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Mons pubis

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Mons pubis
Details
PrecursorGenital tubercle
Identifiers
Latinmons pubis
TA98A09.2.01.002
TA23548
FMA20218
Anatomical terminology

In human anatomy, and in mammals in general, the mons pubis or pubic mound (also known simply as the mons /mɒnz/, and known specifically in females as the mons Venus or mons veneris)[1][2] is a rounded mass of fatty tissue found over the pubic symphysis of the pubic bones.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Structure

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For females, the mons pubis forms the anterior and superior portion of the vulva. It divides into the labia majora (literally "larger lips"), on either side of the furrow known as the pudendal cleft that surrounds the rest of the vulvar parts: labia minora, clitoris, urinary meatus, vaginal opening, and vulval vestibule.[2][5][6]

Lateral view of a woman's prominent mons pubis.

Although present in both men and women, the mons pubis tends to be larger in women.[1][6] Its fatty tissue is sensitive to estrogen, causing a distinct mound to form with the onset of female puberty.[4][6][7][8] This pushes the forward portion of the labia majora out and away from the pubic bone. The mound also becomes covered with pubic hair. It often becomes less prominent with the decrease in bodily estrogen experienced during menopause.[9]

Etymology

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The term mons pubis is derived from Latin for "pubic mound". The more specifically female mons Venus or mons veneris is derived from Latin for "mound of Venus".[1][2]

Society and culture

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Left image alt text
Right image alt text
Aesthetic modifications of the mons pubis include scarification tattoos (left) and genital piercings such as the Christina piercing (right).

Although not part of external genitalia itself, the pubic mound can be regarded as an erogenous zone and is highly eroticized in many cultures. Throughout history, the complete or partial removal of pubic hair has been common in many societies,[citation needed] and more recently it has become widespread in the Western world. The removal of all pubic hair has become common practice in the past decade primarily due to societal pressures and personal preferences. There are several popular removal methods including shaving and waxing, such as a Brazilian wax.[10][11][12]

In some circumstances, the mons veneris is subjected to aesthetic ideals beyond hair removal. Correspondingly, plastic surgery is offered, which alters the shape of the mons to a desired ideal.[13] Desired ideals may be influenced by personal preferences, current cultural norms, or societal pressures.[citation needed]

Permanent forms of decoration to enhance the aesthetic appeal of this area are hanabira (the application of cosmetic scars)[14] or piercings such as the Christina piercing or the Nefertiti piercing.[15] Vajazzling refers to the non-permanent decoration of the mons pubis with crystal ornaments.[16][17] Traditional ink tattoos are also common in this area as well as temporary henna designs or mehndi.

Although it is usually illegal to expose the mons pubis in public, there are some garments that expose it. For example, in 1985, four weeks before his death, Rudi Gernreich unveiled the pubikini, a topless bathing suit that exposed the wearer's mons pubis and pubic hair.[18][19][20][21][22] It was a thin, V-shaped, thong-style bottom[23] that in the front featured a tiny strip of fabric.[21][22] The pubikini was described as a pièce de résistance totally freeing the human body.[24]

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  • A mons pubis of a male with pubic hair partly removed.
    A mons pubis of a male with pubic hair partly removed.
  • A mons pubis of a female with pubic hair removed
    A mons pubis of a female with pubic hair removed

References

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  1. ^ a b c d New Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2011. The rounded mass of fatty tissue lying over the joint of the pubic bones, in women typically more prominent and also called the mons veneris.
  2. ^ a b c d Gould, A.M.; George Milbry, M.D (1894). An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston, Son & Company. pp. 778–779. Retrieved 2014-10-08. Mons pubis: the eminence in front of the body and horizontal ramus of the os pubis; it is called also, in the female, mons veneris.
  3. ^ "mons pubis". Merriam–Webster. Retrieved 2013-09-18. A rounded eminence of fatty tissue on the pubic symphysis especially of the human female.
  4. ^ a b "mons pubis". American Heritage Dictionary. 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-19. A rounded fleshy protuberance situated over the pubic bones that becomes covered with hair during puberty.
  5. ^ a b Zink, Christoph (1988). Dictionary of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co. p. 201. ISBN 3110857278. Retrieved 2014-10-08. Pubic mount: mons pubis, in females mons veneris; the hairy region above the anterior commissure of the large labia or penis.
  6. ^ a b c d Basavanthappa, B.T. (2006). Textbook of Midwifery and Reproductive Health Nursing (1st ed.). New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. pp. 23, 42, 791. ISBN 8180617998. Retrieved 2014-10-08. [Female] mons pubis (mons veneris), labia majora and minora, clitoris, prepuce of clitoris, vestibule, fourchette, and perineum… [Male] mons pubis, penis, and scrotum… Hair-covered fat pad overlying the symphysis pubis.
  7. ^ Gray, Henry (1918). Lewis, Warren H. (ed.). Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.). Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. ISBN 1-58734-102-6.
  8. ^ Myers, J.D., John E.B. (2011). The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1412966818. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  9. ^ Braun, Kirsten (2007-09-01). "Ageing down under". Women's Health, Queensland Wide. Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  10. ^ Stone, N., Graham, C.A., & Baysal, I. (2017). "Women's Engagement in Pubic Hair Removal: Motivations and Associated Factors". International Journal of Sexual Health, 29(1), 89–96.
  11. ^ Lidola, M. (2014). "Negotiating integration in Berlin's waxing studios: Brazilian migrants' gendered appropriation of urban consumer spaces and 'ethnic' entrepreneurship". Journal of Contemporary History, 49(1), 228–251.
  12. ^ Herbenick, D., Schick, V., Reece, M., Sanders, S., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2010). "Pubic hair removal among women in the United States: Prevalence, methods, and characteristics". The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(10), 3322–3330.
  13. ^ Triana, L. & Robledo, A. M. (2015). "Aesthetic surgery of female external genitalia". Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 35(2), 165–177.
  14. ^ "Schnittiger Trend? Scarification statt Tattoo", Stylight
  15. ^ Van der Meer, G. T., Schultz, W.W., & Nijman, J.M. (2008). "Intimate body piercings in women". Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 29(4), 235–239.
  16. ^ Turney, J. (2016). "Vajazzled!!! Pursuits for the hirsute." Clothing Cultures, 3(2), 143–153.
  17. ^ "7 Things You Didn't Know About Vajazzling", Cosmopolitan
  18. ^ Portraits: Photographs from Europe and America (2004) Klaus Honnef, Helmut Newton and Carol Squiers. page 21, Schirmer, ISBN 382960131X
  19. ^ Cathy Horn, "Rudi Revisited", The Washington Post, November 17, 1991, page 3
  20. ^ Elizabeth Gunther Stewart, Paula Spencer & Dawn Danby, The V Book: A Doctor's Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health (2002), page 104, Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-38114-8
  21. ^ a b overzero.com. "Bald is Beautiful". Metroland. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  22. ^ a b Elizabeth Gunther Stewart, Paula Spencer and Dawn Danby, The V Book, page 104, Bantam Books, 2002, ISBN 0553381148
  23. ^ Ellen Shultz, ed. (1986). Recent acquisitions: A Selection, 1985-1986. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 48. ISBN 978-0870994784.
  24. ^ Catalog adds options for overweight girls, Denver Post, 1992-01-02

Bibliography

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