FBW

If you must know, I gave away the gift certificate for the Brazilian bikini wax, but I couldn’t help myself; I had to do some research. It would appear that this term can refer to removing all one’s pubic hair with the exception of a small line sometimes called a “landing strip.” It can also refer to removal of, well, everything, front to back, also referred to as the Full Brazilian Wax or FBW, or Sphinx. Click here for the relevant article in Wikipedia, including some history. Genital waxing for hygiene and/or religious purposes.

Wikipedia led me to two other riveting facts. 1) There is a term for a preference for hairless genitals: acomoclitism. 2) There is such thing as a pubic wig, known as a “merkin.” Yikers! Apparently, the merkin was used as early as 1617, notably by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia to eliminate lice or to disguise the marks of syphilis. Omigosh. I don’t know if it’s for real, but there’s a British company that sells custom-made, handmade merkins. Curious? By all means, click here.

Naturally, I shared my newfound knowledge with my buddies at Curves. I even took in a book, “The S Factor,” by Sheila Kelley. Pages 120 and 121 give you a plethora of detailed, practical information, including illustrations. The section is called “Pubic Coifing 101.” Besides the “landing strip” I mentioned in my previous blog entry (which she calls “The Brazilian”), other, erm, hairstyles include The Heart, The Tidy Triangle, and the Bermuda Triangle. I think I’ll keep the bit about the merkins to myself, though.