- Merkin
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This article is about pubic wig. For other uses, see Merkin (disambiguation).
A merkin used at Burning Man
A merkin (first use 1617)[1] is a pubic wig. Merkins were originally worn by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia, and are now used as decorative items, erotic devices, or in films, by both men and women.
Contents
Origin of term
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language the term stems from a corruption of the obsolete word malkin, meaning a lower-class woman or mop, from the personal name Mall or Moll, themselves derived from Meri or Mary; -kin was used to form pet-names, e.g., Simkin from Simon.[2][3] The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary concurs in this derivation.[4]
History
The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to the 1450's. Women would shave their pubic hair and wear a merkin to combat pubic lice, and prostitutes would wear them to cover up signs of disease, such as syphilis.[5]
"A Short and Curly History of the Merkin" in The Guardian provided a partial history of the merkin. It highlighted "comedy terrorist" Aaron Barschak's flashing of a merkin to onlookers.[6] It has also been suggested that when male actors played female parts onstage, they would cover their genitals with a merkin so they could expose themselves as women in nude scenes.[7]
Contemporary use
In Hollywood film making, merkins are worn by actors and actresses to prevent inadvertent exposure of the genitalia during nude or semi-nude scenes. If a merkin were not worn, it would be necessary to restrict the shot to exclude the genital area; with the merkin in place, brief flashes of the crotch can be used if necessary. The presence of the merkin protects the actor from inadvertently performing 'full-frontal' nudity – some contracts specifically require that nipples and genitals be covered in some way – which can help ensure that the film achieves a less restrictive MPAA rating.[8]
A merkin may also be used if the actor has less pubic hair than required, such as the nude dancing extras in The Bank Job, Amy Landecker in A Serious Man (for a nude sunbathing scene, as the actress' bikini wax was not common for the period (1967) when the film is set),[9][10] and female slaves in Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Lucy Lawless was fitted for a merkin for Spartacus, but did not actually use it.[11] In an interview for Allure, Kate Winslet related how she refused to wear a merkin in The Reader.[12][10]
At the São Paulo Fashion Week in 2010, design firm Neon dressed a nude model in transparent plastic. According to the designer, the model wore a pubic wig to make her appear more natural.[13]
Other usage of the term
- The term can be used in an obscure sense to refer to the vulva.[14]
- In Europe, the term has also been in common usage as a jocular term for an American since the 1960s, as it sounds like the half-swallowed pronunciation of "American" by some Americans, particularly Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush. The OED reports that the term has become common internet slang for Americans or American English.[15]
- More recently the removable sheepskin headband found on the inside of safety hardhats are referred to as merkins by many in the mining industry of Western Australia.[citation needed]
- The popular saltwater fly fishing fly, used primarily in targeting bonefish and permit, Del Brown's Merkin[16] is also named after the artificial hair piece. The Merkin fly pattern represents a crab, referencing the merkin's historical use for pubic lice (also colloquially known as crabs). Further, Del's Merkin is tied with a disc of fuzzy yarn, imitating the crab's shell but also reminiscent of the fly's namesake.[17]
References
- Notes
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ Withycombe, E. G. (1950) The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names; 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; pp. 200-202 (Malkyn is found in the Coventry Mystery Plays)
- ^ Matilda according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (fourth edition). Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Oxford University Press, 1997
- ^ Oxford Companion to the Body Oxford University Press, 2002
- ^ Francis, Gareth (2003-06-26). "A short and curly history of the merkin". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,985079,00.html.
- ^ Harker, Joseph (1994). Notes & Queries, vol. 5.. London: Fourth Estate. pp. 96–7. ISBN 1-85702-266-1.
- ^ Duchovny, David DVD commentary for Stephen Soderberg's 'Full Frontal'
- ^ Yuan, Jada (2009-09-28). "A Serious Man’s Amy Landecker: ‘The Correct Term Is Merkin’". New York (magazine). http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/09/a_serious_mans_amy_landecker.html. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- ^ a b Lindsy Van Gelder. Your Bikini Line, Your Business?, Allure, August 26, 2009
- ^ Lucy Lawless interview for Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Hannah Morrill. Kate Winslet, Unscripted, Allure, June 3, 2009.
NOTE: Many sources claim that she wore a merkin by only quoting part of this interview (found in full in the printed issue):
: "Let me tell you, The Reader was not glamorous for me in terms of body-hair maintenence. I had to grow it in, because you can't have a landing strip in 1950, you know? And then because of years of waxing, as all of us girls know, it doesn't come back quite the way it used to. They even made me a merkin because they were so concerned that I might not be able to grow enough. I said, 'Guys, I am going to have to draw the line at a pubic wig, but you can shoot my own snatch up close and personal.'"
Another Allure source (used here) also says she didn't wear it. - ^ Mehr Transparenz auf dem Laufsteg, Spiegel
- ^ Murray, J. A. H., et al. (eds.) A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: [1st] Supplement (1933) - Merkin
- ^ See this Random House Word of the Day entry, this [alt.usage.english FAQ http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxmerkin.html Alternative Usage in English: Merkin] and this Straight Dope article
- ^ Brown, D. (2008) Fly Fishing For Bonefish; pp. 246,340
- ^ The Merkin Crab by Dr. Ed Southwick
External links
Categories:- Wigs
- Feminine hygiene
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