PETA Slams Fox Fur Merkins

The "Foxy Bikini" looks alarmingly like a troll doll. Click here to see.

First things first:
mer·kin (mûrkn) n. A pubic wig for women.
Alright then, now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at why merkins are back in the news…

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has come out swinging against the luxury spa chain Completely Bare. The New York-based spa, which happens to be owned by one of the Real Housewives from the Big Apple, has added a fox fur merkin to their list of services. They are calling it the "Foxy Bikini" and the cheesiness doesn't come cheap at $225 USD. Another addition to the menu is "The Carnivale Bikini" at $195 USD which consists of neon feathers (taped? glued? do I want to know?) to the business below. Having been to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, I'm sad to admit that these feather merkins would fit right in. As for the fox fur version, I'm coming up empty handed on a fitting occasion.

PETA's upset is understandable. I don't see why the salon needs to harm any animals in the making of these merkins—faux fur technology has rendered the textures nearly indistinguishable. Furthermore what place does a merkin hold in present day society? This little known adornment actually dates back to the 1400s, a time when lack of personal hygiene led to pubic lice. To avoid the itch, women shaved off their hair-down-there and, as it was fashionable, looked for a suitable replacement in wigs of human hair, lace, and nylon. Mind you it was also commonly used by prostitutes to cover up visible sexually transmitted infections like warts and herpes.

Pardon the history lesson (and any visuals that may have occurred from it), but my point is this: merkins had a place in history but serve no purpose present day. Are we supposed to pay money to wax off our pubes and then pay to have them replaced with a wig of softer hair originally designed to ward off lice? How romantic. Plus, does anyone actually think this looks good? With those neon colours I'd feel like there was a parrot caught between my legs.

It's all rather confusing to me. I thought the carpet was supposed to match the drapes, but maybe there's some troll doll fetish out there that I don't know about.

Have your say! Would you ever get a merkin?

By: Laura; Photo by iStockphoto.

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