A merkin is a pubicwig. Merkins were originally worn by sex workers after shaving their mons pubis, and are now used as decorative items, erotic devices, or in films, by both men and women.
History and etymology
The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to the 1450s. According to the publication, women would shave their pubic hair for personal hygiene and to combat pubic lice. They would then don a merkin. Also, sex workers would wear a merkin to cover up signs of disease, such as syphilis. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first written use of the term to 1617. The word probably originated from , a derogatory term for a lower-class young woman, or from Marykin, a pet form of the female given name Mary.
Contemporary use
In Hollywoodfilm making, merkins can be worn by actors and actresses to avoid inadvertent exposure of the genitalia during nude or semi-nude scenes. 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. A merkin may also be used when the actor has less pubic hair than is required, as in the nude dancing extras in The Bank Job. Amy Landecker wore a merkin in A Serious Man for a nude sunbathing scene; bikini waxing was not common for 1967 when the film is set.
Lucy Lawless was fitted for a merkin for the 2010 TV series , but did not use it.
In an interview for Allure, Kate Winslet related how she refused to wear a merkin in The Reader.
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.
In an interview, Gina Gershon revealed that she wore a merkin in Killer Joe.
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 movie was a natural redhead in the book and actually 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."
In the Italian film La Pelle, 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.
