Jump to content

Brazilian waxing: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎See also: rm Anal bleaching. Nothing to do with waxing.
→‎External links: site not there
Line 256: Line 256:
==External links==
==External links==
* [http://brazilianrush.com/ brazilianrush.com] - complete guide to the brazilian wax
* [http://brazilianrush.com/ brazilianrush.com] - complete guide to the brazilian wax
* [http://www.brazilian-waxing.biz/ brazilian-waxing.biz], step-by-step guide on brazilian waxing.
* [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1126012472670 Islamic Ruling on Waxing Unwanted Hair].
* [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1126012472670 Islamic Ruling on Waxing Unwanted Hair].
* [http://www.ebodywax.com/doctors.html Doctor's Advice]
* [http://www.ebodywax.com/doctors.html Doctor's Advice]

Revision as of 00:52, 22 November 2007

Brazilian waxing is a type of waxing involving the bikini area.[1] [2] [3] [4] This procedure involves the complete removal of hair from the buttocks and adjacent to the anus, perineum and vulva (labia majora and mons pubis). It can be thought of as a more extreme form of bikini waxing. The majority of types of Brazilian waxing leave a small line of pubic hair above the vulva, commonly known as the "G-Wax."[citation needed] Waxes that completely remove the pubic hair are either termed "Hollywood" [5] or "Sphynx" depending on the salon visited. Sometimes the term Full Brazilian Wax, Full Bikini Wax or Entire Body Wax (or eBodyWax) is used. While mainly associated with females, the practice is engaged in by males as well. It is named after Brazil, the country with which it is most often associated and from which the modern practice originated.[6] In Brazil itself, it is not called Brazilian waxing, but simply depilar (to wax, to pluck hairs).[7]

Process

The client begins by removing their clothing. Occasionally, for females, a paper g-string is provided to protect the client's vulva. The procedure starts with baby or talcum powder being spread liberally over the area to be waxed. This prevents the hot wax from sticking to the sensitive skin. Then, as in other forms of waxing, hot wax is spread over the area from which hair is to be removed. The wax is allowed to harden briefly, then one edge of the wax strip is pulled up and used as a 'tab' to quickly pull off or "zip" the rest of the wax, usually in the direction opposite of hair growth. The waxer then works his or her way around the body systematically removing the hair from the genital area, buttocks, and anus. This procedure removes the wax, hair, and any dead skin cells lying on the skin surface. The person performing the wax will then finish with tweezers to remove any stray hairs that the waxing missed. Finally, the remaining pubic hair (the so-called "landing strip") is either trimmed with scissors, or waxed off if the client requests it. The remaining hair may even be in a particular pattern (hearts are a popular option), or dyed.

The wax used is often a mixture of natural beeswax and tall oil rather than the more common synthetic 'waxes' used for regular leg waxing. It is felt that beeswax is stronger, and more effective at removing the thicker, coarser pubic hairs.

The pain involved with this procedure can be slight or severe and can continue for quite some time (from several seconds to minutes). Some claim to perceive less pain during subsequent treatments. Many products are available to lessen the pain, such as topical anesthetics. Pain is greatest immediately before and during menstruation, when the area is most sensitive. The area is least sensitive about a week after menstruation; this is the ideal time for waxing.[citation needed]

Some advise following the procedure with an application of a hair inhibitor, which will slow the regrowth of hair and may halt regrowth completely. The results can last up to two months.

It is recommended that one get a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician to perform this procedure, but with care it can safely be done on oneself with a home kit.

Due to the pain involved, and the need for a specialist to perform the waxing, home shaving kits have become popular to achieve similar effects to the Brazilian wax.

Controversy

Not everyone is a fan of the Brazilian wax, either the regular or full version.[8] [9] Of the waxing process itself or subsequent hairless look created, critics say:

  • There is a health risk if it is not done properly and a risk of infection if done on a person with a weakened immune system.[10] The women's magazine Cosmopolitan described the potential danger this way:

Q: Is getting a Brazilian wax at my local salon risky? A: If the place doesn't follow beauty-safety procedures, you could walk away with a fungal or yeast infection or even herpes, warns NYC derm Heidi Waldorf. Check that your aesthetician has a state-licensed certification to wax, wears gloves, and never waxes the same patch twice (touching the applicator to raw skin can contaminate the entire tub).

— Beauty Q & A, Cosmopolitan, U.S. edition, August 2007, page 98
  • It is a physically painful experience during and after waxing.[11] [12] [13] [14]
  • It can be unpleasant for a woman receiving oral sex if a man has beard stubble because pubic hair helps to protect the skin around the vulva.[15] [16]
  • Some believe that it gives an adult woman an "unnatural appearance" when naked. It "goes against what nature intended."[17] [18] [19] [20]
  • A consequence of the appearance created by the waxing off of pubic hair is that it resembles the hairless look seen on sexually immature girls and some men find this look attractive and exciting, a fact not lost on the porn industry, which is not allowed to hire or feature underage girls.[21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
  • It raises the introspective questions for women: "Is this encouraging sexual perversion" and "Why would my boyfriend or husband or [if a model or actress] male audience want me to resemble a little girl?[26]

References

  1. ^ Boston Women's Health Book Collective (2005). Our Bodies Ourselves. New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5611-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 4: "Brazilian waxing removes every wisp of hair from the genital and anal area, leaving only a tiny decorative pouf at the top."
  2. ^ Salinger, Eve (2005). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pleasing Your Woman. New York: Alpha Books/Penguin Group. ISBN 1-59257-464-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 196: "A Brazilian wax removes all pubic hair except for a vertical strip in front."
  3. ^ Blue, Violet (2002). The Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus. San Francisco, California USA: Cleis Press. ISBN 1-57344-144-9. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 66: "...a Brazilian wax, in which everything is waxed, usually leaving a little racing stripe of hair on the front—or you can have even that removed. Either way, with a Brazilian, they wax it all—anus, outer labia, and even inner labia."
  4. ^ Christina Valhouli. "Faster Pussycat, Wax! Wax!, Salon.com, September 3, 1999". Retrieved May 10, 2007. "What it is: a very thorough waxing where every bit of hair -- and I mean every last bit -- is removed except for a thin landing strip. ... Butt waxing is part of what differentiates a Brazilian wax from a regular wax."
  5. ^ Salinger, Eve (2005). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pleasing Your Woman. New York: Alpha Books/Penguin Group. ISBN 1-59257-464-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 196: "A Hollywood wax leaves things all bare down there."
  6. ^ Christina Valhouli. "Faster Pussycat, Wax! Wax!, Salon.com, September 3, 1999". Retrieved May 10, 2007. "...it's business as usual at the J. Sisters International Salon in midtown Manhattan. The salon is named for seven Brazilian-born sisters: Jocely, Jonice, Joyce, Janea, Jussara, Juracy and Judseia Padilha, whose claim to fame is introducing Americans to their hometown phenomenon of "Brazilian bikini waxing."
  7. ^ Symons, Mitchell (2007). Where Do Nudists Keep Their Hankies. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-113407-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 74-75, Chapter "What Do They Call a Brazilian Bikini Wax in Brazil?" "... Eventually, a very nice lady at somewhere called Brazilian Contemporary Arts agreed to help me. 'We just call it "depilar," she said, obviously marking me down as a true British eccentric. 'Not a Columbian or Peruvian, or, indeed, a German?' 'No, just "depilar." 'But you're aware that the rest of the world calls it a Brazilian?' 'Yes.'"
  8. ^ Kirsch, Melissa (2006). The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything. New York: Workman Publishing. ISBN 0-7611-3579-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 424: "Brazilian... I've met many women who are conflicted on the subject."
  9. ^ Joannides, Paul (2006). Guide to Getting It On. Waldport, Oregon, USA: Goofy Foot Press. ISBN 1-885535-69-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 528: "Some people like their lovers furry while others like them bald, and we're not talking about the top of their head."
  10. ^ Tweed, Katherine. "Woman Almost Dies After Bikini Wax". Retrieved July 31, 2007. A July 11, 2007 FOX news report about a 20-year-old Australian woman with diabetes who had a Brazilian bikini wax done and became infected with the life-threatening bacteria, Streptococcus pyogenes. The Fox news report states she was also infected with herpes simplex, but does not indicate if that was a result of the waxing or was a pre-existing condition. After being hospitalized and cured, the young woman later tried shaving herself at home and became infected again. The case is from the June 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
  11. ^ Blue, Violet (2002). The Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus. San Francisco, California USA: Cleis Press. ISBN 1-57344-144-9. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 66: "What about waxing? ... It hurts when it's ripped off and leaves you swollen and red for a day or two." Page 67: "Even more quickly, the wax comes off, and the sensation may make your eyes roll into your head. Then a once over with tweezers, and, well, by then let's hope the endorphins have kicked in, because you'll be red, swollen, and sore."
  12. ^ Joannides, Paul (2006). Guide to Getting It On. Waldport, Oregon, USA: Goofy Foot Press. ISBN 1-885535-69-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 531: "Waxing and Sugaring. Owie ouch! ... Infections and broken hairs can result if you are not careful."
  13. ^ Godson, Suzi (2005). Sexploration: An Edgy Encyclopedia of Everything Sexual. Berkeley, California USA: Amorata Press. ISBN 1-56975-505-1. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 161: "Brazilian wax... it itches like hell when it grows back."
  14. ^ Valhouli, Christina. "Faster Pussycat, Wax! Wax!". Retrieved May 10, 2007.Salon.com, September 3, 1999: "...I become alarmed when she grabs my labia, folds them back and spreads wax on them. Riiiiiiiip. I gasp and my eyes bug out. 'Owwwwwww' ... The waxing is over in about 15 minutes. Then Juracy goes over my body with tweezers, plucking stray hairs. And for the grand finale, she grabs my pubic hair between two fingers, pulls it up, gives it a good whack with scissors and dusts me off with more baby powder. I've been too afraid to look until now. I peer down at my body. It's a mess, glowing red and swirled with baby powder. Ugh."
  15. ^ Joannides, Paul (2006). Guide to Getting It On. Waldport, Oregon, USA: Goofy Foot Press. ISBN 1-885535-69-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 233: "Five o'clock shadow is even worse on a shaven or bare vulva. It doesn't have the pillow of pubic hair to protect it."
  16. ^ Godson, Suzi (2005). Sexploration: An Edgy Encyclopedia of Everything Sexual. Berkeley, California USA: Amorata Press. ISBN 1-56975-505-1. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 89: "If a man has light stubble (from a beard) it can be a turn on for some, but it is abrasive and can leave a rash."
  17. ^ Joannides, Paul (2006). Guide to Getting It On. Waldport, Oregon, USA: Goofy Foot Press. ISBN 1-885535-69-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 246: "...some women feel that trimming the triangle defiles the natural appearance of the female body."
  18. ^ Boston Women's Health Book Collective (2005). Our Bodies Ourselves. New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5611-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 10: "But if women or men consume a steady diet of fashion magazines or pornography, they encounter more naked or semi-naked female bodies than they would otherwise. ... Real women with pubic hair... begin to seem unnatural compared to the altered images we see in the media."
  19. ^ Valhouli, Christina. "Faster Pussycat, Wax! Wax!". Retrieved May 10, 2007.Salon.com, September 3, 1999: "...says Dr. Sandor Gardos, a licensed clinical sexologist... "We're not entirely sure what the purpose of pubic hair is. The best theory is that it helps trap pheromones, the odors that make you sexually attractive."
  20. ^ Feldman, David (1987). Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-074092-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 146: Zoologists offer another explanation for pubic hair. Many animals, especially primates, have striking visual features around their genitals to help attract potential mates. The wide patch of pubic hair on an otherwise naked skin might have remained on humans for the very same reason."
  21. ^ Boston Women's Health Book Collective (2005). Our Bodies Ourselves. New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5611-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 4: "What often goes unsaid in discussions of waxing (blame the ickiness factor) is that, as a result of removing all the hair from the pubic region, grown women resemble prebubescent girls, and this is considered erotic. The popular online magazine Salon published an essay by a woman who wrote about her first Brazilian wax: "I feel like a 12-year-old, but a naughty, Lolita kind of 12-year-old. This is hot." She quotes a man whose girlfriend got a Brazilian as saying that the "little girl eroticism" of a bare vulva turns him on."
  22. ^ Valhouli, Christina. "Faster Pussycat, Wax! Wax!". Retrieved May 10, 2007.Salon.com, September 3, 1999: "My pubic hair has been shaped into a neat little upside-down triangle, with the point ending right above my lips, which are clean and smooth and bare. I feel like a 12-year-old, but a naughty, Lolita kind of 12-year-old. This is hot. ... My friend Chad's girlfriend had one done recently so I asked him if... a Brazilian bikini wax changed his life. 'I didn't think I'd get into the bald eagle look until my girlfriend surprised me with it," he said. "She made certain the lights were off and when I felt her it was like, oh my God, an unbelievably primal welling of emotion. First from the shock and then from the whole little girl eroticism of it. It's hard to describe. I guess it was like tasting forbidden fruit.'"
  23. ^ Godson, Suzi (2005). Sexploration: An Edgy Encyclopedia of Everything Sexual. Berkeley, California USA: Amorata Press. ISBN 1-56975-505-1. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 161: "Brazilian wax... it can make adult genitalia look very childlike." Page 161: "...it reminded him of the pussies you see in porn." Page 233: "There's something oddly pre-pubecscent about hairless adults..."
  24. ^ Valhouli, Christina. "Faster Pussycat, Wax! Wax!". Retrieved May 10, 2007.Salon.com, September 3, 1999: "'Brazilian bikini waxing'... Think porn star."
  25. ^ Kirsch, Melissa (2006). The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything. New York: Workman Publishing. ISBN 0-7611-3579-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 424: "I think there's something creepy about this phenomenon: Everyone has hair there, it hurts like hell to have it waxed, it requires near-fanatical upkeep, and the more hair we eliminate from genital areas, the more we resemble little girls and not the hirsute women we've (proudly) grown up to be."
  26. ^ Symons, Mitchell (2007). Where Do Nudists Keep Their Hankies. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-113407-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Page 75: Chapter "What Do They Call a Brazilian Bikini Wax in Brazil?" "... Isn't it a teensy bit perverted for grown-up women to attempt to turn themselves into prepubescent girls? And what kind of man finds a bald pussy sexy? And why would any woman want to hook up with the sort of man who finds a bald pussy sexy? You get my point."

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brazilian_waxing&oldid=173017459"