Bikini waxing refers to the removal of hair at the top of the leg, below the navel, and in the bikini area, otherwise known as the bikini line, a euphemistic term to describe pubic hair visible beyond a typical bikini swimsuit. Other methods of hair removal, such as shaving, sugaring or using chemical depilatories creams are often used in place of waxing. While mainly associated with females, genital waxing also has a male clientèle.
Women started removing this hair when bathing suits became abbreviated, particularly because the term bikini line indicates a date later than the nuclear explosion at the Bikini Islands in 1946 and the swimsuits that followed. Changes in lingerie styles encouraged year-round waxing of the bikini area.However, in Middle Eastern societies, removal of the female body hair has been considered proper hygiene, necessitated by local customs, for many centuries.