Revealed: The number of Kiwi women keeping the bush and their reasons why

Turns out wahine in Aotearoa are putting down the razor and only picking it up for themselves... rather than anyone else.

New research from a razor brand called Billie shows a shift in how Kiwi women are saying goodbye to grooming guilt.

Nearly half (48%) of women say they don’t shave regularly anymore, and for 1 in 7 (14%), skipping the razor is an intentional act for their confidence, rather than following outdated expectations.

When it comes to pubic hair, over a quarter (28%) say they’re keeping it ALL and going full bush mode with no shame and certainly no apologies.

It’s a move for comfort. Two in three (67%) Kiwi women now say shaving is a form of self-care, not an obligation.

Even Lorde recently went viral for embracing her pubic hair in an image from her latest album.

The picture shows a close-up of her bush through plastic trousers, giving popularity to the term “Lordeussy.”

Fans chimed in with supporting comments like: “Full bush summer and everyone’s crying over a freshly mowed lawn,” and “Lordeussy isn’t a bush, it’s a little fuzz I fear… free the fuzz, the bush, the Amazon rainforest.”

But while the attitude’s changing, we’re not quite there yet. More than a third (37%) of Kiwi women admit they’ve felt judged for having visible body hair, and only 7% think society actually accepts it.

Just 29% feel fully empowered to make their own choices when it comes to their body hair.

Billie – the first razor brand to show body hair in ads – wants to change that by backing the bush, landing in Aotearoa, and bringing the message that shaving should be a choice, not a chore.

So whether you’re bare, bushy or somewhere in between – the only person who gets to decide what goes on with your body hair is you. Why not embrace it?!