I have always had a lot of body hair. My hair is a lot and thick. Before I even discovered my vulva I was told to stop washing it with soap due to vaginal pH imbalance that used to make me suffer a lot. When I discovered my vulva I became very paranoid about how it smelled, because I wasn't using soap and have a lot of hair. I worried it smelled bad. In reality it didn't. However, I developed a vulva washing ritual that also involved making my partner wash his genitalia as often as I did. It wasn't until my mid 20's when I realised why my vaginal pH balance was still being disturbed. Why I was getting more infections than I would've liked. Not removing my pubic hair was what stopped the infections. I now get infected very rarely. Also, in my mid 20's I decided to stop getting anxious about: what if my partner asks me to shave my pubic hair. I explain why not and break the relationship if they insist. Men have made negative comments about my pubic hair, so have female members of my family. I don't keep all of my hair but what is shown on the photo. I just can't get used to the idea of leaving all my pubic hair on. I also had insecurities about my inner labia, because I compared it with my mother's and sisters, which looked different from mine and I therefore thought mine had a defect. I wish for a world where in sex education - where it exists - children and teenagers are told to explore their genitalia and inform them about differences, and health care is widely available. Whilst education should start at home, sex education needs to start at school, so future generations are educating their children.

A – 35 years old