{{Short description|Pubic wig}} {{About|the pubic wig}} __NOTOC__ thumb|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.<ref>''Oxford Companion to the Body'' Oxford University Press, 2002</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,985079,00.html|title=A short and curly history of the merkin|work=The Guardian|first=Gareth|last=Francis|date=2003-06-26}}</ref>
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' dates the first written use of the term to 1617. The word probably originated from ''malkin'',<ref name="NED">{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Bradley|first1=Henry|author-link=Henry Bradley|last2=Cragie|first2=William Alexander|author2-link=William Craigie|editor-last=Murray|editor-first=James Alexander Henry|editor-link=James Murray (lexicographer)|title=Oxford English Dictionary|volume=6|series=2|page=360|date=1908|entry=Merkin|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|display-editors=etal}}</ref><ref name="OED"/> a derogatory term for a lower-class young woman, or from ''Marykin'', a pet form of the female given name ''Mary''.<ref name="OED">{{cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/116815|website=OED Online|title=merkin, n.1|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=2014-07-14}}</ref>
==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.<ref>Duchovny, David ''DVD commentary for Steven Soderbergh's'' Full Frontal</ref>
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''.{{cn|date=February 2024}} 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.<ref>{{cite news| first=Jada | last=Yuan | title=''A Serious Man's'' Amy Landecker: 'The Correct Term Is Merkin' | url=http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/09/a_serious_mans_amy_landecker.html | date=2009-09-28 | access-date=2010-04-28 | publisher=New York}}</ref><ref name=Allure-Gelder/> *Kate Winslet said she refused to wear a merkin in ''The Reader''.<ref name=Allure-Gelder>Lindsy Van Gelder (26 August 2009). [http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2009/08/your-bikini-line-your-business.html "Your Bikini Line, Your Business?"] ''Allure''.</ref><ref name=Allure-Morrill>Hannah Morrill (3 June 2009). [http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2009/06/kate-winslet-unscripted.html "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): {{quote|Let me tell you, ''The Reader'' was not glamorous for me in terms of body-hair maintenance. 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."}} </ref> *Gina Gershon wore a merkin in ''Killer Joe''.<ref>Graham, Bill (26 July 2012). [https://thefilmstage.com/features/interview-killer-joe-emile-hirsch-and-gina-gerson-on-getting-dirty-single-takes-and-a-chicken-bone/ "Interview: 'Killer Joe' Stars Emile Hirsch and Gina Gershon on Getting Dirty, Single Takes and a Chicken Bone"]. ''Thought Catalog''.</ref> *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."<ref name=Brevet>Brevet, Brad (12 March 2012). [http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/learned-david-fincher-girl-dragon-tattoo-commentary/3/ "What I Learned Listening to David Fincher's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' Commentary"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211150944/http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/learned-david-fincher-girl-dragon-tattoo-commentary/3/ |date=2013-12-11 }} ''Rope of Silicon''.</ref><ref name=Mara_merkin>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/rooney-maras-merkin-for-dragon-tattoo_n_1146276.html "Rooney Mara Naked, Merkin Details For 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo{{'"}}]. ''The Huffington Post''. 13 December 2011.</ref> *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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Axmaker|first1=Sean|title=Videophiled: 'Adua and Her Friends' and 'The Skin' – Survival, Italian Style |url=http://www.cinephiled.com/videophiled-adua-friends-skin-survival-italian-style/|website=Cinephiled|access-date=6 April 2018|date=22 January 2015}}</ref> *In the film ''The Greasy Strangler'', the character Janet wears a merkin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yamato |first1=Jen |title='The Greasy Strangler': Inside the Most WTF Movie of the Year |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greasy-strangler-inside-the-most-wtf-movie-of-the-year |work=The Daily Beast |date=4 October 2016 |language=en}}</ref> *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=== *In the television series ''Black Sails'', Jessica Parker Kennedy wore a pubic wig.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jessicaparkerkennedy.org/category/site/videos/|title=Complex Magazine Interview (With Video)|website=Jessica Parker Kennedy|date=February–March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729000704/http://jessicaparkerkennedy.org/category/site/videos/|archive-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> *Lucy Lawless was fitted for a merkin for the 2010 TV series ''Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', but did not use it.<ref name=Lawless>Lucy Lawless. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=506h_-oG1dE Interview for Entertainment Weekly]</ref>
===Other=== *At the São Paulo Fashion Week in 2010, the 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.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,700655,00.html "Mehr Transparenz auf dem Laufsteg"]. ''Der Spiegel''.</ref> *In 2022, in response to the passing of reforms to the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland, Elaine Miller wore a pubic wig and flashed the Scottish parliament chamber in protest.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chudy |first=Emily |date=2022-12-23 |title='Gender critical' protester flashes pubic wig in Scottish parliament |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/12/23/scotland-protester-pubic-wig-gender-bill/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=PinkNews }}</ref> *In the BBC radio comedy The Castle, the local pub is the "Merk Inn". *''Merkin Ball'' is an EP by American alternative rock band Pearl Jam featuring Canadian-American musician Neil Young. It was released as a companion to Young's 1995 album ''Mirror Ball''.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Merkins|lcfirst=yes}} *{{Wiktionary-inline}}
Category:Wigs Category:Feminine hygiene