Merkin

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A merkin (with flashlight) worn by a woman to cover her pubic area.

A merkin is a pubic wig. Merkins were worn by people after shaving their mons pubis, and are used as decorative items or erotic devices by both women and men.

History and etymology

The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to the 1450s, but gives no primary source to attest this. According to the publication, women would shave their pubic hair for personal hygiene and to combat pubic lice. They would then put on a merkin. Also, sex workers would wear a merkin to cover up signs of disease, such as syphilis.[1][2]

The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first written use of the term to 1617. The word probably originated from malkin,[3][4] a derogatory term for a lower-class young woman, or from Marykin, a pet form of the female given name Mary.[4]

Application

A merkin is typically attached directly to the skin using skin-safe adhesive, such as spirit gum or specialized wig tape. The adhesive is applied to the lace backing of the merkin, which is then pressed onto the skin and held until set. It is reusable and removable.

Contemporary use

Film

Sometimes in filmmaking, merkins can be worn by actresses to avoid inadvertent exposure of the genitalia during nude or semi-nude scenes. The presence of the merkin protects the actor from inadvertently performing "full-frontal" nudity which can help ensure that the film achieves a less restrictive rating.[5]

A merkin may also be used when the actor or actress has less pubic hair than is required, as in the nude dancing extras in The Bank Job.[citation needed] Amy Landecker wore a merkin in A Serious Man (2009) for a nude sunbathing scene; clean shaving was not common in 1967 when the film is set.[6][7]

  • Kate Winslet said she refused to wear a merkin in The Reader.[7][8]
  • Gina Gershon wore a merkin in Killer Joe.[9]
  • In the director's audio commentary of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, director David Fincher discussed how a merkin was used for actress Rooney Mara, after she suggested to him that the character she portrayed in the film was a natural redhead in the book and dyed her hair black. Consequently, the merkin she wore was made in the color red. For the release of the movie in Japan, Fincher stated: "I believe in Japan we had to put a mosaic over it because fake pubes are considered to be ... nasty."[10][11]
  • In the Italian film La Pelle (English: The Skin), which takes place during the Allied occupation of Naples after World War II, blond merkins are made for the local prostitutes to pass for blondes for the US soldiers.[12]
  • In the film The Greasy Strangler, the character Janet wears a merkin.[13]
  • In the film Never Been Kissed, the main character Josie Gellar's assistant is named Merkin. The character is portrayed by Sean Whalen.
  • On the poster that accompanied the 1980s video game Maniac Mansion, the poster includes a reference to a college building, "Merkin Hall".

Television

Other


References

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  1. ^ Oxford Companion to the Body Oxford University Press, 2002
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Francis, Gareth (2003-06-26). "A short and curly history of the merkin". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bradley, Henry; Cragie, William Alexander (1908). "Merkin". In Murray, James Alexander Henry; et al. (eds.). Oxford English Dictionary. 2. Vol. 6. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 360.
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."merkin, n.1". OED Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
  5. ^ Duchovny, David DVD commentary for Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yuan, Jada (2009-09-28). "A Serious Man's Amy Landecker: 'The Correct Term Is Merkin'". New York. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  7. ^ a b Lindsy Van Gelder (26 August 2009). "Your Bikini Line, Your Business?" Allure.
  8. ^ Hannah Morrill (3 June 2009). "Kate Winslet, Unscripted". Allure. Many sources claim that she wore a merkin by only quoting part of this interview (found in full in the printed issue): Template:Quote
  9. ^ Graham, Bill (26 July 2012). "Interview: 'Killer Joe' Stars Emile Hirsch and Gina Gershon on Getting Dirty, Single Takes and a Chicken Bone". Thought Catalog.
  10. ^ Brevet, Brad (12 March 2012). "What I Learned Listening to David Fincher's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' Commentary". Script error: No such module "webarchive". Rope of Silicon.
  11. ^ "Rooney Mara Naked, Merkin Details For 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'". The Huffington Post. 13 December 2011.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Axmaker, Sean (22 January 2015). "Videophiled: 'Adua and Her Friends' and 'The Skin' – Survival, Italian Style". Cinephiled. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yamato, Jen (4 October 2016). "'The Greasy Strangler': Inside the Most WTF Movie of the Year". The Daily Beast.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Complex Magazine Interview (With Video)". Jessica Parker Kennedy. February–March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014.
  15. ^ Lucy Lawless. Interview for Entertainment Weekly
  16. ^ "Mehr Transparenz auf dem Laufsteg". Der Spiegel.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chudy, Emily (2022-12-23). "'Gender critical' protester flashes pubic wig in Scottish parliament". PinkNews. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
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