Dakota Johnson admitted to skipping this one particular grooming step while filming for Fifty Shades of Grey.
The 37-year-old actress said she grew her bush to keep things au naturel for her character, Anastasia Steele.
But when it comes to grooming hair down there, what do experts actually recommend? Gynecologists have weighed in on the often-asked question: To shave or let the garden grow?
Highlights
- Dakota Johnson grew her bush for Fifty Shades of Grey because her character had never been waxed.
- The actress rejected wearing a merkin for a full-frontal scene in the film.
- Her admission put shaving back in the spotlight.
- Experts have spoken about the practice and what happens when one doesn’t shave.
Dakota Johnson let her bush grow for Fifty Shades of Grey because she didn’t want to fake it
Dakota Johnson has been open about some of the unconventional approaches she took while preparing to play Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, which featured several intimate scenes between her character and Christian Grey, played by Jamie Dornan.
She once revealed they used a b*tt double for an intense punishment scene in the bedroom.
“That was not my b*m, because I didn't want to get hit with a belt,” she added.
More than a decade after the 2015 film came out, Johnson still had secrets to spill about the role.
"That was not my b*m,” the actress said about a scene in the film
During an episode this month of “Hot Ones Versus,” Johnson answered a question from her Verity co-star Anne Hathaway about the most “ridiculous or embarrassing thing” she’s ever done for a role.
“I grew my p*bic hair,” Johnson said on the episode, published by First We Feast.
She explained that she had to do a “full frontal” scene in the franchise’s first film.
The character “was supposed to have never had a wax,” the actress said.
When her co-stars asked if she didn’t consider wearing a merkin (a prosthetic used to simulate the lady garden onscreen), she replied, “No.”
Her admission put the practice of shaving back into the spotlight. But when it comes to grooming hair down there, what do experts actually recommend?
Dr. Holly W. Cummings, who runs an ob-gyn practice, said whenever she is examining a patient’s pelvic region, most women feel the need to say: “I’m so sorry, I haven’t shaved in a while.”
Dr. Cummings explained in an ACOG (American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists) article that hair on the private parts is “natural—we are mammals, after all.”
“And yet, people can be very emotional about the state of their hair ‘down there,’” she wrote.
A gynecologist explained what happens when you stop shaving down there
Women’s shame around their hair is often tied to beauty standards.
Hairlessness has been treated as the ideal for decades, owing to movies, social media, popular culture, and even adult content, which normalize the idea of a hair-free body being more attractive and desirable.
But the purpose of p*bic hair is to “protect us, just like the hair around your ears, nose, and eyes,” Dr. Cummings said.
Dr. Eden Fromberg, a New York City–based holistic ob-gyn, previously told Vogue, “P*bic hair exists to protect our delicate areas and encourages a diverse and often quite healthy microbiome, which keeps us in balance while preventing infection.”
It also helps keep the skin of your v*lva warm and moisturized, and even protects the delicate skin from friction during intimacy, the experts said.
To shave or let the garden grow? It's a question that has sparked plenty of debate over the years
“It keeps dust, dirt, and germs away from the vag*na to prevent infection. Researchers even suspect p*bic hair may play a role in s**ual attraction and s**ual pleasure,” Dr. Cummings said.
Moreover, the v*gina is a “self-cleaning organ,” the ob-gyn explained.
“If you sense a little body odor, it’s because your p*bic hair is doing its job of trapping sweat, oil, and bacteria,” she wrote. “To care for your p*bic area, all you need to do is regularly rinse with water.”
The bottom line is that there is nothing unclean or unhygienic about p*bic hair, and there’s no medical reason why one needs to shave, the experts said.
They also noted that times are changing now, and women are becoming more open about talking about their hair.
“I think the strong movement towards body acceptance and positivity that has been swelling up for the past few years includes embracing your p*bic hair in its natural state,” Bea Feliu-Espada, founder of feminine-care brand The Honey Pot, told Vogue.
“To me hair, hair grows down there for a reason,” one said, “leave it alone”
