Photo of author by S Curtis, Collingwood, 1986.

A conversation within an online writing group brought this poem to mind. The discussion was about body hair, and how the ‘brazilian’, in particular, has become so popular amongst young women.

(Conversely, I recall the 1970s, when the Melbourne pop station 3AK ran a promotion ‘3AK Where No Wrinklies Fly’, which featured a naked and hirsute youthful Adam and Eve artwork – which we loved because our elders found it shocking.

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I posted a piece on the subject, with the following observation. ‘Really wanted to share this 20+ year old poem on the subject. It occurs to me that mostly only porn actresses were completely ‘smooth’ back then.

Here’s the poem, ‘Smooth: reflections on a long love affair with pink disposable razors. I think I wrote it around 1994, and it appeared in the collection, ‘Girl With Green Hair’ (Papyrus, 2000).  As a feminist, it’s frustrating to be continually told that I ‘hate men’, so this poem attempts to model some healthy sexuality into the discussion. You can be a radical woman and still love men, and sex. Oh, and bring back the Bush!