A merkin is a pubic wig. Merkins are worn by people after shaving their mons pubis, and are used as decorative items or erotic devices by both women and men.
A merkin is a pubic wig. Merkins are worn by people after shaving their mons pubis, and are used as decorative items or erotic devices by both women and men.
The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to the 1450s, but gives no primary source to attest this. According to the publication, women would shave their pubic hair for personal hygiene and to combat pubic lice. They would then put on a merkin. Also, sex workers would wear a merkin to cover up signs of disease, such as syphilis.
The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first written use of the term to 1617. The word probably originated from malkin, a derogatory term for a lower-class young woman, or from Marykin, a pet form of the female given name Mary.
A merkin is typically attached directly to the skin using skin-safe adhesive, such as spirit gum or specialized wig tape. The adhesive is applied to the lace backing of the merkin, which is then pressed onto the skin and held until set. It is reusable and removable.
Sometimes in filmmaking, merkins can be worn by actresses to avoid inadvertent exposure of the genitalia during nude or semi-nude scenes. The presence of the merkin protects the actor from inadvertently performing "full-frontal" nudity which can help ensure that the film achieves a less restrictive rating.
A merkin may also be used when the actor or actress has less pubic hair than is required, as in the nude dancing extras in The Bank Job.[citation needed] Amy Landecker wore a merkin in A Serious Man (2009) for a nude sunbathing scene; clean shaving was not common in 1967 when the film is set.
Let me tell you, The Reader was not glamorous for me in terms of body-hair maintenance. I had to grow it in, because you can't have a landing strip in 1950, you know? And then because of years of waxing, as all of us girls know, it doesn't come back quite the way it used to. They even made me a merkin because they were so concerned that I might not be able to grow enough. I said, "Guys, I am going to have to draw the line at a pubic wig, but you can shoot my own snatch up close and personal."
