The Bush Agenda

On a recent evening, I found myself huddled with a group of strangers to learn about the benefits of feather ticklers, penis vibrators, and anal plugs. I was at Kiki de Montparnasse, an erotic-lifestyle boutique in New York City. Just for grins, a friend had invited me to a seminar with Ronda Music, the store's resident sex expert. As Music passed around a hand-sculpted glass diletto (yes, that's "dildo" in Italian), she delved into the rules of attraction. Specifically, pheromones. Apparently, our natural scent attracts our most ideal mates — those whose genetics best match up with our own. How to trap this natural odor? Pubic hair.

You can guess the problem: "Women are so coiffed, shaved, and waxed these days that we're letting go of our natural scents," said Music. "I wonder what the divorce rate would be if we kept things au naturel." I was stunned. What if, after all the expensive agony of keeping our nether-regions hairless, the joke's on us?

I rang up sex expert Emily Harrell at the renowned Berman Center to find out if Music was really on to something. "Some believe that pubic hair does trap the pheromones," Harrell said. But, she added, "There's not enough research at this point to know the real impact this has on one's sex life."

I decided to test Music's theory myself, stepping out of my hairless comfort zone and skipping a couple of months of maintenance. At week four, when my pelt began peeking out from my Cosabella panties, I started longing for a date with some hot wax; a grown-out Brazilian just didn't make me feel sexy. As week eight neared, along with a big date with a newish guy, I realized it was time to take action. But still, Music's words nagged at me: What if I'd be missing an opportunity to fully entice him with my natural scent?

I figured I'd split the difference and try a new style — so I requested just a little off the sides. Hey, you never know.