Dr. Laura Berman Webcast Transcript

 

Joy: My question, Dr. Berman, is I just recently turned 60. I've been divorced for about five years and obviously I want to get into a relationship and become sexually active, but I've been hearing some new trends that have been going on and the trend is to shave your vagina or wax it, and that is kind of new to me but evidently that is the new deal and there is—there's new ways of—there's even hairstyles for it. My question is, is this safe?And is it sanitary? And is this a good idea?

Oprah: Well, I didn't know there were hairstyles.

Dr. Berman: Oh, yeah. Dye jobs and shapes you can make it into and all sorts of things. It is quite popular now to do what' called the Brazilian, which is either removing all of the hair off of your vulva or leaving a little strip. And a lot of young women do that. A lot of women don't. But it is becoming increasingly common. I think more so it's about just being well groomed in that area, whatever style you choose.

Oprah: Like if you're going out for wearing a bikini or something.

Dr. Berman: Right.

Oprah: But I think women are doing it because for—not to be well groomed but does it help sex in any way.

Dr. Berman: They feel like the—I think part of it is the lack of hair provides for sensation because there's more—it's easier to feel. But also I think it's because what women are seeing in the men's magazines. That's what—you know, that's what they see and that's what's hot and sexy right now. But it's certainly, you know, not required if that's not something you're comfortable with. And if you do choose to do it, you obviously want to take—you want to be very careful when you're shaving your vulva, especially around your labia. You want to use a clean razor. You want to consider waxing and going to some—a place that is very clean and licensed to wax and specializes in that, in waxing the bikini area. And usually the aesthetician or the person doing it will ask you lots of specifics about the style you want if you choose to go that route. But I wouldn't feel pressured or worried about doing it if you're not comfortable with it.

Oprah: Now how did you feel when you first heard that people were doing it, Joy, that it was a—that it's now become a fairly common thing. I don't know how common. But fairly common.

Dr. Berman: Yeah.

Joy: I was really surprised. I mean, I grew up my whole life and I actually had to have it shaved down at my vagina area for surgery, and I remember getting a rash and it was itchy and running to the corner to have a quick scratch. So now that this is commonplace and obviously pleasurable for the men, I'm just wondering if I really want to go through with all that again.

Dr. Berman: Yeah. Yeah. And shaving will grow in quicker and—and more, you know, so it is itchier when it grows in than waxing. But you certainly, like I said, don't—I would—you know, you definitely want to trim and groom, but other than that, I don't think much is required.

Oprah: Joy, I wouldn't go all the way right now if you were you.  

Dr. Berman: Do it in baby steps if you're going to do it.

Oprah: Yeah. You might want to do a hairstyle and then—

Dr. Berman: Yeah—slowly work your way through.

Oprah: —slowly work your way through. Yeah. I had never heard that there were hairstyles.

Dr. Berman: Oh, yeah.

Oprah: Yeah. Mimi's over there I know who does your makeup who also is an aesthetician—

Dr. Berman: Yeah. She'll tell you.

Oprah: —who does them. Don't you do these—don't you do these, Mimi?

Dr. Berman: Mimi does hairstyles.

Oprah: Don't you do a lot of waxing?

Mimi: —a lot of waxing.

Oprah: Okay.

Dr. Berman: Yeah, she does a lot of waxing, and women will gets hearts made or initials.

Oprah: People—Mimi, you're on TV now.

Mimi: No, I'm not.

Oprah: Yeah, you are right now. You're on the Web. And so what is the most poplar requested hairstyle, as Joy was talking about. I didn't know there were hairstyles.

Mimi: No, we don't do hairstyles. We do a Brazilian bikini wax but—

Oprah: Brazilian is everything gone, right?

Mimi: No, actually Brazilian you leave a—a landing strip.

Dr. Berman: Yeah.

Mimi: And then if you want a full Brazilian, then you take everything off.

Oprah: Okay.

Mimi: Yes. But a Brazilian has a landing strip.

Oprah: But I heard some women get like hearts and things.

Dr. Berman: Yeah. Or flowers or initials.

Oprah: You can get your husband's initials—you can get your husband's initials for Valentine's Day.

Dr. Berman: Yeah.

Oprah: That's nice.

Dr. Berman: Or put a little decal, a little temporary tattoo there.

Oprah: This is clearly one of those things I am telling you to do that I won't be doing. But, no, I think—so the most requested is a Brazilian. A little landing strip, Mimi, or all the way?

Mimi: All the way.

Oprah: All the way. And is that because they're wearing bikinis and going on vacation or just—

Mimi: Not at all. Because the bikinis aren't that small that they're going to see you're coming out of it. It has nothing to do with the bikini.

Oprah: Yeah. How many do you do a day, would you say?

Mimi: Actually, I don't do them. I have two people who work for me.

Oprah: Who do them.

Mimi: So—but they do about six or eight a day.

Oprah: Right. I've been downstairs in the spa getting a pedicure, and I've seen people go in the room with you. What are they doing with in there?

Mimi: No, they do eyebrows with me.

Oprah: Oh, they're doing eyebrows.

Mimi: Yeah.

Oprah: Like I did today. They're doing—

Dr. Berman: They're not doing Brazilians.

Oprah: Oh, I thought they were doing Brazilians. I—to this moment, Mimi, I thought everybody was coming downstairs getting—I thought well this—and I'm getting a pedicure so I'm watching people march in—here at Harpo we have a little spa here and I'm thinking, "God, it's shocking the number of people getting Brazilians." But they're getting eyebrows. Thank you, Joy, for bringing that up.