Cameron Diaz Speaks Out ‘In Praise Of Pubes’: The Health Benefits Of Not Waxing Your Pubic Hair

Cameron Diaz says she’s not into pubic hair removal. In her new book, The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body, the 41-year-old actress devotes a section titled “In Praise of Pubes” to the importance of keeping a good amount of hair on your vagina. And, while her delivery focuses solely on aesthetic, there may be actual health benefits to taking her advice.

“It’s a personal decision, but I’m just putting it out there: Consider leaving your vagina fully dressed, ladies,” she wrote, according to Gawker. “Twenty years from now, you will still want to be presenting it to someone special, and it would be nice to let him or her unwrap it like the gift that it is.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Diaz isn’t advocating for keeping a little bit of pubic hair. She’s telling women to grow it out as much as possible. The actress describes permanent laser hair removal as a “fad” and says that people who have gotten the procedure may regret it years from now. "Personally, I think permanent laser hair removal sounds like a crazy idea,” Diaz wrote. “Forever? I know you may think you'll be wearing the same style of shoes forever and the same style of jeans forever, but you won't. The idea that vaginas are preferable in a hairless state is a pretty recent phenomenon, and all fads change, people."

While Diaz’s argument “in praise of pubes” discusses why it may soon be fashionable to maintain a fully-covered pubic area, many doctors say that keeping pubic hair rather than waxing it has various health benefits. According to Dr. Lauren Streicher, pubic hair decreases friction during sexual intercourse, which prevents the nasty “rug burn” effect that can happen on hairless genitals. But according to Dr. Emily Gibson, pubic hair removal could have more serious affects than that. Pubic hair serves the purpose of protecting your genitals from bacteria and other unwanted pathogens, and removing the hair leaves you vulnerable to any number of health complications.

“Pubic hair removal naturally irritates and inflames the hair follicles left behind, leaving microscopic open wounds,” wrote Dr. Gibson. “When that irritation is combined with the warm moist environment of the genitals, it becomes a happy culture media for some of the nastiest of bacterial pathogens… Additionally, I’ve seen cellulitis (soft tissue bacterial infection without abscess) of the scrotum, labia, and penis from spread of bacteria from shaving or from sexual contact with strep or staph bacteria from a partner’s skin.”

So maybe Diaz is onto something. Pubic hair is more than just a “pretty little draping.” It’s protection. And, even if you see removing it as purely cosmetic, Diaz says this: "...[L]et's be honest: just like every other part of your body, your labia major is [sic] not immune to gravity. Do you really want a hairless vagina for the rest of your life?"

Diaz’s book was released on Dec. 31 and is now available for sale.

Published by Medicaldaily.com