The conversation revolving around a woman’s pubic hair may be an uncomfortable topic for some but at the end of the day it’s just a biological reality — and it seems that the “bush” is back.
Social media has done a lot of bad for people, there’s no doubt of that. But in 2025, more and more women are making their voice heard. They’re taking something that’s always been controversial and shutting down any conversations around it.
Highlights
- The "bush" is having a cultural comeback in 2025.
- A viral TikTok sparked conversations by promoting the 'full bush in a bikini' look.
- Social pressure on pubic hair has shifted, and people are now embracing a more natural style.
It was almost seen as a cultural moment when a recent viral TikTok featured the artist Sujindah repeating the phrase “full bush in a bikini” — advocating exactly what it sounds like. And it seemed like a shift when Maison Margiela sent women down the runway of the brand’s Spring 2024 couture show, highlighting their pubes.
"Bush," and the conversations that surround it, are back!
Image credits: Freepik
Additionally for this year, Skims included a heart-shaped cutout in their undergarments, sparking even more discourse around something that’s been polarized for so long.
Has ‘bush’ made a complete comeback? Perhaps not entirely, seeing as there is still a negative stigma around it. But embracing the existence of pubic hair is an essential part to embracing femininity… and what better to celebrate that than on International Women’s Day?
A timeline was created by Bustle to take a deeper look at how pubes have been seen by society as the years passed.
Everyone in Ancient Egypt were in on the “bush-free lifestyle.” A few hieroglyphics and works of art definitely showed women with darker triangles around their private areas, but it wasn’t rare for ladies to use tools such as shells, stones, bronze knives, pumice, etc. to remove all traces of body hair.
Image credits: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty
This continued on into the Roman Empire, as seen with a lot of the clean-sculpted statues we see in museums. During this time, it was seen as rather uncivilized to have pubic hair. Those who were wealthy would use flints, pumice stones, or tweezers to get rid of any bush.
But things may have taken a little bit of a turn in The Middle Ages. In The Miller’s Tale, Chaucer referenced a woman who was “bearded around her hole,” although artwork still showed a hairless pubic area.
A few scholars have speculated that this was in large amounts due to the hygiene of the era. The Dark Ages weren’t exactly medically advanced, and pubic hair meant that pubic lice — which was apparently quite common — could be an issue.
Thousands of years ago, it was common practice to use painful tools for women to get rid of pubic hair
Image credits: Samir Hussein / Getty
In the 1800s, the depiction of pubic hair on a woman was still seen as fairly erotic, but there were two paintings that challenged this narrative.
Goya’s piece La Maja Desnuda showed a reclining woman with barely visible strands of hair and while it was a controversial piece of work during its time, it’s been cited as the earliest piece of Western artwork to depict a nude woman’s pubic hairs.
In 1866, Gustave Courbet decided to ignore all the discourse on these double standards with his work L’origine du Monde, showcasing an up-close and personal view of a hairy bush. At first, it wasn’t allowed to be displayed as it sparked so much backlash, but now it sits proudly at the Musée d’Orsay — another sign of our progress.
Image credits: Jason LaVeris / Getty
Fast forward to the 1970s, and sexual freedom was all the craze. Norwegian model Liv Lindeland became the first person to feature a visible ‘tuft’ of pubic hair in Playboy, which pushed the boundaries of what was considered inappropriate.
Just a year later and discussions revolving around one’s sexuality began to circulate, and books with detailed illustrations were passed around.
As we entered the 2000s, the shift in perception was very noticeable.
Brazilian waxes were introduced to the conversation, especially after a now-iconic episode of Sex and the City. In 2013, Cameron Diaz wrote an entire section in her book The Body Book, challenging the practice of removing body hair. These trends, she claimed, were bound to change.
Now, freedom in one's choice to express themselves is much more diverse
Image credits: Frazer Harrison / Getty
Image credits: Freepik
Gushing about Fur’s $52 pubic hair oil, she endorsed, “I’ll use that anywhere from the ends of my hair to my eyebrows to my pubic hair.”
And now, the 2020s. The COVID-19 lockdown was a wake-up call for all of us, forcing a break in our wax or laser hair removal appointments. And it turns out, this led to more of an opportunity to embrace natural body hair.
Image credits: prostooleh / Getty
Stacie Harding, the associate manager of field training at European Wax Center told The Guardian, “In the past decade, pubic hairstyle trends in the body-waxing industry have evolved. While the full Brazilian style remains popular, there’s been a shift in embracing a more natural look.”
These trends and outlooks will constantly fluctuate, and, for better or for worse, so will society’s view of women. One thing remains certain, though — what a lady does with her body will never be anyone’s business but her own.
Showing off one's "bush" was still heavily debated among the comments
