrified that mine grew earlier than my friend's. Shaving was expected and my sensitive skin didn't like it at all. A couple years ago I said no thank you to causing myself razor burns and rashes, now I shave if I fancy it, not because I feel like I should to be feminine or to be appealing to other people. It was hard but I have accepted my vulva as a part of myself, not separated as an object to be scrutinised by myself for flaunting stubble. Talking to my friends and family about my vulva portrait has started a beautiful conversation on self love and confidence that I will carry through with me in every aspect of my life. I love my vulva! I love my little bean of pleasure and my inner labia. But I also love my sensitive skin, my relentless pubic hair and my vagina that has caused me problems in the past.

This gallery is so important for showing vulva diversity and love for all of them! ️♡

– Anonymous

Alopecia

I have alopecia, the autoimmune condition where your body rejects your own hair, and sometimes it progresses and spreads all over your body and if that were to happen to me (knock on wood) I wouldn't have pubic hair. So I've very rarely shave all of my pubic hair, mainly then just out of curiosity. I think I look better with hair on my mons pubis tbh. I know some of you'll think "oh that sounds amazing, not having to shave or wax" - but guess what else goes away; eyebrows and eyelashes and hair on your head... It's not something you'd want to wish for so I'm hoping it won't happen (besides that, your pubic hair is there for a reason just like your facial hair). I used to be self conscious about my vulva like many others but due to accounts and artists like The Vulva Gallery I just feel proud to be able to join in the diversity, in fact having seen so many gorgeous ones I kinda feel mine is too normal, haha! The fact that I have a pesky external haemorrhoid is more of a bother these days, although I know those are very common as well and shouldn't be something to be disgusted or ashamed of either.

This gallery is absolutely amazing and beautiful and I hope everyone finds their way here to see how gorgeous they are 💕

K – 31 years old

Starting to cherish it

As many others already featured in this gallery, I have struggled with the appearance of my vulva. Actually, the thing I was most insecure about, is something you cannot see in my portrait. I am a natural redhead and my pubic hair is also red. Growing up with it, I didn’t realize that might be something special until people began asking me about it. I don’t mind talking about it with friends, but sometimes complete strangers came up to me asking if “the carpet matches the curtains” and things like that. I felt as if some guys were only hitting on me to find out how redheads look “down there”. So I began to completely shave my pubic hair and decided to never let anyone know its color. It was only some time ago that I began to cherish my red pubic hair like I always did that on my head. When I saw the picture of the vulva with red and golden pubic hair on the vulva gallery, I think I completely overcame my issues. I still shave because I just feel better that way, but I don’t mind stubbles and people’s words don’t get to me anymore.”

L – 26 years old

My pubic hair rocks

I had a lot to say in this little blurb. I was going to explain how terrified I was the first time I shaved my legs, how for years the amount of body hair I had depended on what somebody else said about it. Sometimes I'll look at my fingers and laugh because I used to shave my knuckles, thinking that girls shouldn't have hairy fingers. I am a woman. I will grow whatever hair I want, whenever I want, and I've recently come to realize that no matter what I choose, I am still me. Right now, I'm growing out my pubic hair... and it rocks.

B – 21 years old